THE KESTREL. 275 



a winter in which I have not seen this graceful Falcon 

 from time to time. 



The flight of this active little bird is composed of a 

 series of graceful flappings and smooth glidings. He sails 

 buoyantly over the woods, fields, and hedgerows, giving 

 himself an impetus by a series of rapid flappings, and 

 then skimming elegantly for a short distance, until his 

 momentum is expended. Now lingering to perform 

 those graceful quivering motions : he seems to move not, 

 his rounded tail fully expanded ; then the flappings are 

 renewed, and varied by the sailing motions. .Suddenly 

 poising himself for an instant, he darts downwards with 

 the rapidity of an arrow, and secures an unsuspecting 

 field mouse, quietly eating its meal from an ear of corn. 

 Upwards he sails, with the quivering mouse in his talons, 

 to his nest if in the breeding season, or ofl" to some quiet 

 nook where he can consume his prey in peace if the cares 

 and anxieties of a family do not intrude upon him. 

 Now he is seen coursing through the air at a stupendous 

 elevation, his long pointed wings and beautifully rounded 

 tail displaying themselves to perfection. Then in a 

 series of beautiful curves he makes a spiral descent to a 

 lower atmosphere, and is seen searching for prey ; but rest 

 assured no thought of prey is in his square-looking head 

 when sailing at such great elevations. Even his piercing 

 eye would fail to distinguish the mouse in the corn field 

 or the ladybird running gaily over the grass stem. 

 What these elevated flights are for man knows not, and 

 will probably never know ; but of this we may rest 

 assured, that Nature has a purpose in sending the 

 Kestrel so high in the circumambient air. 



Among the many birds that hover in the heavens, 



perhaps the Kestrel is the most graceful, and indeed the 



most frequently seen in that position. You see the bird 



T 2 



