FALCO NISSUS. 97 



being caught itself. Another friend told me he was in his room ; 

 the sash was up, suddenly — like a rifle bullet — first flew a linnet, 

 then a hawk, into the room, and so eager was the hawk in 

 pursuit it smashed the glass of a large picture hanging opposite 

 the window — the panting linnet crouching in a corner of the room. 

 The hawk fell, stunned, then glared first at his master man, then 

 around at his narrow firmament, then flew to the window (which 

 he had closed) and tried to escape. My friend captured both, 

 and restored them to liberty — the one, I trust, to sing again 

 sweetly on a whin, the other to carry out its mission assigned 

 by Nature. It is not likely they would ever meet again. 

 Another gentleman told me that, while walking in his garden, 

 a sparrow flew down to his feet, when simultaneously a sparrow- 

 hawk dashed against one of the iron clothes poles and fell dead. 

 In June 1860, when walking on the links, near the Eden, I saw T a 

 haw r k chasing a lark, which tried every wile to escape from its 

 natural foe ; it darted aside, then above it, wheeled, gyrated, 

 dived, and soared until almost exhausted, and as Nature never 

 gives talents or talons to man or hawk without a special purpose 

 — for use — each moment brought the talons nearer the breast of 

 the lark, and when just about to clutch it a strange deliverer 

 appeared in the shape of a greedy carrion crow, which darted 

 down upon the hawk with a hoarse caw ! caw ! and gave 

 determined chase to the chaser, while the poor lark crouched 

 close to my feet behind a bunch of bent. I allowed it to lie, as 

 there was plenty of room for both of us. The incident so 

 interested me that I penned a few verses on it : — 



The hawk, just like a thief about to clutch 

 His prey — detected, slunk away with such 

 A cowed and coward, wavering, sidling mien, 

 That I, who watched them all, have seldom seen. 



The poor lark dived behind the bent, and lay — 

 She cower'd and panted — but she did not pray. 

 For why ? Because, in truth she had no need ; 

 The crow, he was as bad, nay worse, indeed ! 



For as the carrion swept the links around, 

 He spied her offspring huddling on the ground, 

 And, with a greedy, chuckling, evil eye, 

 He gobbled up her brood and off did fly. 



He saw her saviour pounce upon her young, 

 And, then, with pain her little heart was wrung, 

 To think the great all prey upon the small ; 

 Alas ! poor poverty is food for all ! 



I watched the crow chasing the hawk all the way over the 

 Eden, till lost in the distance over Tentsmuir, in the direction 



