FALCO PEREGRINUS. 113 



If its nest is on the coast, then all sort of sea birds are its 

 prey, not disdaining to snatch a young gull or gulliemot from 

 its nest to be devoured in its own — fulfilling thus the broad 

 law of universal Nature. An instance of its rapacity is given 

 in the Magazine of Zoology. A gentleman, when exercising 

 his dogs just before grouse shooting, in the end of July, saw 

 them point, and, on coming up, he startled a male peregrine off 

 a grouse newly killed, and near the same place a female also 

 off another. Although he lifted both birds, the falcons hovered 

 about, and, on the rest of the covey being sprung by the dogs, 

 four more birds were struck down by them ; thus, three brace 

 were got by means of these wild falcons — " more than had ever 

 been got out of a pack of grouse by his trained ones." It 

 sometimes follows the sportsman and his dogs on the moors, and 

 strikes down a grouse before their eyes. To prove its power to 

 carry a bird as heavy as itself, and fly miles with it, Mr Skene's 

 gamekeeper (of Pitlour, in Fife) took an old cock red grouse out 

 of a nest on the Island of May, where no grouse are near ; but 

 it can carry black grouse and pheasants a long way to its nest. 



When wandering by the side of Loch Brora, in Sutherland- 

 shire, the other year, I was struck with the absence of birds of 

 prey ; and when about half-way up the strath or glen, on going 

 through a clump of scraggy white birch trees, at the foot of a 

 huge rock, I met a gamekeeper. " What is the name of that 

 immense rock V I asked. " That is Carrol Eock," he said. 

 " How high is it 1 it is a great height," I said. " Why, yes, it 

 is almost 1,500 feet ; but its vast size takes away its height, and 

 one cannot measure it by the eye," he said. "A fine place for 

 a golden eagle or a peregrine falcon's nest," I remarked. " A 

 peregrine falcon is sitting on eggs up there just now," he replied, 

 pointing up to the rock. " Where V I eagerly asked. _ " Do 

 you see that overhanging piece of rock up there 1 but it is so 

 very high you'll not make it out ; I wish I had my glass," he 

 obligingly said. I tried to make out the place — a mere dark rent 

 in the rock, at least 1,000 feet up, which was all I could see. 

 " We tried to get at the nest last year," he said. " We drove 

 a thick tree in up at the top, away from the edge, then let a 

 rope down to where we are. I tried to climb up the face of the 

 rock with the help of the rope till I came to that black strip, 

 which is at least 1 2 feet in from the overhanging brow of the 

 rock above. I tried to swing myself in, but it was no use : I 

 could not reach it, so had to give it up, fairly baffled. I could 

 neither get at them with shot nor hand. But," said he, " besides 



