46 British Birdsy 



engraving will give a better idea of the colour and 

 appearance of this beautiful egg, than any description. 

 Indeed, description of many — of most — eggs fails al- 

 together in conveying an adequate idea of what they 

 are like. 



These birds were greatly prized in the middle ages 

 on account of their fitness for the highly-esteemed 

 pursuit of Falconry ; and their power of wing and 

 magnificent flight are in themselves matters of great 

 interest, quite independently of the excitement of the 

 chase. The female, from her much greater size and 

 strength, was emphatically " the Falcon " ; the male, 

 called the Tercel or Tiercel, being more frequently 

 flown at much smaller game, as Partridges. A Falcon 

 flight — although the science is no longer systemati- 

 cally cultivated as it used to be at Didlington and 

 elsewhere — may still, however, be seen, from time to 

 time, by the fortunately-placed observer, both Hawk 

 and quarry being ferce nattira. Some luckless Gull, 

 or Guillemot, or Rock Dove is selected by the strong 

 freebooter and carried oflf from amid the passing 

 multitudes with a fierce, rushing dash ; and if there 

 are young to be sustained, the onset and sweep may 

 possibly be seen once and again. — Fig. 3, plate I, 



HOBBY— (F^/^^ siibbiiteo). 



This beautiful and active little Hawk — a sort of 

 " miniature Peregrine," Mr. Yarrell calls it — is not a 

 permanent inhabitant of our country. Visiting our 

 shores in April, it leaves us again before winter. It 

 usually selects a high tree to nest in, very often ap- 

 propriating the old year's or deserted nest of some 



