THE HOBBY. 



19 



which have been fired at unsuccessfully, and not un- 

 frequently even those which have^ been put up but have 

 not come within shot. It is frequently taken, too, in the 

 nets spread for Larks, or inveigled into the snare of the 

 fowler who pursues his craft with limed twigs and the 

 imitated cry of the Owl. It is a bird of passage, both on 

 the Continent and in England, arriving and taking its 



THE HOBBY. 



departure at about the same time with the Swallow, In 

 form and colouring it somewhat resembles the Peregrine 

 Falcon, but is much smaller and more slender ; the wings, 

 too, are larger in proportion, and the dark stripes beneath 

 are longitudinal instead of transverse. Its natural prey 

 consists for the most part of Larks and other small birds, 

 beetles, and other large insects. It is said also to prey on 



c 2 



