A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



obtained are females, and a perfect old male 

 is a rarity. A splendid specimen came to 

 grief against the telegraph wires near Alde- 

 burgh in March, 1864, and was brought to 

 Mr. Hele in a terribly damaged condition, but 

 he managed to make a good bird of it. A 

 hen bird was caught near Bury in May, 1890, 

 which is an unusual date. Peregrines vary a 

 good deal in colour, some being much darker 

 than others. The only mention of the breed- 

 ing of this bird in Suffolk is made by the Rev. 

 R. Lubbock, who in his Fauna of Norfolk says 

 that ' during the time that the late Mr. Downes 

 practised falconry near Yarmouth a pair of these 

 birds used to breed in the steeple of Gorton 

 Church. The nestlings were taken and trained 

 to the chase, the clerk having a regular re- 

 taining fee for their preservation' (ed. 1879, 

 p. 29). This would probably be some time 

 between 1800 and 1820. The book referred 

 to contains (pp. 224-39) an article by Pro- 

 fessor Newton on ' Hawking in Norfolk,' in 

 which there are some interesting references to 

 the same sport in Suffolk, especially to the pur- 

 suit of the kite in the neighbourhood of Thet- 

 ford. 



129. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. 



This beautiful little falcon is now a rare 

 summer migrant, and must be classed among 

 the ' doubtful breeders.' A very perfect male 

 was shot at Rougham in June, 1898, which 

 may have been one of a pair nesting in the 

 vicinity, and in the ' sixties ' Mr. Hele had a 

 tame hobby for some years, which was taken 

 from a nest near Woodbridge. She was kept 

 in the garden during the summer and brought 

 into the house for warmth in the winter, but 

 at last made her escape, with the usual sequel 

 of being shot, and is now one of a group of 

 hawks and owls in the Ipswich Museum. The 

 hobby is said never to build a nest, but always 

 to use an old one, most frequently a crow's, 

 and is the latest breeder of all the hawks, not 

 laying till June. Three eggs are usually laid, 

 like those of the kestrel, but rather larger and 

 paler in colour. 



1 30. Merlin. Fa/ca eesalon, Tunstall. 



The merlin is a winter migrant, never re- 

 maining to breed, but not uncommon near 

 the coast, where it has been shot as early as 

 the first week in September. Its small size 

 enables it to be easily recognized. 



131. Red-footed Falcon. 

 Linn. 



Falco vespertinus, 



The only record of this very rare southern 

 species is that of one shot at Somerleyton in 



July, 1862, which was for many years in the 

 late Mr. H. Stevenson's collection. 



132. Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus, Linn. 

 The kestrel like the owls is supposed to be 



protected by law throughout the year in west 

 Suffolk, but (also like the owls) is often shot 

 by those who ought to know better. It is 

 the most common of all the hawks, breeding 

 throughout the county, frequently in church 

 towers, but also in hollow trees and old nests 

 of other birds. Its richly-coloured eggs can 

 hardly be mistaken for those of any other 

 bird nesting in Suffolk, and the young birds, 

 which are easily reared, make delightful pets, 

 becoming almost as tame as jackdaws, but if 

 allowed perfect liberty the migratory instinct 

 calls them southwards in early autumn. The 

 food of the kestrel consists chiefly of mice, 

 and the damage it is often accused of doing 

 to young game if not imaginary is greatly 

 exaggerated. The lesser kestrel {F. cenchris) 

 has not yet been found in Suffolk, and can 

 be identified by its small size and white claws. 



133. Osprey. Pandion haliaftus (Linn.) 



A rare spring and autumn visitant, more 

 often occurring near the coast than inland. 

 Several have been shot on Breydon, two of 

 which are in the Bury Museum, and two or 

 three near Aldeburgh, one of which, shot 

 near Thorpe Haven in October, 1874, is in 

 the museum at Ipswich. The bold contrast 

 of dark brown above and white below in the 

 osprey's plumage, and its extent of wing, 

 which often exceeds five feet, combine to 

 render it an easy bird to recognize. 



134. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.) 



The often-quoted record of Mr. Lubbock 

 [Fauna of Norfolk, ed. 1 879, p. 173) that 

 ' cormorants have in some seasons nested in 

 the trees around Fritton decoy in some 

 number ; in other years there has not been 

 one nest ' must once more be cited, and from 

 a note in the Birds of Norfolk (iii. 288) the 

 date appears to be about 1825. The cor- 

 morant is now only a visitant, usually in late 

 summer and autumn. 



135. Shag or Green Cormorant. Phalacro- 



corax graculus (Linn.) 



A visitant much rarer than the cormorant, 

 and a more strictly marine species, never 

 known to have nested in the county. In 

 December, 1900, one was shot when perched 

 on the roof of a house at West Stow near 

 Bury, which is quite thirty miles from the 



196 



