PEREGRINE FALCONS 247 



times settling briefly on some pinnacle or ledge) 

 with strikingly rapid flight, ever and anon 

 making wide detours out over the sea or 

 round the valley as the case may be : and the 

 female, at any rate, is prone to scream lustily 

 from time to time, some specimens, indeed, being 

 remarkably noisy. 



The Peregrine's scream is quite unmistakeable. 

 It is a wild, piercing, angry cry, resembling, as I 

 think, a compromise between the quack of a duck 

 and the clucking of an agressively harsh-throated 

 hen, and sounding like the syllable kwark of times, 

 loudly and rapidly repeated. The tiercel's contribu- 

 tion is rather different, and suggests the word krark. 

 Besides this the Peregrine possesses other three 

 cries :* one, which often preludes the above scream, 

 is a long-drawn, whining kee-ark ; the second, a 

 short, sharp kek, rarely heard ; and the third, a 

 low, iterated ' ' chittering ' or squeaking sound 

 (a cry which with modifications is used by young 

 Falcons while still eyasses), which somewhat 

 resembles one call of the Kestrel, thus, hek-herrek- 

 kerrech. All these cries are usually, but by no 

 means invariably, uttered when the bird is flying. 

 Out of the breeding-season the Peregrine is practi- 

 cally mute, though I have repeatedly heard the 

 normal scream a month before an egg has been* 

 laid. The earliest personal record I possess is 

 February 26th, the latest October 26th. 



* On occasions, a brisk cry sounding like quack-el*, is uttered. 



