THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 



This bird, more numerous in Scotland than England, 

 builds its nest on high rocks : its name, Peregrine, is 

 given from its migratory habits on various parts of the 

 coast. In the Isle of Wight these falcons breed an- 

 nually near the Needles, and destroy many of the puf- 

 fins and razor-bills in the neighbourhood. In the vici- 

 nity of St. Abb's Head, an eyrie has been observed as 

 long established : from hence a gentleman usually ob- 

 tained his cast of hawks, for each of which he gave a 

 guinea to those who encountered the danger of scaling 

 the precipice. It is said, that numbers of the peregrine 

 falcon reside temporarily on Westminster Abbey, and 

 make sad havoc among the tame pigeons in the neigh- 

 bourhood. 



This bird is associated with one of the old English 

 sports. There seems to have been a passion for hawk- 

 ing among all the nations that owned a Scandinavian 

 origin; and perhaps none exceeded our forefathers in its 

 intensity. For centuries it was satirized and denounced 



