APPENDIX. BIRDS. 395 



FALCO JESALON [The Merlin]. 



A daring little fellow that breeds on several of our hills, more 

 particularly on the Knock, the Bin (Huntly), Auchindoon, and 

 Benvenuis. When strolling along our sea-braes early one 

 morning, I heard a tremendous noise of rooks and jackdaws 

 ahead of me, and on coming to the spot I found them attack- 

 ing a little merlin. One would have thought that such a host 

 would have smothered the little creature in a twinkling. But 

 such was not the case. The crows did not assail him all at 

 once, nor yet singly ; but three, four, and as many as seven, 

 would be on him at a time, tli^ main body keeping at a short 

 distance, encouraging their companions, as it were, with their 

 cawings. After a while, one of these storming parties would 

 retire, and then another would sally forth to the charge. The 

 merlin, however, being of lighter mettle and swifter of wing, 

 managed, with wonderful dexterity, generally to avoid their 

 attacks ; now rising, now descending, and now turning in a 

 zigzag direction, first to one side, then to the other; and 

 succeeding, whilst doing so, in giving one or other of his 

 adversaries a pretty severe peck, which had the effect of send- 

 ing him screaming away. At last, however, a crow, which 

 seemed more courageous than the rest, rushed at the merlin 

 with such fury that I actually thought he would have swallowed 

 him up at once, or sent him headlong into the sea. But 

 no ! the merlin withstood the shock, and contrived to deal his 

 assailant a thrust as he approached and passed him. Tho 

 merlin now rose considerably higher, and was followed only by 

 this single opponent, who returned with redoubled fury to 

 the combat. Up, up they soar, fighting as they go. They 

 close, they scream, they grapple, and their feathers fly like dust. 

 Down they come, locked in deadly embrace. I run to catch 

 them both. But no ! See ! they part, mount again and 

 again, scream, close, and, as before, fall, but not this time to 

 the earth ; they part and mount again. But 'tis now their 

 last time ; for the hawk, rising several yards above his bold 

 and venturous antagonist, rushes down upon him with a yell, 

 such as hawks alone, when irritated, know how to utter, and 

 with such force that both fell right down into the sea, above 

 which they were then fighting. I looked to see them rise 

 again ; but they did not. After a little splashing, all was over 

 with the crow, but not with the hawk : he was still alive, 

 although in a very precarious situation, from which he made 

 several unsuccessful attempts to rise, but could not. It would 

 seem that in dealing the death-blow to his tormentor he some- 

 how or other got himself entangled, perhaps by his talons 

 entering some of the bones of the crow, from whence he could 

 not extract them. Both met with a watery grave, for on my 

 leaving the place, they were both fast drifting seaward, a breeze 

 blowing off the land at the time, with the crows hovering over 

 them and still cawing. 



