224 RKMIXISCENCES OF A SPOKTSM.\X. 



full and robust, its neck rather short, its head large and 

 round. The bill is shortish, thick and strong; the 

 upper mandible with the edges sharp, slightly inflected, 

 with a distinct process towards the curvature, having on 

 either side a rounded sinus : the tip triagonal, descend- 

 ing obliquely, and acute ; the lower mandible involute 

 at the edges, the tip directly trvmcate, the notch distinct. 

 The legs are robust and short ; the torsi, which are 

 feathered more than half way down, are covered all 

 round with reticularly-arranged scales; the toes are 

 robust, covered above with scutella, scabious and tuber- 

 cular beneath ; the second and fourth toes are nearly 

 equal, the hind toe shortest, the third longest; the 

 third and fourth connected by a membrane at the base. 

 The claws strong, rounded on the ridge, rather com- 

 pressed, acute, narrow, and marginate beneath ; -^dngs 

 very long and pointed." It measures in length, from 

 the head to the end of the tail, sixteen inches and a half; 

 the extent of its wings thirty-six inches ; but it must be 

 observed that it is occasionally larger. 



The female 'peregrine is more highly prized by many 

 practical falconers than the male, and is by some of 

 them for super-eminence exclusively called the Falcon. 

 Others of the fraternity, on the contrary, will not allow 

 such superiority to be at all considerable between the 

 female and the male, either in size, strength, or daring. 

 Contrary, likewise, to the natm-e of predacious birds in 

 general, in the peregrine neither the size of the sexes 

 nor their plumage, particularly the latter, differ very 

 much. The dimensions of the female are twenty-one 

 inches and a half to the end of the tail ; to the end of 

 the wings thirty inches and three-quarters. It is a sup- 

 position, not only among natiuralists, but also among 



