DARIXG OF THE FALCON. 227 



guillemots, and the smaller varieties of the giiU breed 

 form their principal prey ; but although they will strike 

 at rabbits or hares, they are unable to kill them unless 

 they are young." A peregrine cannot carry a black- 

 cock, so that the keeper's story to JNIr. Macgillivray is at 

 least doubtful. The daring of the peregrine falcon 

 equals, if it does not surpass, that of most others of the 

 falcon tribe. 



" A female in Colonel Montague's possession, which 

 had never enjoyed its native habits of destruction, having 

 been taken before she could fly, and had never been 

 much used to slaughter, except with an occasional small 

 bird, was suffered to be a whole day without food, at 

 the expiration of which time an old male heron was 

 introduced into the room where the falcon was at liberty, 

 the point of the heron's bill having been previously 

 sawed off. As soon as the heron was in motion, the 

 falcon, who was also deprived of the means of flight, 

 took post on a stool which was at one end of the room, 

 and as the heron, regardless of his enemy, traversed 

 the apartment, the falcon, motionless, kept her eyes 

 fixed on her destined prey, till, after several turns round 

 the room, she judged the heron was sufficiently near 

 to effect her purpose, when she sprung at the head, in- 

 tending to seize that part with her talons. In this, 

 however, she failed, the stool not having given her 

 sufficient elevation to reach the high-erected head of 

 the heron. This failure might probably have cost the 

 falcon her life, had the bill of her antagonist been 

 perfect ; for she received a blow on the body that must 

 otherwise have inflicted a severe wound, if not mortal, 

 from so pointed an instrument, m-ged with such power. 

 Baffled in this attempt, and having received a severe 



