THE MERLIN. 257 



was formerly used in Great Britain in hawking par- 

 tridges and otlier birds of straight flight. Although it 

 is easily reclaimed, more efficient agents have led to the 

 discontinuance of its use. Nevertheless, some of the 

 old writers describe it as a good field hawk, and praise 

 it for a fast goer aforehead. The kestrel is found 

 throughout Europe and North America. Selby says 

 that the kestrel hawks go after cockchafers in the 

 evening. He has seen this bird dart through a swarm 

 of them, carrying one in each claw, and eat them while 

 on the wiag. 



The Merlin. 



The merlin is the smallest of the hawks, but it is 

 also one of the most active and beautiful ; little longer 

 than the blackbird, it can kill a partridge at a single 

 pounce, such is its power and determination. The 

 " Field " newspaper says a merlin in pursuit of its prey, 

 viz. a robin, flew into a cottage through the open win- 

 dow, when the old dame of the cot seized the tongs, with 

 which she actually killed it. The robin escaped. 



This was the favourite hawk of the ladies ; and when 

 hawking was so general a field amusement this bird 

 was on these occasions carried on the hand of the 

 female falconers. The wings reach to -within two inches 

 from the tip of the tail, which is marked with alternate 

 dusky and pale bars. The male merlin, called by the 

 older falconers the jack of the female is, it would 

 appear, less rammish than most hawks. Colonel Mon- 

 tague tells us that one taken in a trap cage, into which 

 he had entered in pursuit of a bullfinch, proved very 



