PEREGRINE FALCON. 47 



and the three birds often mount to a great height in the 

 air. When one of the Hawks seizes his prey, the other 

 soon binds to him, as it is termed, and buoyant from the 

 motion of their wings, the three descend together to the 

 ground with but little velocity. The falconer must lose 

 no time in getting hold of the Heron's neck when he is 

 on the ground to prevent him from injuring the Hawks. 

 It is then, and not when he is in the air, that he will 

 use his beak in his defence. Hawks have, indeed, some- 

 times, but very rarely, been hurt by striking against the 

 Heron's beak when stooping ; but this has been purely by 

 accident, and not, as has been said, by the Heron's pre- 

 senting his beak to his pursuer as a means of defence. 

 When the Heron flies down wind, he is seldom taken, 

 the Hawks are in great danger of being lost, and as the 

 flight is in a straight line, it affords but little sport." 



Mr. Thompson, in his interesting volumes on the Birds 

 of Ireland, which have been already referred to, mentions 

 " that a Peregrine Falcon having caught a Landrail which 

 it was about to eat on a house-top, instantly gave chase 

 to another rail that was sprung, and, still retaining its 

 first victim, secured the second with its other foot ; and 

 bore off both together." Vol i. page 44. 



So bold as well as rapid is the Peregrine Falcon, that it 

 has frequently interfered and robbed the sportsman of his 

 game in the manner described under the article " Golden 

 Eagle," of which instances are related by Mr. Selby and 

 others. But these daring birds are not always success- 

 ful. 



Mr. Lloyd, in his Scandinavian adventures during a 

 residence of upwards of twenty years, forming two highly- 

 illustrated volumes, recently published, relates, on the 

 authority of Dr. Willman of Malmo, that one day, in the 

 vicinity of where he dwelt, " an eagle pounced down upon 



