452 



FALCON. 



The former have the beak more completely toothed 

 than the latter ; but the latter are the more powerful 

 birds, not interior certainly in point of wing, were 

 equally docile when trained for falconry, more hardy 

 from being inhabitants of colder climates, and when 

 genuine perhaps more esteemed. We shall now 

 notice a few of the principal species, and, in the first 

 place, we shall advert to the falcons properly so called, 

 which are numerous, and then to the jerfalcons, which 

 are comparatively few. We may remark, however, in 

 passing, that it is very difficult to be correct with 

 species in the case of falcons, more especially of those 

 which are natives of foreign countries, and of which 

 only a few specimens have been seen. There is 

 hardly a European or even a British species which 

 has not, when in different plumages, beau described as 

 more than one species ; and very generally the male, 

 which is always about a third less in weight than the 

 female, and differently coloured, has been regarded 

 as an entirely different bird. In some respects the 

 difference is correct ; for the female is generally, if 

 not always, a bird of bolder character and a more noble 

 preyer than the male. The falconers were well aware 

 of this ; for, while every honour was associated with 

 the name of the falcon or female, the tersel or male 

 was an inglorious appellation. In their early plu- 

 mages and before they acquired the grey, which is 

 characteristic of the mature birds, the female was a 

 red falcon and the male a red tersel, but these latter 

 appellations were chiefly applied to mature birds of 

 the species which we shall first describe. 



THE PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus) is the 

 falcon par excellence, because, though perhaps not 

 the most powerful, it was the most generally in use, 

 and also one of the most elegant. The length of the 

 female is about sixteen or seventeen inches, and the 

 extent of the wings an inch or two more than three 

 feet. The bill is bluish black, yellowish at the base ; 

 gape and cere yellow. The whole upper parts of the 

 plumage dusky black, with a cinereous dash ; the shafts 

 of the feathers black, and the margins slightly edged 

 with ferruginous brown ; the forehead pale ; the sides 

 of the neck and back mixed with yellowish white ; a 

 black patch behind the eye ; from the corner of the 

 mouth a broad black streak pointing downwards ; 

 chin ferruginous white ; the whole of the under parts 

 the same, with a broad streak of dusky black down 

 the shafts, less conspicuous on the throat and vent ; 

 under and upper tail coverts barred with dusky and 

 ferruginous white, the former dashed with cinereous ; 

 quill feathers dusky black dashed with cinereous ; the 

 inner webs with transverse oblong spots of ferruginous 

 white ; the under coverts of the wings alternately 

 barred with black and white. Tail dusky black, dashed 

 with cinereous, with eight pale ferruginous bars, least 

 conspicuous on the outer webs of the exterior feathers ; 

 one of the bars constitutes the extremity. The bill 

 and talons of this species are remarkably strong, the 

 former being much hooked, and furnished with a 

 tooth-like process on each side of the upper mandible, 

 which enables it to cut and tear its prey with greater 

 ease. The wings are very pointed, the second feather 

 being the longest, the first not much inferior, and the 

 tail short, so that the wing? when closed reach very 

 near the end. The legs short, strong, and pale yellow ; 

 the toes long, and furnished with a projecting callus 

 beneath at the second joint. 



Though most abundant in the hilly parts of the 

 temperate regions of the world, the peregrine falcon, 



from the vigour of its flight, is occasionally seen in aL 

 parts of the world, at least of the eastern hemisphere ; 

 and indeed the range from the middle of Europe to 

 that of Africa is only a morning's flight for it. It is 

 also as long-lived as it is fleet and discursive. One 

 is mentioned as having been met with in Southern 

 Africa, in the year 1793, wearing a gold collar dated 

 1610, and known at that time to have belonged to 

 James I. ; though more than 180 years old, it was still 

 in complete vigour. 



Peregrine. 



The peregrine falcon inhabits all the temperate and 

 colder parts of Europe, ranging from Iceland to the 

 islands of the Mediterranean, frequenting high and 

 rocky mountains, and building its nest, about the end 

 of February, in precipitous cliffs, with a southern 

 aspect. The eggs are generally three or four in 

 number, white and spotted with brown. It is rarely 

 met with in champaign countries, and never in those 

 of a marshy description. In Germany and France it 

 abounds, is pretty common in Holland and England, 

 but is seldom met with in Switzerland. There is 

 scarcely any part of our coasts, from north to south, 

 where the cliffs rise to three or four hundred feet, in 

 which they are not found scattered in the breeding 

 season, and from which they seldom retire, except as 

 occasional migrants, or when the young are driven to 

 seek for fresh quarters. The insulated rock on which 

 the castle of Dumbarton stands has been particularly 

 quoted for a breed of the peregrine falcon. The 

 growth of the young is so rapid that in three months 

 they are said to equal their parents in size. We may 

 also remark that they are very courageous birds, 

 darting suddenly, perpendicularly, and with great 

 rapidity, on their prey, which principally consists of 

 partridges, pheasants, quails, wood pigeons, &c., and 

 the smaller quadrupeds. They also attack the kite, 

 and compel it to relinquish its victim, but spare its 

 life, as if in contempt of such a dastardly adversary. 

 Various instances are recorded of their fleetness of 

 flight ; thus, one that eloped from its master, in the 

 county of Forfar, on the 24th of September, 1772, 

 with four heavy bells at its feet, was killed on the 

 morning of the !2Gth of the same month at Mostyn, in 

 Flintshire. Another one, belonging to a Duke of 

 Cleves, flew out of Westphalia into Prussia in one 



