THE FALCONS. 



(89 



islands. It is recorded from Novaya Zemlya, and breeds 

 generally throughout the mountains of Central Europe and 

 Russia, as high as 57 N. lat. It appears to extend across 

 Northern Asia to Eastern Siberia, but is much less plentiful 

 than in Europe, and nests rarely. It has not been recorded 

 from Kamtchatka, and is mostly known as a migrant in Corea 

 and the far east, visiting China and Northern India in winter. 

 Our European birds migrate to the Mediterranean countries 

 and North-eastern Africa, but do not penetrate so far south as 

 the Hobby in the latter continent. 



Habits. The common name of " Stone " Falcon goes far to 

 explain the mode of life of the Merlin, which is essentially a 

 Falcon of the rocks and moors. Though feeding largely on 

 insects, it captures many species of birds which it "flies down " 

 like a thoroughbred Falcon and after the manner of the nobler 

 Birds of Prey. Larks and Thrushes are a favourite quarry, and 

 on the sea-coast in winter it raids among the Dunlins and 

 other shore-birds. Many writers speak of the pluck and dash 

 of the Merlin, but it is one of the easiest of all Hawks to 

 tame, and is readily trained to fly at Larks in the autumn, 

 while a female Merlin will take Plovers and Pigeons. It has 

 even been said to strike down Grouse and to be destructive 

 ;o game, and on the latter plea many of these little Falcons 

 all victims to the gamekeeper's gun, but the late Mr. E. T. 

 Booth, one of the keenest and most energetic field-naturalists 

 of the century, combats this accusation and observes : 

 " Whether it is that my experience with regard to this bird 

 las been too limited to form a correct judgment, I am unable 

 to say, but I hardly think that they are the desperate charac- 

 ters that they are generally described. Those which I have 

 seen in the south were usually in pursuit of small birds, and 

 while seeking this sort of prey they are frequently captured in 

 the clap-nets that abound near Brighton. On the Grouse- 

 moors in the north I have examined the remains of the victims 

 that the Merlins have consumed near their nests, and I never 

 found anything larger than a Dunlin, which birds, with Larks, 

 Pipits, and large moths, principally of the egger kind, seemed 

 to make up their bill of fare." Lord Lilford writes : " In- 

 quisitiveness seems to be a prominent trait in this species, for 

 I have repeatedly seen wild Merlins come to observe the pro- 



