110 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS. 



That Science affianc*d with Nature, fair bride, 

 With Thee and with Truth o'er my Song may pre- 

 side : 



bands ; bill bluish ash ; legs green or yellow ; length eighteen 

 inches ; feeds on various animals. The above is the usual co- 

 lours of the bird at three years old ; but it puts on different ap- 

 pearances from year to year till it arrives at that age. One 

 variety is entirely white, with scarcely visible yellow spots; 

 another brownish black; another spotted with black and red. 



The mule is considerably smaller than the female, and hence 

 he has been called a Tircelet^ Tercell, or Tassel ; he is also said to 

 be much less courageous than the female, and hence she was 

 the bird usually employed in Hawking , a sport which was for- 

 merly so much in repute; but which has, deservedly, given way 

 to other and more praiseworthy occupation, I trust never to be 

 revived : we may hope too that the intelligence which is abroad 

 will ultimately banish from among men the puerile pursuits of 

 hunting and shooting animals for sport, than which what can be, 

 to an intellectual being, more derogatory or degrading ? Hawk- 

 ing, hu7iting, shooting, emd fishing for sport are all the remains 

 of the prejudices and customs of barbarous ages : it is time that 

 a high and diffused intelligence should lift up its voice and 

 discountenance so great a departure from the dignity of intel- 

 lectual man. 



Some of the Falcon tribe have been used in Asia for hunting 

 Hares, Deer, S^c. Mr. Southey alludes to this sport in Thalabu: 



**The deer bounds over the plain : 

 The lagging dogs behind 

 Follow from afar ! 

 But lo ! the Falcon o'er head 



Hovers with hostile wings 

 And buffets him with blinding strokes." 



Thalaba, vol. ii. page 129. 

 The Peregrinus, Peregrine Falcon, or Duck Hawk, is found 



