THE FALCON KIND. 99 



it ; and from an innate generosity, they have an 

 attachment to their feeder, and consequently a 

 docility which the baser birds are strangers to. 



The gyr-falcon leads in this bold train. He 

 exceeds all other falcons in the largeness of his 

 size, for he approaches nearly to the magnitude 

 of the eagle. The top of the head is flat, and 

 of an ash colour, with a strong, thick, short, and 

 blue beak. The feathers of the back and wings 

 are marked with black spots, in the shape of a 

 heart : he is a courageous and fierce bird, nor 

 fears even the eagle himself; but he chiefly flies 

 at the stork, the heron, and the crane. He is 

 mostly found in the colder regions of the north, 

 but loses neither his strength nor his courage 

 when brought into the milder climates. 



The falcon, properly so called, is the second 

 in magnitude and fame. There are some va- 

 rieties in this bird ; but there seem to be only 

 two that claim distinction, the falcon-gen til and 

 the peregrine-falcon; both are much less than 

 the gyr, and somewhat about the size of a ra- 

 ven. They differ but slightly, and perhaps only 

 from the different states they were in when 

 brought into captivity. Those differences are 

 easier known by experience than taught by des- 

 cription. The falcon-gentil moults in March, 

 and often sooner ; the peregrine-falcon does not 

 moult till the middle of August. The pere- 

 grine is stronger in the shoulder, has a larger 

 eye, and yet more sunk in the head j his beak is 

 stronger, his legs longer, and the toes better 

 divided. 



