PEKEGKIKE. 71 



form the food of the one before us, live in its immediate 

 vicinity, without any apparent fear or dread. They seem 

 patiently to 'bide their time,' and take their chance of being 

 singled out from their fellows. Perhaps with equal wisdom 

 to ^hat of the followers of the Prophet, they are believers in 

 fatalism, and content with the knowledge that whatever is, 

 is, and whatever will be, will be, live a life of security, and 

 resign it at the 'fiat' of the Peregrine, as a matter of course. 

 This applies to cases where both are residents together; where 

 however, strange to say, the Peregrine is only a straggling 

 visitor, his presence but for a day or two has the effect of 

 dispersing the flocks of birds, which had been enjoying them- 

 selves before his arrival. Its mode of striking its prey has 

 been variously described. It has by many been supposed to 

 stun its victim by the shock of a blow with its breast, and 

 by others it has been known to rip a furrow in its quarry 

 completely from one end of the back to the other, with its 

 talons or bill. In the former case it is said to wheel about, 

 and return to pick up the quarry it has struck. It is, as 

 may be supposed, the terror of all it pursues, which, rather 

 than venture again on the wing while it is in the neighbour- 

 hood, will suffer themselves to be taken by the hand. 



In the pursuit of birds near the sea, the Peregrine frequently 

 loses them by their seeking refuge on the water, where they 

 are safe for the time from his attack. If they leave it for 

 the land, they are again pursued, and most interesting chases 

 of this kind have often been witnessed: they end either in 

 the Hawk catching the bird before it can reach the water, 

 or in his being tired out by its perseverance in thus keeping 

 him at bay. Conscious of the disadvantage it is at on this 

 element, it but very rarely indeed attempts to seize prey when 

 upon it: it has, however, been known to carry off a razor-bill 

 or guillemot from a flock in the water, and bear it away to 

 its nest. The mention of this bird may introduce the fol- 

 lowing anecdote related by Montagu: 'A writer in a popular 

 periodical describes one pursuing a razor-bill, which, instead of 

 assaulting as usual with the death pounce from the beak, he 

 seized by the head with both his claws, and made towards 

 the land, his prisoner croaking, screaming, and struggling 

 lustily; but being a heavy bird, he so far overbalanced the 

 aggressor, that both descended fast towards the sea, when, 

 just as they touched the water, the Falcon let go his hold 

 and ascended, the razor-bill as instantaneously diving below.' 



