74 

 ACC1PITRES. 



FALCONID^E. 



FALCO .as SALON, Gmelin*. 



THE MERLIN. 



Falco cesalon. 



THE MERLIN, in some parts of the country known as the 

 " Stone- Falcon," is one of the smallest of the British Falco- 

 nidce, and being of rapid flight and great courage, possesses, on 

 a diminished scale, all the attributes and characters of a true 

 Falcon. So bold as well as powerful, in proportion to his 

 size, is this little bird, that a male Merlin, not weighing 

 more than six ounces, has been seen to strike and kill a 

 Partridge that was certainly more than twice his own weight ; 

 and so tenacious generally is he of his prey, that it is very 

 difficult to make him quit anything he has taken. The more 



* Syst. Nat. i. p. 284 (1788). 



