PEREGRINE FALCON. ^0 



dering the nests of these birds after the young ones are hatched. 

 I have seen many eyries of Peregrines in such situations, as for 

 example the Bass Rock, St Abb's Head, and Troup Head on 

 the east coast; and the Mull of Galloway, Burrow Head, Ailsa 

 Craig, the Shiant Isles, and Barra on the west. The Haskeir 

 Rocks and St Kilda are also instances of their partiality for the 

 companionship of seabirds. In these marine haunts the Falcons 

 prey almost exclusively on birds that can be got on the same 

 ledges, guillemots, razor bills, puffins, kittiwakes, etc. I re- 

 member, in one instance, of finding among other things in a nest 

 on a precipitous rocky ledge facing the sea, in the south of 

 Kirkcudbrightshire, the remains of three snipes, and a male 

 cuckoo untouched, his open yellow throat looking as fresh as if he 

 had sung his last note but an hour before. It is not unlikely 

 that the seabird, and consequently rank-tasted, diet may after a 

 time become unpalatable, and oblige the birds to look out for a 

 change at a distance. I recollect oil one occasion traversing a 

 distant inland moor and finding an old male fast asleep on the 

 bones and feathers of a red grouse, which he had just killed and 

 eaten. There were several eyries of Peregrines within a few miles 

 of the place, and it was not likely any of these birds would have 

 been so hungry as to commence feeding on its prey where 

 captured, this being generally carried to a distance to be devoured 

 in safety. I therefore conjectured that this bird was a stranger, 

 and, from being probably a resident on some maritime cliff, 

 had wandered from his ordinary beat, and surfeited himself 

 after a long flight. Nor was there any reason to suppose that the 

 prey was too heavy, as I have known a Peregrine carry a black- 

 cock to the Bass Rock the nearest haunt of that species of game 

 being distant about three miles. 



The Peregrine has been accused of striking down birds and 

 leaving them dead, without again touching them, and I believe 

 the charge is to some extent true, though its repetition depends 

 very much upon the kind of prey that happens to cross its flight. 

 No hungry Falcon, for instance, after killing several rooks in 

 succession, would think of letting a good fat woodcock drop out 

 of his clutches ; and although an occasional act of mischief cannot 

 be denied, it is not, I think, too much to say that Peregrines as a 

 rule are too generous to imitate man by killing what they do not 

 require. Yet, after all, some of their deeds are bad enough, as 



