54 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



peregrine falcon stooped from the sky, coming down- 

 ward and directly behind the whirring partridge, he 

 passed by me swift as the leaden shower I had just sent 

 in vain after poor Bob White; overtaking but missing his 

 quarry before it had flown two hundred yards. It seem- 

 ed to me that the falcon must have flown with at least 

 four times the speed of the partridge, and that he flew 

 at least a half mile while the latter was going two hun- 

 dred yards. 



That bird was bagged that day by neither shooter nor 

 hawk. I marked it down; but I had not the heart to 

 flush and shoot at it again when it had escaped the leaden 

 missiles hurled after it, and the sharp talons of the hun- 

 gry falcon that followed in their wake." (1887). 



Next came this extended note in "Birds Observed in 

 Alabama" : 



"Rare, Generally seen in autumn and winter, in the 

 wake of the wild duck. His presence is a good indica- 

 tion that there are ducks somewhere not far distant. It 

 has occurred to me once to see one of these falcons cap- 

 ture a tame pigeop. There were two of them together, 

 tiercel and falcon, male and female, as might be easily 

 seen from their difference in size. They fell like thun- 

 derbolts from the clouds ; the pigeons, the object of their 

 pursuit, perceived them and took wing ; the female falcon 

 leading struck a pigeon and, fastening to it, was borne 

 downward some distance; but, making her hold secure, 

 she rose with her quarry and flew more than half a 

 mile, lighting on the top of a tall gum (liquidambar). 

 Two or three years ago I witnessed another exciting 

 chase of these tigers of the air, after my pigeons. Again 

 came a pair, tiercel and falcon; this time, however, the 

 pigeons discovered their pursuers in time to rise above 

 them. This advantage was not maintained long, for 

 both falcons, following swiftly behind and below their 

 destined quarry, began to "ring" or ascend in rapid cir- 

 cles; the male got his "pitch first, but before he had 

 attained it, the pigeons were perhaps two hundred yards 

 away and imagined themselves safe; but to close his 

 long, pointed wings, and to dash through their terrified 



