260 PEREGRINE FALCON. 



Knight's upper pond. His attention was first drawn by the 

 twittering of these birds, which sat motionless in a row on the 

 bough, with their heads all one way, and, by their weight, 

 pressing down the twig, so that it nearly touched the water. 

 In this situation, he watched them till he could see no longer. 

 Repeated accounts of this sort, spring and fall, induce us 

 greatly to suspect, that house-swallows have some strong 

 attachment to water, independent of the matter of food ; and, 

 though they may not retire into that element, yet they may 

 conceal themselves in the banks of pools and rivers during the 

 uncomfortable months of winter. 



One of the keepers of Wolmer Forest sent me a peregrine 

 falcon, which he shot on the verge of that district, as it was 

 devouring a wood-pigeon. The falco peregrinus, or haggard 

 falcon, is a noble species of hawk, seldom seen in the southern 

 counties. In winter 1767, one was killed in the neighbouring 

 parish of Faringdon, and sent by me to Mr Pennant into North 

 Wales.* Since that time, I have met with none till now. 

 The specimen mentioned above was in fine preservation, and 

 not injured by the shot : it measured forty -two inches from 

 wing to wing, and twenty-one from beak to tail, and weighed 

 two pounds and a half standing weight. This species is very 

 robust, and wonderfully formed for rapine ; its breast was plump 

 and muscular ; its thighs long, thick, and brawny ; and its legs 

 remarkably short and well set ; the feet were armed with most 

 formidable, sharp, long talons ; the eyelids and cere of the bill 

 were yellow; but the irides of the eyes dusky ; the beak was 

 thick and hooked, and of a dark colour, and had a jagged 

 process near the end of the upper mandible on each side ; its 

 tail, or train, was short in proportion to the bulk of its body ; 

 yet the wings, when closed, did not extend to the end of the 

 train. From its large and fair proportions, it might be sup- 

 posed to have been a female ; but I was not permitted to cut 

 open the specimen. For one of the birds of prey, which are 

 usually lean, this was in high case : in its craw were many 

 barley-corns, which probably came from the crop of the wood- 

 pigeon, on which it was feeding when shot : for voracious birds 

 do not eat grain ; but, when devouring their quarry, with 

 undistinguishing vehemence, swallow bones and feathers, and 

 all matters, indiscriminately, f This falcon was probably driven 



* See Letters X. XI. to Thomas Pennant, Esq. 



f The bones and feathers which are swallowed along with the flesh by 

 birds of prey, tend to assist digestion. ED. 



