VOL. XV.] BKEEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 231 



Like the majority of birds she took but scant notice of 

 noises coming from the hide, but the shghtest movement 

 always sent her precipitately away, " Keking " wildly. 

 But it never took her long to recover. Also, like the majority 

 of other birds, she had no objection to smoke. This was 

 fortunate, for the filth of the nest during the last ten days, 

 was a great attraction to flies and other insects, which came 

 freely into the hide, and were a great nuisance. A single 

 cigarette, however, could clear them out. More than once, 

 feeding time coincided with one of my smokes, but the old 

 bird paid no attention to it, even though it blew right across- 

 her. 



Feeding would take anything up to a quarter of an hour 

 whep the young were small, but later it diminished in duration.. 

 The prey would also be brought down less mutilated, till finally 

 it appeared complete, merely being ripped open. It was 

 then just dumped down on to the nest and the young had to 

 scramble for it. Early on, the mother used to eat parts of 

 the prey before she brought it to the eyrie. This augmented 

 her own morning and evening rations. A day or two before 

 the young could fly, for the first time she hunted on her 

 own, but never, I think, went far. Once she brought down 

 food when the cock was away. This, I think, must have 

 been captured by herself and she arrived without uttering 

 her " Eep " note, which supports the assumption. Another 

 time the male arrived with food but got no answer to his 

 call, and settled on a boulder still calling. In a minute, 

 from very far away came the rapidly approaching " Eep "" 

 of his mate, as she soared over the distant hilltop, shot past 

 his perch, and snatched the prey from him to take it back 

 to the top of the hill and thereto prepare it for the young. 

 This occupied her but a short time, and she brought it down 

 complete except lor the entrails. Her departure, after 

 feeding, was always very precipitate. Mostly she would 

 sit for a few seconds and take a loving look at the scrambling" 

 young and then without warning, disappear in a flash. 



I never knew her to remove any of the stale remains from 

 the eyrie. Sometimes she would carry the bones away with 

 her immediately after a feed, sometimes they were left, and 

 sometimes eaten. On the last day there were several un- 

 savoury skulls, wings, legs and bigger bones still in and 

 around the nest. Incidentally, this and the surrounding; 

 heather were white with the down shed by the young. 



{To be continued). 



