9310 Birds. 
species enumerated, the purple finch for instance. The descriptions, 
where given, are incomplete: under the circumstances they could 
hardly be otherwise, as they were often hurriedly jotted down after a 
hard day’s walk, so the reader must excuse any want of order or 
method in the arrangement. 
Henry HaAprFIELp. 
Ornithological Notes from Shetland. By Henry L. Saxsy, M.D. 
(Continued from p. 9243.) 
Peregrine Falcon.—The young peregrines which left their nest on 
the 28th of June remained in its vicinity until the 2nd of July, when 
they ventured inland with their parents. 1 am told that at night they 
occupy any part of the cliff which takes their fancy, and that they have 
now entirely deserted the nest. Although several pairs breed regularly 
in our cliffs, it is very seldom indeed that the eggs or young are ob- 
tained, on account of the extremely inaccessible position of the nest. 
I have only upon one occasion succeeded in getting a close view of a 
nest, and that one had most certainly once been the property of ravens ; 
the young birds had flown about a week previously. The rock-climbers 
can give me no information as to whether this species ever builds its 
own nest. The peregrine is very destructive to the wild fowl, some- 
times even killing the lesser blackbacked and herring gulls, but kitti- 
wakes seem to be its favourite food during the,breeding season. It is 
equally partial to rock doves at all times of the year, but so swift is 
their flight and so perfect their command of wing that they very often 
elude pursuit and escape to their caves. Long observation has nearly 
convinced me that the peregrine seldom, perhaps never, strikes its prey 
while the latter is upon the ground: why, I am unable to conjecture, 
unless it be that it dreads the sudden shock. Any person who has seen 
a peregrine strike a bird in the air must have observed that the 
sudden contact causes them both to descend for many yards, and it is 
easy to imagine that a very severe shock might be the result of a swoop 
upon an object resting upon the unyielding surface of the ground. It 
appears highly probable that, in striking a bird in the air, the hind 
claw alone is used, for in newly-killed specimens I have frequently 
seen down, blood and feathers adhering to that particular claw alone. 
This is what I mean by striking; therefore, in making the statement 
that the bird never strikes its prey upon the ground, I do not mean to 
deny that it stoops and carries away small animals. But it procures 
