The Zoologist — October, 1874. 4171 



was discovered hurrying away towards Balta, and I never saw it again, 

 although the pigeon was left on the spot where it fell and a careful watch 

 was kept during the remainder of the day. I am told that it seldom or 

 never strikes resting birds, although it will occasionally 'lift' them as well 

 as rabbits. Not unfrequently a pigeon, when closely pressed, will take 

 refuge within an open door (open windows are rarely seen in Shetland), the 

 falcon pursuing it to the very threshold, sometimes even entering in its 

 Wind haste. I shall never forget the Babel of sounds which arose from the 

 breakfasting farm-servants one fine Sunday morning, when a terrified 

 pigeon dashed into the kitchen, with a beautiful Greenland falcon within a 

 few inches of it. The robber, however, made his exit almost as rapidly as 

 his entry, and the panting fugitive, after allowing itself to be taken up and 

 fondled, was soon restored to liberty, without having received any injury. 

 The flight is extremely rapid and vigorous, and, when exercised in the 

 pursuit of prey, is, if possible, even more so than that of the peregrine ; but 

 it would be difficult indeed to decide which is the more graceful when 

 endeavouring to rise above an active and vigQaut quarry. The prey is 

 usually carried off to some favourite spot previously selected for the purpose, 

 such as a large rock or grassy knoll, from whence an extensive view in 

 every direction -is commanded. Surrounding one such knoll, which had 

 been in use for about a week, I found the remains of rabbits, golden 

 plovers, snipes, dunlins, ringed plovers, snow buntings, a kittiwake, a water 

 rail, rock doves, and domestic pigeons. The latter must have been carried 

 fully three miles, as there was no dovecot within the distance, and the 

 pigeons were not given to ranging." — P. 13. 



The lordly peregrine has, of course, invited and obtained 

 Dr. Saxby's attention, and he seems to have studied its breeding 

 habits with peculiar care ; but in the case of this universally 

 admired and once ubiquitous bird, now in the course of being 

 sacrificed to the destructive wood pigeon, I feel that it is best to 

 pass it by, as well as the remainder of the hawks, and proceed to 

 the snowy owl, whose history has been amply illustrated and 

 greatly enriched by the author's notes in the ' Zoologist.' This 

 noble bird is essentially a bird of the north, occurring with equal 

 frequency in the arctic regions of the Old and New Worlds. Its 

 history is written in the ' Zoologist,' where will be found notes 

 innumerable on its occurrences, plumage, migration, and nesting 

 habits: these notes have been largely utilised by our publishing 

 ornithologists, and I trust will continue to be for generations yet 

 to come. Dr. Saxby has judiciously extracted and arranged his 

 'Zoologist' notes on this warlike and irascible bird, and has 



