THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 119 



rapidity of their attack, and striking their talons into 

 its flesh, carry it off in triumph to the place of their 

 retreat. Like most predatory animals, they are stimu- 

 lated to action by the pressure of hunger alone, and 

 remain inactive and almost motionless while the process 

 of digestion is going on, and until the renewed cravings 

 of their appetite stimulate them to further exertion. 



In different stages of its growth the Peregrine Falcon 

 has been known by various English names. Its proper 

 appellation among the falconers is the Slight Falcon, 

 the term Falcon Gentle being equally applicable to all 

 the species when rendered manageable. The young 

 bird of the year is called an Eyess, not, as has been 

 imagined, from the German ey, an egg, but from the 

 French niais, which has the same signification as eyess, 

 most of the terms of falconry having been -adopted from 

 the French. Several other instances occur in our lan- 

 guage in which the initial n has detached itself from 

 the substantive and become permanently attached to 

 the indefinite article. In the immature state this Falcon 

 is also called a Red Hawk, from the prevailing colour 

 of its plumage. When full-grown and in a wild state 

 it is called a Haggard or Passage Falcon. The male is 

 called a Tiercel or Tersel, to distinguish it from the 

 female, which among birds of prey is most commonly 

 one-third larger than the male. Many of these terms 

 are equally applicable to the other species used in 

 Hawking, and are only employed by the professors of 

 that art, which is now fast going to decay. The follow- 

 ing passage from Sir J. Sebright's Observations on 

 Hawking, published in 1826, will best illustrate its 

 present condition. 



" The village of Falconswaerd, near Bois le Due 

 in Holland, has for many years furnished fiilconers to 

 the rest of Europe. I have known many falconers in 



