216 
THE PEREGRINES AT BEMPTON. 
E. W. WADE, M.B.O.U. 
WE may congratulate ourselves that the efforts of the Y.N.U. 
in protecting the Bempton Peregrines are once more rewarded. 
It had been rumoured that the birds were not at their old 
haunts, but, like most birds, they are very quiet when occupied 
in family cases, and as the situation of the eyrie, halfway 
between Old Dor and the Pig-Trough, is so chosen as to be 
invisible except from the bottom of the cliffs, where no one had 
been previous to the commencement of the climbing season, 
they had entirely escaped notice. At Whitsuntide, however, 
when egg-gathering began and their security was disturbed by 
the climbers, the birds at once showed their disapproval of the 
intruders. The cock bird did not remain long on the scene, but 
so long as any human beings appeared on the cliff-top the hen 
soared round in wide circles, uttering harsh cries more in anger 
than distress, for who had the right to dispute her hitherto un- 
challenged supremacy on the face of the cliff? Now and again 
she closed her wings, and, swift as lightning, descended 
vertically down the face of the cliff, scattering to right and left 
the swarms of sea-birds. Then, by simply extending her 
broad wings, she rose to the level of the cliff-top again. 
Apparently the wings were never flapped except to steady her 
flight, for, without visible motion of these, she repeated the 
manceuvre a dozen times, sometimes twisting completely round 
in the air or turning over with the wings extended in order to 
alter the direction of her flight, but always with the same per- 
fect ease, which made Gulls, Guillemots, Razorbills, and Puffins 
appear clumsy and slow in comparison. Numerous feathers 
scattered about on the various grassy nabs along the cliffs attest 
the voracity of this prince of robbers, but sea-birds and cliff- 
pigeons, which apparently form the whole diet, are numerous, 
and one need not grudge the few required for his larder. A 
descent to last year’s eyrie showed that the falcons had moved 
a little to the west, where they are better hidden from observation, 
and unfortunately in a position where a photograph cannot be 
secured. The climber entertains a prejudice against this bird, 
which they say frightens the Guillemots off their eggs, which 
thus become spilled and broken; but as the same Guillemots sat 
on the ledges all round the eyrie all the while the birds were 
under observation, and apparently showing not the slightest 
trace of fear, we may dismiss this objection as prejudice only. 
Naturalist, 
