74 falconidjE. 



especially the male, soon became very familiar. When let off in 

 the morning, Ins favourite perch was upon some stacks of grain, 

 where he remained patiently watching for mice, but was not always 

 successful in their capture, as he sometimes dashed his talons into 

 the straw, and brought them out empty. He preferred mice to 

 rats, though very expert at killing both. One of his favourite 

 tricks was to fly on Ms master's feet and untie his shoe-strings. 

 He was likewise very bold ; and taking a dislike to a certain in- 

 dividual, flew at him whenever he appeared, and endeavoured to 

 strike him about the head. Against these attacks, a walking- 

 stick generally served as a defence ; but the buzzard once came 

 upon him unawares, and inflicted a severe blow on the back of 

 his head. This bird occasionally astonished strangers, by smartly 

 striking them on the hat, so as to send it over their ears. He 

 was always, when flying about, persecuted by gray crows. A long- 

 drawn, mournful whistle was his ordinary cry. 



At the headlands above the Giant's Causeway, and those near 

 Carrick-a-rede (Antrim), 1 have seen buzzards in the middle of 

 summer. At the same season, a friend remarked a couple of 

 them at Pairhead, upon the same day on which he saw pairs of 

 sea eagles, peregrine falcons, and kestrels, all of which are known 

 to have eyries there. He has likewise observed the buzzard about 

 Cushendall. A young bird taken from a nest in the precipitous 

 rocks at Drumnasole, was kept by a gentleman of the neighbourhood 

 for three or four years. It was very bold in various ways ; among 

 others, by flying at strangers, and, like the tame bird already alluded 

 to, striking them on the hat, but more forcibly, as it was occasionally 

 knocked off the head. If attacked by any one with a stick, it 

 showed fight, by lying on its back and striking with its talons at 

 the object of annoyance. This bird regularly attended the potato- 

 diggers to feed on the worms exposed to view, to which it was so 

 partial, that they were sought for at other times to give to it as 

 food. It would only eat magpies when very hungry, and nothing 

 else was to be had : jackdaws, too, were disliked, but not to the 

 same degree. A bird of the latter species, shot at on wing and 

 wounded, fell into a mill-race, where it was instantly pounced on 



