24 British Birds of Prey. [Sess. 



over the sea, that the hawk made another swoop and caught 

 the falling bird before it reached the water. Every one is of 

 course familiar with the habits of the skua gull in this respect. 

 Most writers corroborate Mr Adam as to the puffin being the 

 food of the peregrine where they breed in such places, but on 

 inland moors where game abounds grouse and blackgame are 

 preferred by those birds. In captivity I could not get eagles 

 and hawks to eat gulls unless compelled by hunger, and that 

 they would prefer game is easily understood. It is a moot- 

 point whether the peregrine will strike its prey on the ground 

 or lift it from the water. This I do know, that I have found 

 unfledged ducklings at their nests, but cannot say whether 

 they were lifted from the land or water. 



Kecently a friend of mine near Kingussie saw a grouse 

 struck down by a peregrine. It was within a hundred yards, 

 and he ran forward and secured the victim. Taking it home, 

 he plucked it and carefully examined it. With the exception 

 of a bruise on the back, there was no other mark on it, yet 

 the blow had been sufficient to cause instant death. This 

 comports with my own observations, and it is difficult to 

 understand how this blow could be struck by these terrible 

 talons at the terrific pace of a falcon's swoop without the skin 

 being torn. The falcon, as already observed, is the most 

 dashing of our birds of prey, and to see him making a quarry 

 is a sight to be remembered. He is, however, a merciless 

 tyrant, and few people have the slightest idea how destructive 

 he is. As is well known, grouse indigenous to the British 

 Islands realise a pound per brace on our Scottish moorlands, 

 and shooting rents pay a large percentage of local taxes. The 

 peregrine pays neither rent nor taxes, but it would be inter- 

 esting to ascertain how many grouse at a pound a brace one 

 pair annually destroys. This will never be ascertained, as 

 every grouse killed between February and July means the 

 destruction of a covey, and I have seen them, when catering 

 for their young, bring five grouse to the eyrie in six hours. 

 In the crofter township of Eackwick, in the island of Hoy, the 

 peregrine frequently swoops down and carries off domestic 

 chicks close to the cottages. Would any lover of birds 

 tolerate this ? Much as this dashing bird of prey may be 

 admired, his presence cannot be tolerated, though with the 



