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male being the Tiercel, in the language of falconry. In a wild state it is very bold, and will 

 attack tolerably large birds; but where waterfowl abound it appears to prey chiefly on Ducks of 

 various sorts, as well as Gulls and other waterfowl ; and its eyry is frequently placed in a locality 

 where there is a good prospect of being able to replenish its larder at short notice. So far as I 

 know, it always chooses the easiest flight, and hence will strike and carry off any weakly bird out of 

 a flock or covey, thus acting in a manner as sanitary police ; and I fully agree with many writers 

 who urge that the prevalence of the dreaded Grouse-disease has much to do with the ruthless 

 (and what seems to me unnecessary) destruction of the birds of prey, thus permitting weakly or 

 diseased birds to propagate and perpetuate their diseases, whereas, were their numbers kept down 

 by birds of prey, the diseased birds would be destroyed, and the strong healthy ones alone would 

 remain to breed. Our game-preservers appear solely to strive to raise as many birds as possible, 

 and lose sight entirely of the fact that they destroy the balance of nature and thereby defeat 

 their own ends. 



Besides, the Peregrine, when in a wild state, preys largely on Stock-Doves, which have of 

 late years so much increased in numbers ; and the presence of a few Falcons is in many parts 

 greatly needed to keep them from becoming too numerous; for they are a great pest to the 

 agriculturist. It is true that it destroys not a few Partridges ; but it greatly prefers Pigeons if 

 they are to be had, and many zealous game-preservers assure me that the present species is, 

 comparatively speaking, but little to be feared as far as the destruction of game is concerned. 

 Lord Lilford, in some notes lately sent to me, writes as follows : — " Perhaps this is not the place 

 in which to enter a plea for this my favourite bird ; he kills Grouse and Partridges, and almost 

 every man's hand is against him ; but in England, at all events, the harm done by Peregrine 

 Falcons to game is so small that I cannot resist a chance of trying to influence such of your 

 readers as may be game-preservers in favour of this noble bird. To a gamekeeper a Hawk is a 

 Hawk, and therefore to be murdered ; but with his master surely this Falcon, which was formerly 

 the badge of gentility, should have a claim to protection and respect." I fear that it is of but 

 little use to plead for this beautiful and noble bird ; for wherever one appears it is almost sure to 

 be shot ; but I feel confident that if our game-preservers would take it under their protection 

 they would find themselves by no means the worse off from having done so. 



In the days when falconry flourished, the Peregrine appears to have been chiefly flown at the 

 Heron ; and the pursuit of this bird appears to have been considered by falconers of the olden 

 time the very acme of sport. I will not here enter into a discussion on falconry ; but it may not 

 be out of place to transcribe the following description of the mode of taking Herons from Sir 

 John Sebright's 'Observations on Hawking:' — "The Herons go out in the morning to rivers and 

 ponds, at a very considerable distance, in search of food, and return to the heronry towards the 

 evening. It is at this time that the falconers place themselves in the open country, down wind 

 of the heronry ; so that when the Herons are intercepted on their return home they are obliged 

 to fly against the wind to gain their place of retreat. When a Heron passes, a cast of Hawks is 

 let go. The Heron disgorges his food when he finds that he is pursued, and endeavours to keep 

 above the Hawks by rising in the air; the Hawks fly in a spiral direction to get above the 

 Heron ; and thus the three birds frequently appear to be flying in different directions. The first 

 Hawk makes his stoop as soon as he gets above the Heron, who evades it by a shift, and thus 



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