BIRDS OF PREY. 11 



A noble bird is the Peregrine, with its glorious 

 eyes, wild, restless, and changeful ! This bird 

 is the falcon of the royal falconers ; its mate, the 

 tiercel. Among all our British birds the Pere- 

 grine ranks first; for strength, and courage, 

 and speed it has no compeer. Rooks clamour 

 and arrange themselves in battle array at its 

 approach ; other hawks fly off to the covert ; 

 small birds of every species seek the thickest 

 shelter, and farm-yard poultry their roost, as 

 it sails in mid-air down dale. Even the 

 eagle suffers itself to be mobbed by the com- 

 paratively small Peregrine without offering any 

 retaliation. 



We advance over the heather, and there, 

 skimming towards us, is a large bird — a 

 Harrier. The species cannot be doubted, as 

 it flies near the ground, working it as a hound 

 or a setter would do. Now it stoops, glides, 

 ascends, stoops again, and shoots off at right 

 angles. It rounds the shoulder of the hill and 

 drops into a dark patch of ling. A covey of 

 young grouse whirr heavily over the nearest 

 brae, but the Marsh Harrier remains. It has 

 struck down one of the "cheepers" and is 

 dragging its victim to the shelter of a furze 



