BIRDS OF PREY. 9 



sycamores, which serves to shade and keep 

 the dairy cool. A limestone road winds its 

 sinuous way far out among the brown heather, 

 almost as far as the eye can reach. There the 

 Green wash, like liquid silver, flows on until 

 it is lost in the sands to the south. It sees 

 as it goes the haunts of gulls, terns, and 

 herons. Now our attention is attracted by two 

 small blue pigeons that are flying along the 

 base of the cliff. After watching for a moment, 

 we know them to be the beautiful Hock- dove 

 from which our domestic stock is descended. 



We are lying on the turf, when a shadow 

 floats past us. We look up, and there comes 

 the pleasant cry, Kee, kee, keelie. Suspended 

 above us and hovering in the wind is the 

 Kestrel. So quickly do its wings vibrate, that 

 we can scarce detect the motion as the bird 

 hangs against the blue. It hovers a while, 

 then flies to a short distance, and is again 

 attracted by a stirring in the tangled turf 

 of grass and bents. Poising itself for a second, 

 it drops like a stone on closing its wings, which 

 it just slightly expands again as it takes a 

 mouse in its talons and flies off to the cliff. 

 When this morsel has been devoured, the male 



