5122 Birds. 



descending, and now turning in a zigzag direction, first to one side, 

 then to the other; and mostly, also, succeeding, whilst doing so, in 

 giving one or other of his adversaries a pretty severe peck, which had 

 the effect of sending him away ^reaming. It appeared to me that 

 the crows wished to drive the hawk from the braes, and that he was 

 not willing to go; but I may be mistaken. At last, however, a crow, 

 which seemed more courageous than the rest, rushed at him with 

 such fury that I actually thought he would have swallowed him up 

 at once, or sent him headlong down into the sea. But, no ! the mer- 

 lin withstood the shock, and contrived to deal his assailant a thrust 

 as he approached and passed him. The merlin now rose consider- 

 ably higher, and was followed only by this single opponent, who 

 returned, with redoubled fury, to the combat. Up, up they soar, 

 fighting as they go. Ah ! they close, they scream, they grapple, and 

 the feathers fly like dust. Down, down they Come, locked in deadly 

 embrace. I run to catch them both. But, no! See! they part, 

 mount again and again, scream, close, and, as before, fall, but not 

 this time to the earth ; for, see ! they part and mount again. But, 

 'tis now their last time ; for, lo ! the hawk, rising several yards above 

 his bold and venturous antagonist, rushes down upon him with a yell, 

 such as hawks alone, when irritated, know how to utter, and with 

 such force that both fell topsy-turvy right down into the sea, above 

 which they were fighting. I looked to see them rise again ; but they 

 did not. After a little splashing all was over with the crow, but not 

 with the hawk : he was still alive, although in a very precarious 

 situation, from which he made several unsuccessful attempts to rise, 

 but could not. It would seem that in dealing the death-blow to his 

 tormenter he somehow r or other got himself entangled at the same 

 time, by perhaps his talons entering some of the bones of the crow, 

 from which he could not disengage himself. But, be this as it may, 

 there is little doubt but that both met with a watery grave; for on 

 my leaving they were both fast drifting seaward, a small breeze blow- 

 ing off the land at the time, with the crows hovering over them and 

 still cawing. 



Thomas Edward. 

 April, 1856. 



