554 Birds. 



that water. The largest of these haunted the pool for some time, and 

 although frequently sought after, long evaded pursuit. His plan in 

 capturing his prey was to rise above the waves until a fish struck his 

 eye, and then descend upon it with great dexterity. The number of 

 fishes he captured in this manner was almost incredible. At last he 

 was seen one evening to descend upon the waves and bear off in his 

 talons a bream apparently 3 lbs. in weight. He alighted on the top 

 of an old gnarled oak not far distant, and commenced feeding greedily, 

 when a shot from Mr. Bowman's gun felled him to the ground. He 

 had regularly used this tree as a feeding-station, and underneath its 

 branches lay scattered as many heads, tails, bones and fins of fishes 

 as would have filled a bushel. Many whole fishes, and others half- 

 eaten, were there ; and it appears that if, by any accident, one was 

 dropped to the ground, the bird never took further notice of it, but 

 sailed off for another. 



Peregrine Falcon, (Falco peregrinus). On November 25, 1841, 

 beautiful female specimen of this noble bird was taken on Melbourne 

 common. It had been seen in the neighbourhood several days pre- 

 viously, hawking after crows, and once in pursuit of a ringdove, and 

 was observed to be remarkably bold and rapid in its flight. It ap- 

 pears that on the day she was taken, a bird of the hawk tribe was 

 seen soaring aloft at a great elevation, when she suddenly darted on 

 her prey in flight, and both descended together. Some persons in a 

 wood adjoining, soon afterwards hearing the cries of various kinds of 

 birds, jays, magpies &c, were induced from their excessive agitation 

 to investigate the cause, when to their astonishment they beheld the 

 combatants, a hawk and a crow. Such was the severity of the fal- 

 con's strike, that she could not extricate her talons, which circum- 

 stance led to her capture. She appeared to be very much exhausted, 

 but was in beautiful plumage ; and it was believed that she had been 

 both flown and hooded, and had escaped from the hands of some fal- 

 coner, as she would perch on the finger, and was astonishingly gentle 

 in the handling. The cries of the birds were heard by Mr. Bowman 

 upwards of a quarter of a mile off. In the winter of 1842, a gentle- 

 man presented me with this noble bird. It fed greedily on flesh of 

 most kinds, and birds, preferring the latter however freshly killed and 

 with the blood still warm. It would readily devour a blackbird, mis- 

 sel or song thrush, at a meal, or two or three smaller birds, as spar- 

 rows, larks or buntings, and required, to keep her in good condition 

 and fine plumage, at least three such meals a day. When a bird was 



