Birds. 555 



given to it, it was seized eagerly with its talons, torn piecemeal, and 

 bones, flesh, feathers and entrails swallowed without any distinction. 

 The head appeared to be a very choice morsel. The indigestible 

 parts were afterwards reproduced from the stomach in pellets or cast- 

 ings, after the manner of the shrikes and owls. If fed with small 

 birds, it would readily consume fifteen hundred individuals in a year. 

 So long as fettered and confined it was remarkably docile and gentle, 

 but the moment it was unloosed, it raised its head, fluttered its wing, 

 uttered a shrieking noise, and seemed as if longing to wing its native 

 element. It was evident from its habits and manners that it had es- 

 caped from some falconer or hawking establishment, as when released 

 from the hand and flown at a bird, after having struck its prey, it 

 waited to be taken up again, and when approached, did not make any 

 effort to escape. On one occasion, being flown at a flock of skylarks, 

 it gradually rose into the air by a series of circular gyrations, until it 

 had attained a considerable altitude above them, when, descending 

 suddenly upon them, they were dispersed in all directions. Having 

 singled out one for pursuit, she again rose above him, but the lark 

 evaded her grasp in a very dexterous manner. She followed her vic- 

 tim for some time, when having struck it fatally, both the pursued and 

 the pursuer descended to the ground and were taken up by the hand. 

 I note this fact, inasmuch as the large size of the falcon seemed en- 

 tirely to incapacitate her from taking so small a bird, and more parti- 

 cularly as her quarry seemed to consist of larger and nobler game. 

 Some time afterwards she was unloosed at a crow, but the moment 

 she had arrived at her proper altitude, another bird of the hawk tribe 

 hove in sight, and the three birds engaged in a conflict which ended 

 in my captive escaping. She measured across the back, with the 

 wings expanded, thirty-six inches. The beak was of a bluish horn 

 colour, top part of the head and neck black, a black spot beneath the 

 eye, the back ash-colour, the breast reddish white, with dark brown 

 bars or streaks, legs yellow, toes black. 



In the year 1840, I saw a fine male specimen of the peregrine fal- 

 con which had been shot near Barrow-upon-Trent, but this, and the 

 one whose history has just been detailed, are the only two captures of 

 this bird that ever came to my knowledge, and this fine bird may be 

 considered very rare in the county of Derby. 



The Hobby, {Falco subbuteo). Occasionally captured in the traps 

 of the neighbouring gamekeepers. In 1 839 a pair (male and female) 

 were killed near this parish. Although preferring rather open and 



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