Natural History of Ireland. 53 



wards, a woodcock was raised from the base of a hedge at the 

 road-side, where the bird had been lost in the morning, and was 

 doubtless the same individual, as, unless pursued, such a place of 

 refuge would never have been chosen. Here this bird had in all 

 probability remained during the day, though many persons must 

 have passed on the footway within a yard of it, but until this time 

 it may not have recovered from its fright. 



On one occasion, a woodcock, caught by a trained falcon of Mr 

 Sinclaire's, was carried across a ravine, and a few minutes had elap- 

 sed before the falconer could come up with her, but even then, on 

 disengaging the woodcock, it proved so little the worse as to afford 

 a chase of average length to another falcon.* This is mentioned^as 

 an extraordinary instance, as is likewise the following. One of these 

 hawks having caught a land-rail (Crex pratensis,) which it was 

 about to eat ona house top, instantly gave chase to another rail that 

 was sprung, and, still retaining its first victim, secured the second 

 with its other foot, and bore both off together, t 



In the winter of 1820-21, Mr Sinclaire lost a trained falcon, 

 and knew nothing of her for some months, nor until a paragraph ap- 

 peared in a Scotch newspaper, stating that a hawk, which had for 

 some time frequented a rookery near Aberdeen, was killed, and on 

 the bells attached to her, the name of " John Sinclaire, Belfast," was 

 engraved. Another of this gentleman's falcons once left him, and 

 took up her abode at a rookery about twelve miles distant from his 

 place, and there remained for about six weeks, when she was again 

 recaptured. When flown at rooks (Corvus frugilegus,) this bird 

 always struck down several before alighting to prey on one. A per- 

 son who was eye-witness to the fact assures me, that he once in 

 Scotland saw a trained falcon similarly strike to the ground five 

 partridges in succession out of a covey ; but such occurrences are 

 rare. 



Mr Sinclaire, when once exercising his dogs on the Belfast moun- 

 tains, towards the end of July, preparatory to grouse-shooting, saw 

 them point, and on coming up he startled a male peregrine falcon 



* The strike of this species is more fatal than its clutch. 



f Upon one of the early days of February last (1837,) when this gentleman 

 was hawking at some miles distance from his place, one of his falcons was lost 

 in consequence of a heavy fog coming on, but she re-appeared in the hawk-yard a 

 week afterwards ; others of them have similarly returned after a much longer 

 absence. The first flight of a falcon given by Mr Sinclaire to a gentleman re- 

 sident about four miles off, returned to her old quarters, which she had been 

 taken from six months before. 



