434 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



from Mr. A. H. Evans, of Cambridge, the following very interesting 

 letter from one of his correspondents : — 



" Probably you may remember leaving your address with me when 

 here with Mr. Ussher last April; as I intended writing you, with 

 a view to your obtaining me a purchaser for the young Peregrine 

 hawks, if the gentleman who usually took them from me did not 

 want them this year. The nest, as I will relate, was very unfortunate. 

 You will remember Mr. Ussher going to it, and reporting ' three eggs, 

 one a beautifully marked one.' Four or five days after, I noticed 

 what I thought was a strange Peregrine on the cliff in which the 

 Raven bred. After starting it from its perch, it arose in the air, 

 when the local tiercel suddenly made its appearance, and after some 

 slight aerial encounters the two birds flew inland, one apparently 

 in pursuit of the other. I said to myself, this is evidently either a 

 strange Hawk, or else the Falcon must have forsaken her nest in the 

 adjoining cliff ; so I will take a run over and have a look- I went 

 across directly, and found the Falcon sitting snugly on the nest, when 

 I became certain that a strange Hawk was around. I went on the 

 morrow to the cliff on which I saw the strange Hawk the preceding 

 day, and, peering cautiously over the cliff-top, I saw this bird on a 

 jutting crag, looking like an immense Falcon ; while, singular to tell, 

 almost the exact spot on which she stood was a breeding-site of the 

 local Peregrines from which I saw Mr. Ussher take eggs some twelve 

 years ago, and from which I took young Peregrines some six years pre- 

 viously. After straightening myself up, the Falcon at once saw me, and, 

 with loud screams, took wing and flew away ; but I came again late in 

 the evening of the same day, and found her roosting in the cliff. Next 

 day I saw the local tiercel and herself having those aerial encounters 

 again, and I could hear the Falcon emitting those wild cries peculiar to 

 the bird at the beginning of the breeding season. I then went across 

 to th6 breeding-site, and found the local Falcon sitting all right 

 on the nest. A day or two after I found two Peregrines (I had the 

 glass with me) sitting on the wall of the old ruin (which, you may 

 remember, overlooked the Raven's nest) within four yards of each 

 other, and apparently on friendly terms. My curiosity was aroused, 

 so I hurried across to the breeding-site of the Peregrines, from which 

 I could command both a view of the nest and of the two birds 

 at the same time. On the nest I still found the Falcon sitting 

 tightly, when I thought this tiercel of mine is fast becoming a 

 polygamous bird, and evidently intends presenting me with another 

 clutch of young Peregrines this season. A few days passed, and I 



