NOTES AND QUERIES. 435 



paid another visit to the breeding-site. I had the glass with me, 

 but scan the nest as I would, I could not discern a trace of the 

 Falcon ; and I went next day, with a like result. I was completely 

 surprised and nonplussed at the absence of the bird at such a critical 

 stage of the incubation, which was somewhere about the last week 

 in April. Next morning my servant was out doing some work by 

 the cliff-side, and on his return he told me he had seen a great fight 

 between the two big Hawks (i.e. the Peregrines), that they clawed 

 each other in the air, and were both falling into the sea when they 

 separated. One flew upward, and the other fell into the sea, but 

 after striking the water it rebounded again, and, flying shoreward for 

 some yards, fell again into the sea, when it commenced flopping and 

 floundering towards the shore, which it reached after much ado, and 

 in a most bedraggled condition. The place which the bird reached 

 cannot strictly be called ' the shore,' as deep water is there at every 

 stage of the tide, but there are shelves at the base of this particular 

 cliff, from which the sea recedes at low water, and on which an 

 incoming wave floated the poor bird. 1 made a search for the bird a 

 short time afterwards, but without result. Probably the tide, which 

 flowed in the meantime, must have carried the Hawk away. 



My theory of the whole matter is this. The strange Falcon must have 

 ultimately seduced the local tiercel from his allegiance to his mate, and 

 the latter remained on the eggs forlorn, until hunger compelled her to 

 go foraging for herself. She must have been on one of these foraging 

 expeditions when she chanced to fall in with her rival, and, as she was 

 weakened by starvation and worn out by her long period of incubation, 

 her rival easily overcame and vanquished her. I intended going down 

 to the nest to see how matters stood there, but as I was expecting 

 Mr. Ussher, I put off the visit until he came, about a fortnight 

 after. I told him all I have written, and thought he might like to 

 go down and see the nest. He was, however, suffering from a sore 

 knee, and could not go. I then proposed to go myself, as I was 

 really anxious to see how the eggs fared. Mr. Ussher said I would 

 probably get no eggs, as the Grey Crows would have carried them off. 

 I went down, and found only two eggs, very much discoloured and 

 stone-cold. So thus fared the Peregrines' nest this season. I have to 

 apologise for asking you to wade through this tedious letter, but I 

 thought the circumstances of the case rather novel, and that you 

 might like to learn the whole details. I hope you will keep me in 

 mind as regards a sale for the young Peregrines next season, as I may 

 have occasion to write to you. — P. Gough (Island- Stradbally, Portlaw, 

 Ireland)." 



