BIRDS 211 



1883 this pair nested at Falcon Crag, and their two young ones 

 were taken. In 1 884 they nested at Iron Crag, and one young one 

 was taken. In 1885 the old birds returned to Falcon Crag, and 

 were robbed of their eggs on the 3d of April. They bred in 

 another locality the year following, but their young were taken. 

 In 1887 they nested at Iron Crag, and their eggs were taken. 

 In 1888 they nested in the old place, and the young were 

 removed. Similar treatment has been meted out to other 

 pairs. Sometimes the birds have succeeded in bringing off 

 their young from an eyrie in some inaccessible rock. In 1864 

 and 1865 a pair bred undisturbed in a precipice flanking 

 Helvellyn, but in 1866 the nest was stormed by a Grasmere 

 stone-mason, and the two young ones taken. 1 The destruction of 

 the old birds in the breeding season is a much greater mis- 

 fortune than the loss of eggs or of young. The finest pair of 

 Falcons that I have locally examined in the flesh were trapped in 

 Eskdale a few springs ago at the nest. There can be no doubt 

 that the injury done by Falcons to Grouse is far less than keepers 

 imagine, but the appearance of a falcon on any of the lower 

 grounds in autumn is sure to challenge measures of destruction. 

 The punt gunners naturally dislike the Falcons which occasion- 

 ally visit the shores of the English Solway in winter, because 

 they disturb the Wigeon and make them wild. The game pre- 

 server has less reason to complain, because a hungry Falcon is 

 more likely to strike down a plump Mallard or a passing Gull 

 than to engage in a stern chase after an old cock Grouse. At 

 St. Bees the Peregrines fed on Stockdoves and Pigeons when- 

 ever they could get them. Although most of the Peregrines 

 that visit our coast-line are immature, I have seen several 

 beautiful old females among them, as in the autumn of 1890, 

 when one such bird was killed on Walney Island and another 

 near Gretna. These no doubt are passage Falcons (' Wanderfalk '), 

 shot when following Wildfowl in their annual journey to their 

 winter- quarters. Hutton of Flookburgh once contrived to 

 catch a Peregrine in his flight nets. At few years ago the head 

 keeper at Edenhall winged a young Peregrine, which soon 

 recovered from its injury and became as docile as could be 

 1 Zoologist, 1867, p. 866. 



