or SELBOllNE. 117 



feet were armed with most formidable, 

 sharp, long talons : the eyelids and cere of 

 the bill were yellow ; but the irides of the 

 eyes dusky ; the beak was thick and hooked, 

 and of a dark colour, and had a jagged 

 process near the end of the upper mandible 

 on each side : its tail, or train, was short 

 in proportion to the bulk of its body : yet 

 the wings, when closed, did not extend to 

 the end of the train. From its large and 

 fair proportions it might be supposed to 

 have been a female ; but I was not per- 

 mitted to cut open the specimen. For one 

 of the birds of prey, which are usually 

 lean, this was in high case : in its craw 

 were many barley-corns, which probably 

 came from the crop of the wood-pigeon, 

 on which it was feeding when shot : for 

 voracious birds do not eat grain ; but, when 

 devouring their quarry, with undistinguish- 

 ing vehemence swallow bones and feathers, 

 and all matters, indiscriminately. This 

 falcon was probably driven from the moun- 

 tains of North Wales or Scotland^ where 



