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NATURAL HISTORY 
measured forty- two inclies from wing to wing, and twenty-one 
from beak to tail, and weighed two pounds and a half standing 
weight. This species is very robust, and wonderfully formed 
for rapine : its breast was plump and muscular ; its thighs 
long, thick, and brawny ; and its legs remarkably short and 
well set : the 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 
PEREGRINE FALCON. 
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 sup- 
posed to have been a female ; but I was not permitted 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 barleycorns, 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 undistinguishing vehemence swallow bones 
