20 
FALCONID.i:. 
■witness to a well-marked instance. In January 1861, while 
crossing the marsh at the head of the Loch of Cliff, my atten - 
tion was attracted by the struggles of two large birds upon the 
ground, about a couple of hundred yards distant. On my 
hastening to the spot, one of the birds, a Peregrine, skimmed 
liastily away, and soon afterwards the other bird, which proved 
to be a wild duck (A^ias boschas) flew heavily for some 
distance up the deep burn which feeds the loch, and alighted 
upon the water. It appeared to have been so much injured 
that, thinking to be able to catch it, I followed it up. Upon 
my approach it rose and began following the course of the burn, 
keej)ing about ten feet from the surface. Immediately there 
was a rushing sound overhead : down came the Peregrine with 
the swiftness of an arrow, and tlie duck was only just in time 
to save itself by dropping hurriedly into the water, leaving its 
enemy to dash about fiercely far above ; for the falcon rose to 
a considerable height the moment it missed the stroke. Again 
and again I put up the duck, each time with a precisely simi- 
lar result, the Peregrine making a dash at the poor persecuted 
bird every time it rose, and the latter as regularly avoiding the 
shock by dropping into the water, where it was allowed to sit 
in perfect safety, and where instinctively it appeared to con- 
sider itself secure. At length, becoming much fatigued, it 
concealed itself beneath some overhanging weeds at the edge of 
the bank, from whence it no doubt beheld the departure of its 
two enemies with great satisfaction. The boldness of the 
Peregrine astonished me not a little. In its eagerness for the 
chase it became utterly regardless of danger, and several times 
came so near me that I could have easily reached it with a 
coach- whip. It appeared to be an old bird in magnificent 
plumage. A Peregrine may often be seen sitting upon a wall 
near a farm, or upon one of those large isolated stones which 
lie scattered so abundantly over the hill-sides ; but I never 
knew it shc»t under such circumstances save once, when it 
liappened to be gorged with snow-buntings. It is the almost 
invariable habit of the bird to drop oyer to the opposite side of 
