74 
FALCONIDiE. 
especially the male, soon became very familiar. When let off in 
the morning, his favourite perch was upon some stacks of grain, 
where he remained patiently watching for mice, but was not always 
successful in their capture, as he sometimes dashed his talons into 
the straw, 'and brought them out empty. He preferred mice to 
rats, though very expert at killing both. One of his favourite 
tricks was to fly on his master’s feet and untie his shoe-strings. 
He was likewise very bold ; and taking a dislike to a certain in- 
dividual, flew at him whenever he appeared, and endeavoured to 
strike him about the head. Against these attacks, a walking- 
stick generally served as a defence ; but the buzzard once came 
upon him unawares, and inflicted a severe blow on the back of 
his head. This bird occasionally astonished strangers, by smartly 
striking them on the hat, so as to send it over their ears. He 
was always, when flying about, persecuted by gray crows. A long- 
drawn, mournful whistle was his ordinary cry. 
At the headlands above the Giant's Causeway, and those near 
Carrick-a-rede (Antrim), 1 have seen buzzards in the middle of 
summer. At the same season, a friend remarked a couple of 
them at Fairhead, upon the same day on which he saw pairs of 
sea eagles, peregrine falcons, and kestrels, all of which are known 
to have eyries there. He has likewise observed the buzzard about 
Cushendall. A young bird taken from a nest in the precipitous 
rocks at Drumnasole, was kept by a gentleman of the neighbourhood 
for three or four years. It was very bold in various ways ; among 
others, by flying at strangers, and, like the tame bird already alluded 
to, striking them on the hat, but more forcibly, as it was occasionally 
knocked off the head. If attacked by any one with a stick, it 
showed fight, by lying on its back and striking with its talons at 
the object of annoyance. This bird regularly attended the potato- 
diggers to feed on the worms exposed to view, to which it was so 
partial, that they were sought for at other times to give to it as 
food. It would only eat magpies when very hungry, and nothing 
else was to be had : jackdaws, too, were disliked, but not to the 
same degree. A bird of the latter species, shot at on wing and 
wounded, fell into a mill-race, where it was instantly pounced on 
