FAL 
the sight of man, will pounce on them with 
incredible rapidity and fatal precision. It 
frequently makes attempts and depredation 
on broods of young chickens, and furnishes 
hereby to the observer an interesting spec- 
tacle of maternal affection and courage in 
the hen : from these conflicts the kite 
generally retires worsted, and obliged to 
await the opportunity when he may elude 
the almost incessant vigilance of the dam, 
or pick up an unfortunate straggler beyond 
the reach of her superintendance. 
F. palumbarius, or the goshawk, is about 
twenty inches in length ; it feeds on mice 
and small birds, which last it plucks, before 
it devours them, with great dexterity and 
neatness ; it tears these and other animals 
to pieces before eating them, then swal- 
lows these pieces whole, and throws up 
from its stomach the hair or remaining fea- 
thers which belonged to them, in the form 
of small pellets. This bird was formerly in 
high estimation in this country when the di- 
version of falconry prevailed, and was train- 
ed by very careful discipline to the most 
accurate obedience of its keeper, and to 
the most vigorous and fatal pursuit of nu- 
merous animals, which, in a state of na- 
ture, it left unmolested : even geese and 
cranes, and also rabbits, it was taught to 
consider as its prey, and by the judicious 
application of rewards and punishments, its 
natural powers attained an improvement 
which previously would scarcely have been 
deemed possible, from any efforts for this 
purpose. So difficult was it, however, to 
meet with that coincidence of circum- 
stances, necessary to produce this great 
discrimination, tractability, courage, and 
obedience, that the price of a well-trained 
cast of these birds was extremely high, and 
is recorded, in one instance, to have been 
no less than the immense sum, in those 
days, of a thousand pounds. The ladies 
partook in this interesting sport with the 
keenest relish, notwithstanding its fatigues 
and dangers. The cultivation of this island 
has long been so far improved as to pre- 
clude the continuance of this diversion, 
which requires for its purpose a large tract 
of uninclosed country ; in some parts of Eu- 
rope it is still in use ; in China it is prac- 
tised, occasionally, for the Emperor’s amuse- 
ment, and conducted with all the form and 
splendour characteristic of Oriental man- 
ners. In England the goshawk is to be 
seen very rarely ; in Scotland it is compa- 
ratively frequent ; in France and Germany, 
FAL 
in Siberia and North America, it is far 
from uncommon. 
Various other species of the falcon were 
in use formerly for the diversion above no- 
ticed, especially the ier-falcon, and the 
kestrel, belonging to the class of the long- 
winged hawks, and the sparrow-hawk, 
which belonged to the short-winged class, a 
class less active and rapid than the former. 
The sparrow-hawk is the terror of pigeons, 
partridges, and poultry, and commits its de- 
predations with the most astonishing bold- 
ness. The male weighs only five ounces, 
and the female nine, presenting the strong- 
est known case of this sexual difference. 
For the stone-falcon, see Plate VII. fig. 2. 
FALCONRY, the art of training all 
manner of hawks, but more especially the 
larger sort, called falcons, to the exercise 
of haw king. 
FALKIA, in botany, so called in honour 
of J. P. Falck, professor at Petersburgh, 
a genus of the Pentandria Digynia class 
and order. N atural order of Campanaceaj. 
Borraginete, Jussieu. Essential character: 
calyx bell shaped, five-cleft; corolla bell 
shaped ; stigmas orbicular peltate ; seeds 
four-arilled. There is but one species, viz. 
F. repens, creeping Falkia. 
FALL, in the sea-language, that part of 
the rope of a tackle, which is hauled Upon. 
Also when a ship is under sail, and keeps 
not so near the wind as she should do, 
they say she falls off; or when a ship is 
not flush, but hath risings of some parts of 
her decks more than others, it is called falls. 
FALLING-star, in meteorology, a phe- 
nomenon that is frequently seen, and which 
has been usually supposed to depend on the 
electric fluid. Mr. Davy, in a lecture 
delivered a few weeks since at the Royal 
Institution, gave many reasons against this 
opinion : he conceives that they are rather 
to be attributed to falling stones. It is ob- 
servable that when their appearance is fre- 
quent they have all the same direction; 
and it has been remarked that they are the' 
forerunners of a westerly wind in our 
country. 
F ALLOPIAN tubes, two canals of a tor- 
tuous figure, but approaching to a conic 
form, joined to the fundus of the uterus, 
one on each side. See Anatomy. 
FALLOWING, in agriculture, the prac- 
tice of preparing lands by repeated plough- 
ing, harrowing, &c. sq as to lender them 
fit for the growth of grain. Though by 
the frequent turning of land and exposing 
