BLACK FALCON. 
peculiarity of this bird, not shared by any others of the family that I am 
aware of, is its habit when watching for prey of frequently ascending to such 
a great height as to be invisible, which shows the wonderful power of vision 
possessed by this bird. Many and many a time when on the plains, miles from 
any timber, with a flock of sheep camped, I have carefully scanned the sky 
overhead and around to see if a Falcon was visible, but not a speck has met 
my gaze if any direction. On starting to drive the sheep, and almost 
immediately have they disturbed a Quail, a rushing sound would be heard 
overhead, and on looking up a dark object would be seen descending with 
dreadful rapidity, and so compressed or gathered together as to render one 
unacquainted with the bird to say what the object was. When some thirty 
or forty feet from the ground the descent is arrested, and by a sudden 
movement and expansion of wings the Falcon assumes a horizontal attitude 
and the chase commences, which as a rule results in speedy capture, and the 
Falcon, by a series of graceful curves, again mounts into the air, devouring 
its prey as it ascends, an occasional tuft of blood-stained feathers slowly 
wafted earthwards, the same operation being repeated when the next quail 
or some young bird is flushed. Sometimes, however, the Falcon is baulked by 
the quarry suddenly dropping into some sheltering salt-bush, but rarely more 
than a foot or eighteen inches high. When this is the case the Falcon quickly 
arrests its flight, and closing its wings, by a powerful movement shoots 
perpendicularly into the air for some distance, and then expanding its wings, 
hovers for a short time over the bush in which its prey has taken refuge. 
Should it be a scanty one, and the unfortunate bird visible, the Falcon 
slowly descends, alighting on the top of the bush, and flapping its outstretched 
wings drives the terrified victim out, when it is speedily clutched in the talons 
of its remorseless foe. Should the bush prove too dense, and the bird not 
to be seen, the Falcon gives it up and mounts skyward again. As an instance 
of the sluggishness or stupidity of the Letter- winged Kite, I may mention 
that I one day saw a Black Falcon dash into a number of them perched on 
a dry Pine-tree, close to the house, and clutch one in its sharp talons ; both 
birds fell to the ground, and after struggling for a few moments the Falcon 
rose heavily and flew off with its prey : the other Kites sat perfectly still all 
through the performance. This went on for several days, the Falcon each 
time securing a victim. Noticing that the Falcon’s visits occurred at about 
the same hour daily, I determined to try and capture both the Falcon and 
its prejT^. With this object I secreted myself in some thick bushes close to the 
foot of the tree in which the Kites sat. I had not long to wait, for soon 
Falcon and Kite came struggling down within a few feet of where I was 
concealed, and I sprang out and caught one of the previously outstretched 
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