Tine B'ALCONS. 
189 
islands. It is recorded from Novaya Zemlya, and breeds 
generally throughout the mountains of Central Europe and 
Russia, as high as 57° N. lat. It appears to extend across 
Northern Asia to Eastern Siberia, but is much less plentiful 
than in Europe, and nests rarely. It has not been recorded 
from Kamtchatka, and is mostly known as a migrant in Corea 
and the far east, visiting China and Northern India in winter. 
Our European birds migrate to the Mediterranean countries 
and North-eastern Africa, but do not penetrate so far south as 
the Hobby in the latter continent. 
Hatits. — The common name of “ Stone ” Falcon goes far to 
explain the mode of life of the Merlin, which is essentially a 
Falcon of the rocks and moors. Though feeding largely on 
insects, it captures many species of birds which it “ flies down ” 
like a thoroughbred Falcon and after the manner of the nobler 
Birds of Prey. Larks and Thrushes are a favourite quarry, and 
on the sea-coast in winter it raids among the Dunlins and 
other shore-birds. Many writers speak of the pluck and dash 
of the Merlin, but it is one of the easiest of all Hawks to 
tame, and is readily trained to fly at Larks in the autumn, 
while a female Merlin will take Plovers and Pigeons. It has 
even been said to strike down Grouse and to be destructive 
to game, and on the latter plea many of these little Falcons 
fall victims to the gamekeeper's gun, but the late Mr. E. T. 
Booth, one of the keenest and most energetic field-naturalists 
of the century, combats this accusation and observes: — 
“ Whether it is that my experience with regard to this bird 
has been too limited to form a correct judgment, I am unable 
to say, but I hardly think that they are the desperate charac- 
ters that they are generally described. Those which I have 
seen in the south were usually in pursuit of small birds, and 
while seeking this sort of prey they are frequently captured in 
the clap-nets that abound near Brighton. On the Grouse- 
moors in the north I have examined the remains of the victims 
that the Merlins have consumed near their nests, and I never 
found anything larger than a Dunlin, which birds, with Larks, 
Pipits, and large moths, principally of the egger kind, seemed 
to make up their bill of fare.” Lord Lilford writes : — “ In- 
quisitiveness seems to be a prominent trait in this species, for 
1 have repeatedly seen wild Merlins come to observe the pro- 
