THE MERLIN. 
merlin, which, he once saw attacked by a number of swallows, 
was by no means satisfied to put up with their insults tamely, 
as a kestrel or a sparrow-hawk would have done, but darted 
about after the tormentors, and descended upon them from 
above in so furious a manner as quickly to put them to flight. 
In shape the merlin is a very model of excellence. Compact 
and muscular as the peregrine falcon itself, it possesses greater 
depth of body, and its head is rounder even than the rest 
of its species ; its short sharp bill is pale blue at the base and 
bluish-black at the tip. The general colour of the upper part 
is a deep bluish-grey, each feather having a central black line ; 
the sides of the head and the cheek are of a whitish grey ; on 
the dark lines over the eye is a greyish-white line, margined 
beneath with black ; on the neck, behind, is a broad half-band 
of pale red, with lanceolate black spots ; the upper part of the 
plumage is compact, below more blended. The wings are long, 
rather broad, tapering towards an end, and, when closed, about 
an inch and a half shorter than the tail, which is nearly square, 
the lateral feathers being only the third of an inch shorter than 
the centre. 
The female, like all the falcons, is much larger than the 
male ; the wings in the one extending twenty-six inches and in 
the other twenty-nine ; and the general colour of the plumage 
is a deep brown, tinged with blue, each feather having a 
medial black line, most of the back feathers being terminally 
notched with reddish spots. Old birds of both sexes attain an 
increased bluish tinge, which, in the male, amounts to a leaden 
hue. 
“ This beautiful little hawk,” says Mr. Lloyd, “ visits us 
about October, and leaves us in the spring. Scarcely larger 
than a thrush, the courageous creature glides with the 
rapidity of thought on a blackbird or a fieldfare ; sometimes 
even on the partridges, and, striking his game on the back of 
the head, kills it at a single blow. The merlin is" a very bold 
bird, and seems afraid of nothing. I one day winged one as 
he was passing over my head, at a great height. The little 
fellow, small as he was, flung himself on his back when I went 
to pick him up, and gave battle most furiously, darting out 
his talons (which were as hard and sharp as needles) at every- 
thing that approached him. We took him home, however, 
and I put him into the walled garden, where he lived for more 
than a year. He very soon became quite tame, and came, on 
being called, to receive his food, which consisted of birds, 
r 2 243 
