After alighting in the chestnut, the Fglcon sat 
quietly on its perch for several minutes, looking about rather 
listlessly and preening its feathers. I had an excellent 
view of it and with the aid of rny glass could see distinctly 
that it was a female in full plumage. Presently it began 
to pluck its prey and after the removal of a few mouthfuls 
and morsels 
of feathers to tear out and swallow shreds/of flesh. Al¬ 
ternately plucking and eating, it worked busily — indeed 
almost unceasingly — for just twenty minutes, standing all 
the while on a stout horizontal branch,holding the Swallow 
under one foot with the other leg drawn up among the feathers 
of the belly and the foot just showing. At the end of the 
time just mentioned, nothing remained of the Swallow save 
a wad of bones and feathers scarce larger than a hickory nut. 
1 saw this shapeless object in the Falcon's grasp just 
before the bird spread its wings at the termination of its 
repast (or rather, a minute or two later) to dart away over 
the tree tops with headlong speed, but 1 did not see it 
dropped nor could I find either it or any other remains of 
the Swallow on the ground under the tree. 
While the Falcon was devouring its prey, it evidently 
kept one eye on me for whenever I changed my position or even 
moved slightly it would stop feeding and watch me intently 
for a minute or two before resuming its meal. 
