170 A DESCRIPTION OF 
very expeditious, the Falcon is inevitably destroyed. I 
never saw the Shaheen fly at eagles, that sport having 
been disused before my time ; but I have often seen him 
take herons and storks. The Hawk, when thrown off, 
flies for some time in a horizontal line, not six feet from 
the ground ; then mounting perpendicularly, with asto- 
nishing swiftness, he seizes his prey under the wing, and 
both together come tumbling to the ground." 
The Hen Harrier is seen about forests, heaths, and 
other retired places, especially in the neighbourhood of 
marshy grounds, where it destroys vast numbers of snipes, 
woodcocks, and wild ducks. It is about seventeen inches 
long, and three feet wide; its bill is black, and cere yellow. 
The upper part of its body is of a bluish grey ; and the 
back of the head, breast, belly, and thighs are white. 
The legs are long, slender, and yellow ; and the claws 
black. 
THE MERLIN (Falco cesalon,) 
Is the least of the Falcon tribe, and, as its name implies, 
is not very different in size from the blackbird ; the word 
Merlin signifying in French a small merle, or blackbird. 
Though small, the Merlin is not inferior in courage to any 
of the other hawks ; it is noted for its boldness and spirit, 
often attacking and killing at one stroke a full-grown 
partridge or a quail : but it differs from the falcons and 
all the other rapacious kinds, in the male and female 
