38 AMID THE HIGH HILLS 
lighter one once the former really gets going. 
It is, of course, true that the peregrine is much 
quicker in its movements and more agile than the 
eagle. It is constantly under the necessity of 
flying at its fastest (which the eagle is not) in 
order to secure its food ; in other words, to use 
the language of a stalker in discussing this 
question with me : " The peregrine requires a 
warm diet, and lives on its prey. The eagle, on 
the other hand, will eat carrion." The peregrine 
is probably quicker off the mark than the eagle, 
but this does not necessarily mean that he flies 
more quickly than the eagle once the latter gets 
going. Stalkers have unusual opportunities of 
seeing these two birds in flight, and almost all 
those with whom I have discussed this question 
believe that on a horizontal flight the peregrine 
is faster than the eagle. This in my opinion is 
probably the correct view. 
It must not be forgotten that the Northern 
falcons, or, as they are generally called, the 
gyrfalcons, are entitled to rank as British birds, 
although they are rare visitors to these Isles. 
They are (1) the gyrfalcon or Norwegian variety 
{Falco gyrfalco), (2) the Iceland falcon {Falco 
islandus), (3) the Greenland falcon {Falco candi- 
