146 AMID THE HIGH HILLS 
all my life, and I can assure you the above facts 
are true." 
The reference in the above letter to the 
peregrine killing a grouse by striking it with its 
talon reminds me of the following interesting 
note in Birds of Great Britain (5 volumes), 
published by the author, John Gould, F.R.S., 
in 1873. 
" Evidence forwarded to Mr. James Burdett, 
keeper to the Earl of Craven. . . . On dissecting 
a coot I saw taken and dropped by a peregrine 
falcon, I found the neck dislocated at the third 
joint from the head and an appearance as if the 
sharp point of the hind claw had penetrated the 
brain at the occiput." 
Captain C. F. A. Portal, D.S.O., writes as 
follows : 
"I have seen many dozens of game-birds 
struck down by trained peregrines within 50 
yards of me, and I can definitely state that the 
hawk invariably aims a blow xvith the talons at 
his quarry. . . . 
" So true is a peregrine's aim that he generally 
gets home with both his hind talons somewhere 
near the middle of the quarry's back, but often 
he hits a wing and breaks it, and occasionally he 
