THE PEREGRINE FALCON 
beak, until he split the sharp horn edges. 
Then he grew tired and sullen : huddled 
down in an angle of the wall. The daws 
came to the chancel roof to look at him with 
awe. So once had he sat until they mocked 
him, and then, all unexpectedly, had pounced. 
Therefore they kept their distance. 
By nightfall the rusty trap was polished bright. 
Had he but had one leg free he would have 
tugged and whirled until the captive limb were 
twisted off; but as it was, with both talons 
impotent, even this poor freedom was denied. 
He fell upon the gutta-percha padding, and 
chiselled at it feverishly until he struck his own 
flesh. But when the softer rubber was gone, 
the jaws closed slowly and bit into his leg. 
Then it seemed to him that this clog must be 
part of his own body some sudden and awful 
deformity; he shrank back into torpor, loathing 
himself. 
Towards evening the daws went to their accus- 
tomed roofs ; the pigeons and starlings sought 
their crannies and crevices in the tower. lolar 
took wing laboriously, and rose with infinite 
struggle to the level of the belfry; then beating 
like a kestrel against the wind the weight of 
the gin dragged him back again. He struggled 
until he could do no more. He even tried to 
perch upon the sloping ledge of the belfry 
61 
