THE GREENLAND FALCON. 
551 
of exertion, and yet surpassingly beautiful. With the 
exception of man they have no enemy; but are, on the 
contrary, the terror of all the weaker birds. The tame 
Falcon feels in no way oppressed by the hand of its 
master, though it looks upon itself as the queen of the 
feathered throng, the mighty Eagle not excepted. The 
rugged mountain is its home, the rocky pinnacle its 
point of observation; it seeks out the highest situation, 
looking down on everything in the low-land. In it, 
nobility and rapacity are most happily blended; in short, 
it is a perfect creation: a single glance tells you that it 
is possessed of courage, power, and activity. It ranges 
rapidly, ascending like an arrow to any height it likes, or 
plunges like a flash of lightning into the depths below, so 
that the human eye can scarce follow its movements : it 
is strong, audacious, active, and untiring; and yet, with 
all this, so tractable and capable of instruction, that it 
takes but little time for man to render the bird entirely 
subservient to him. It is a matter of astonishment to 
anyone who may have the opportunity of seeing a well- 
trained Falcon pursuing the business which it has been 
taught, to think that not long before, this bird was flying 
perfectly independent amid its native fastnesses,—I may 
say its own domain: now, at the word of command, it 
leaves its master’s gloved hand, and rushes forth like a 
flash of lightning to strike the quarry which the latter has 
selected for it to pursue, receiving with gratification— 
aye, almost with tenderness!—a trifling reward for its 
work at the hand of its owner. No creature that is not 
essentially noble in its nature, can ever be trained to 
become so useful to man. 
In its natural state, the Jer Falcon, like its cousins, 
subsists entirely on such prey as it kills for itself, 
