File:British birds with their nests and eggs (1896) (14750339232).jpg

Identifier: britishbirdswith03butl (find matches)
Title: British birds with their nests and eggs
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Butler, Arthur Gardiner, 1844-1925
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: London, Brumby & Clarke
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History Library

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ish Isles, and the habit of the old birdsof driving their young from the neighbourhood of their birth to find fresh huntinggrounds for themselves, also helps to ensure a visit to inland districts from thewanderers. So fearless is the Peregrine that in curiosit3^ or through an interestin sport, it will fly close up to the shooter, and does not always escape. Whengorged after a meal it Avill perch in a lethargic state upon a bank or rail, andsuffer Blackbird-shooting boys to do it to death. A splendid pair in the writerscollection were slain in this unworthy fashion on the banks of the Barnstaple river.One severe winter, when the writer was Woodcock shooting on Lundy Island,hardly a couple of shots would be fired before the party of guns were joined by aPeregrine, and soon after by a second, the Hawks keeping in close attendance, in thetechnical phrase of falconry waiting on above the sportsmen and their dogs, andwhen a Cock or Snipe was flushed, if it was missed, it had next to run the
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Peregrine Falcon ? 4 The Pereckine Falcon. us gauntlet of the two birds who between ihciii generally secured it. Sometimes awounded Cock was pounced upon and carried off right in front of the shooters,to whose guns the Peregrines were sacred. Tlie writer once watched a Peregrinepursuing and stooping at a Pigeon near a farm-house upon the coast; when itmissed its stoop it was joined by its mate, and tlien the two Falcons togetherattempted the capture, but the Pigeon saved itself b) taking refuge in a hole inthe cliff, and its enemies, with a loud cry of anger and disappointment, swept outover the sea. Often on the shore the Peregrine may be seen darting down upona flock of Wigeon, and striking one of them with its deadly hind talon bear itoff to a sand-bank to be devoured. Sometimes lesser game will content it, and itwill harry the flocks of Ring-Plover and Dunlin upon the oozes. But there isnothing the Peregrine will not fly at ; it will drive off the Eagle passing itseyrie; the write

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