. British birds . th of wing. Itis probably the fastest flier among rapacious birds, being capable ofthe marvellous feat of capturing swallows and martins in the is a summer visitant to this coimtry, and is most often met within the southern counties of England, where, however, it is arare species; and the farther north we go the rarer it Scotland it is not known to breed, and it does not range toIreland. It inhabits woods, and breeds in an old nest of the carrioncrow, jay, or some other bird, which it does not re-line. Three eggsare usually laid, and in some rare instances f
. British birds . th of wing. Itis probably the fastest flier among rapacious birds, being capable ofthe marvellous feat of capturing swallows and martins in the is a summer visitant to this coimtry, and is most often met within the southern counties of England, where, however, it is arare species; and the farther north we go the rarer it Scotland it is not known to breed, and it does not range toIreland. It inhabits woods, and breeds in an old nest of the carrioncrow, jay, or some other bird, which it does not re-line. Three eggsare usually laid, and in some rare instances four or five. In sizeand colour they are not distinguishable from those of the kestrel. The hobby is a spirited bird, but in courage and power greatlyinferior to the peregrine. He preys principally on dragon-flies,beetles, and other large insects, and on small birds, such as skylarksand buntings. In falconry, the hobby was trained to fly at suchsmall game as larks, snipe, and quail. MEELIN 211 Pig. 71.—Merlin, i natural size. Upper parts greyish blue; underparts reddish yellowwith longitudinaldark brown spots ;tail barred withblack; beak bluish,darker at the tip;cere yellow ; irisdark brown ; feetyeUow; claws : upper partstinged with brown;lower parts yellow-ish white. Length,eleven to twelveinches. The merlin is athird less than theperegrine in size, and has the distinction of being the smallest of the British birds of prey,But in courage it is second to none, and Yarrell relates an instancein which this small bird, weighing itself no more than six ounces,struck down and killed a partridge twice as heavy. It is a residentthroughout the year of the British Islands, from the north ofYorkshire to the Shetlands, and the mountainous parts of Ireland. The merlin is an inhabitant of the moors and mountains, andnests on the ground among the tail heather. The eggs are laid in aslight hollow with little or no lining, and are four or five in number,sma
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