Francis Heatherley

“ The sun is out now, and the bluebottles are busy in the dirty eyrie, and are pestering the young. The latter are still sleeping in a heap; they seem chiefly to eat and sleep. One of the larger young, after gaping hard and making a "chipping" noise, has just thrown up a dark pellet or casting of undigested feathers and deposited it on the back of one of the others! At 9.5 a.m, the Tiercel came down to the eyrie without food and tried to tempt the youngsters with feathers and scraps of the last blackbird, and " yacked" when they would not take them readily. ”

“ He holds each piece loosely in the tip of his beak and, tilting his head sideways, offers it to a youngster, who takes it most gently with its own beak-points crosswise to his.
With some mouthfuls they get a good deal of feathers and bone, but with the internal parts, intestines, etc., none at all. One youngster had a job with one of the thrush's legs, the foot and claws still sticking out of its mouth for a long time; but eventually it got it down. At 5.20 a.m, the long-drawn-out food cry of the Falcon is heard again. ”

“ It is exactly the opposite with the sparrow hawk as far as division of labour is concerned. At 6.5 p.m, my two friends bade me "Good night," and went down to the boat to return home, and I am left to soliloquise and take in my bearings. "Peregrine Hotel," as we are all instructed to call it, is best described as a large box or glorified packing case about seven feet long by four feet wide and four feet deep, resting insecurely on trestles, but well lashed to the rocks above by ropes. Inside it one can comfortably lie down or kneel, but one cannot, of course, stand up. ”

“ It is quite evident that he is the housekeeper, and that she does the hunting and catering. He makes a model father, but never attempts to hunt quarry himself, merely watching for her return. It is now 6.45 a.m., and the Tiercel has been on the look-out for the Falcon for some time. He is evidently getting anxious for her return, as he keeps moving from one point to another, occasionally closing his eyes and dozing, but making no attempt to hunt himself. 7 am.: No sign of the Falcon. The Tiercel has gone to sleep on C and the young are getting restless. ”

“ He stayed on C until 8.40 a.m., often half asleep, but generally with his weather eye on the sky or his lee eye on the shed, during which time I had breakfast. He appears to know perfectly well that there is something alive inside the shed, and is but little interested what it is so long as it does not hurt him or his. ”