Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/98

 especially the male, soon became very familiar. When let off in the morning, Ins favourite perch was upon some stacks of grain, where he remained patiently watching for mice, but was not always successful in their capture, as he sometimes dashed his talons into the straw, and brought them out empty. He preferred mice to rats, though very expert at killing both. One of his favourite tricks was to fly on Ms master's feet and untie his shoe-strings. He was likewise very bold ; and taking a dislike to a certain in- dividual, flew at him whenever he appeared, and endeavoured to strike him about the head. Against these attacks, a walking- stick generally served as a defence ; but the buzzard once came upon him unawares, and inflicted a severe blow on the back of his head. This bird occasionally astonished strangers, by smartly striking them on the hat, so as to send it over their ears. He was always, when flying about, persecuted by gray crows. A long- drawn, mournful whistle was his ordinary cry.

At the headlands above the Giant's Causeway, and those near Carrick-a-rede (Antrim), 1 have seen buzzards in the middle of summer. At the same season, a friend remarked a couple of them at Pairhead, upon the same day on which he saw pairs of sea eagles, peregrine falcons, and kestrels, all of which are known to have eyries there. He has likewise observed the buzzard about Cushendall. A young bird taken from a nest in the precipitous rocks at Drumnasole, was kept by a gentleman of the neighbourhood for three or four years. It was very bold in various ways ; among others, by flying at strangers, and, like the tame bird already alluded to, striking them on the hat, but more forcibly, as it was occasionally knocked off the head. If attacked by any one with a stick, it showed fight, by lying on its back and striking with its talons at the object of annoyance. This bird regularly attended the potato- diggers to feed on the worms exposed to view, to which it was so partial, that they were sought for at other times to give to it as food. It would only eat magpies when very hungry, and nothing else was to be had : jackdaws, too, were disliked, but not to the same degree. A bird of the latter species, shot at on wing and wounded, fell into a mill-race, where it was instantly pounced on