Page:The peregrine falcon at the eyrie (IA cu31924084757206).pdf/38

 18 noiseless. As I had now used twenty-four plates, I was sorry I had not brought more, but never having been able to use more than six previously, I thought I had brought ample. The Tiercel finished by stretching his wings, first his left, after which he turned to look at the young, then the right, and then he hopped down and brooded them till 12.15 p.m., when he flew off, calling for food. At 12.30 I heard his wings flap and saw him alight on B. He was wet and draggled, as if after a bath. Then he jumped down and brooded the young. About 12.45 he jumped on to A, calling the food cry, and flew off. From 1 p.m, to 1.30 the Falcon seemed to be trying to make up her mind to return to the eyrie. As I had no plates, I sat 'and watched, and so there were no signs of life in the shed to interfere with the proceedings. She several times flew into the eyrie and then jumped on to either B or A, scowling and thrusting her head forward in sudden jerks, peered in all directions and then flew off, crying the alarm. The Tiercel was all the time calling to her and apparently flying from rock to rock. It was neither the alarm nor the food cry, and as I suppose that as these two easily-learned cries do not comprise the whole of their language, it was presumably a conversation. Once when she was standing in the eyrie, with her back to the youngsters, and peering anxiously in all directions, he came down with a thump on to the roof of the shed and talked to her as if assuring her of her perfect safety, while I kept very still in case any unfortunate movement might alarm my gallant ally. After a few minutes I could breathe more freely, as he jumped down on to C and continued his speech.

Then she broke her gloomy silence, and seemed to be giving him a bit of her mind. She was evidently in a towering rage, and both together were making the most extraordinary sounds. She hissed and clucked and he yelped and yapped. At one time she stood there like a fury, spitting and snarling at him, her scowling head lowered, and with all her neck feathers bristling up she took half a step forward as if for two pins she would kill him where he stood. Then both flew off. The Tiercel returned in about ten minutes, and stood by the young in the eyrie, but paid no attention to them. He looked annoyed: and disappointed. If some may