Page:The peregrine falcon at the eyrie (IA cu31924084757206).pdf/86

 66 plover sitting seven feet away without disturbing him, and at the Tiercel five feet away, and although, he looked quizzically at it he never minded the smell, which was convenient in my case. Their sense of hearing is extremely acute, although, as in other birds, constant repetition of a sound which is not followed by anything untoward leads eventually to no attention being shown. This trait, owing to superior boldness, was more marked in the Tiercel than the Falcon, and this sexual characteristic was also evident in the full-fledged young. I have not had any opportunity of watching the, young being trained to hunt after they leave the eyrie, but can readily believe that it is more efficient than when undertaken by the falconer. Sight is extremely acute, and on one occasion, when the Tiercel was standing on C, staring full-face at the lens which I was slowly moving, I suddenly realised that I was face to face with stereoscopic vision. I know this is altogether heterodox, and I know that belief is not proof, and although I failed to see how to prove it, I have little doubt that he was fixing both eyes on my proceedings. The third eyelid, which flashes across the eye now and again from the inner corner, is filmy and easily overlooked. It is represented in the human eye by the little fleshy lump in the inner corner. As, regards their psychology, I look upon birds in general as absent-minded beggars, with rather more reasoning powers than we, their rich relations, credit them with. By absent-mindedness I, of course, mean their wonderful instincts. Of the Peregrine language I only learned three phrases; but the use of a hiding contrivance greatly enlarges one's appreciation of bird-language, a rich field awaiting investigation by ornithologists.

In raising himself from the wild, man has cut himself off from much knowledge of the ways of his poor relations, knowledge some of which even our immediate ancestors retained; for instance, the use of the great grey shrike as sentinel by the Dutch trappers of passage hawks, a use of a bird's characteristic implying an intimate knowledge few museum authorities would care to claim. Modern bird-photography and Nature study are, however, again lifting the veil. In all this I wish it to be distinctly understood that I am simply a bird-lover, with some knowledge of photography. What little experience I have had of the official ornithologist