A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK obtained are females, and a perfect old male is a rarity. A splendid specimen came to grief against the telegraph wires near Alde- burgh in March, 1864, and was brought to Mr. Hele in a terribly damaged condition, but he managed to make a good bird of it. A hen bird was caught near Bury in May, 1890, which is an unusual date. Peregrines vary a good deal in colour, some being much darker than others. The only mention of the breed- ing of this bird in Suffolk is made by the Rev. R. Lubbock, who in his Fauna of Norfolk says that ' during the time that the late Mr. Downes practised falconry near Yarmouth a pair of these birds used to breed in the steeple of Gorton Church. The nestlings were taken and trained to the chase, the clerk having a regular re- taining fee for their preservation' (ed. 1879, p. 29). This would probably be some time between 1800 and 1820. The book referred to contains (pp. 224-39) an article by Pro- fessor Newton on ' Hawking in Norfolk,' in which there are some interesting references to the same sport in Suffolk, especially to the pur- suit of the kite in the neighbourhood of Thet- ford. 129. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. This beautiful little falcon is now a rare summer migrant, and must be classed among the ' doubtful breeders.' A very perfect male was shot at Rougham in June, 1898, which may have been one of a pair nesting in the vicinity, and in the ' sixties ' Mr. Hele had a tame hobby for some years, which was taken from a nest near Woodbridge. She was kept in the garden during the summer and brought into the house for warmth in the winter, but at last made her escape, with the usual sequel of being shot, and is now one of a group of hawks and owls in the Ipswich Museum. The hobby is said never to build a nest, but always to use an old one, most frequently a crow's, and is the latest breeder of all the hawks, not laying till June. Three eggs are usually laid, like those of the kestrel, but rather larger and paler in colour. 1 30. Merlin. Fa/ca eesalon, Tunstall. The merlin is a winter migrant, never re- maining to breed, but not uncommon near the coast, where it has been shot as early as the first week in September. Its small size enables it to be easily recognized. 131. Red-footed Falcon. Linn. Falco vespertinus, The only record of this very rare southern species is that of one shot at Somerleyton in July, 1862, which was for many years in the late Mr. H. Stevenson's collection. 132. Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus, Linn. The kestrel like the owls is supposed to be protected by law throughout the year in west Suffolk, but (also like the owls) is often shot by those who ought to know better. It is the most common of all the hawks, breeding throughout the county, frequently in church towers, but also in hollow trees and old nests of other birds. Its richly-coloured eggs can hardly be mistaken for those of any other bird nesting in Suffolk, and the young birds, which are easily reared, make delightful pets, becoming almost as tame as jackdaws, but if allowed perfect liberty the migratory instinct calls them southwards in early autumn. The food of the kestrel consists chiefly of mice, and the damage it is often accused of doing to young game if not imaginary is greatly exaggerated. The lesser kestrel {F. cenchris) has not yet been found in Suffolk, and can be identified by its small size and white claws. 133. Osprey. Pandion haliaftus (Linn.) A rare spring and autumn visitant, more often occurring near the coast than inland. Several have been shot on Breydon, two of which are in the Bury Museum, and two or three near Aldeburgh, one of which, shot near Thorpe Haven in October, 1874, is in the museum at Ipswich. The bold contrast of dark brown above and white below in the osprey's plumage, and its extent of wing, which often exceeds five feet, combine to render it an easy bird to recognize. 134. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.) The often-quoted record of Mr. Lubbock [Fauna of Norfolk, ed. 1 879, p. 173) that ' cormorants have in some seasons nested in the trees around Fritton decoy in some number ; in other years there has not been one nest ' must once more be cited, and from a note in the Birds of Norfolk (iii. 288) the date appears to be about 1825. The cor- morant is now only a visitant, usually in late summer and autumn. 135. Shag or Green Cormorant. Phalacro- corax graculus (Linn.) A visitant much rarer than the cormorant, and a more strictly marine species, never known to have nested in the county. In December, 1900, one was shot when perched on the roof of a house at West Stow near Bury, which is quite thirty miles from the 196
