File:Hardwicke's science-gossip - an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature (1868) (14758949956).jpg

Identifier: hardwickesscienc04cook (find matches)
Title: Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature
Year: 1868 (1860s)
Authors: Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt), b. 1825 Taylor, J. E. (John Ellor), 1837-1895
Subjects: Science Natural history
Publisher: London : Robert Hardwicke
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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l the species belonging to itare very closely allied to the true Ealcons (Falco).Indeed, as Mr. Harting justly remarks in his Birdsof Middlesex, the English Hobby is a Peregrine inminiature. The genus is cosmopolitan, represen-tatives being found in the Old and New worlds;but, as I am writing on only one species, I mustleave any further considerations on their geographical Berkshire, that I saw my first British-killed speci-men. There, in the beautiful collection of birdsformed by Mrs. De Vitrc at Formosa, I found avery fine specimen of the Hobby, which had beenshot iu Cliefden woods by one of the keepers.Doubtless it would have figured as a trophy alongwith other vermin (!) on some tree trunk, hadit not fallen under the notice of Mr. Briggs, thehead gardener at Formosa, to whose intelligence asa field naturalist not only myself but Mr. Gouldcan testify. Notices of the breeding of the Hobbyin this country are rare, and I therefore make noapology for extracting from my paper, published
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a Hobby. distribution to another opportunity. Hypotriorchiscontains two sub-genera, both of which find repre-sentatives in the British islands, and may respec-tively be termed Hobbies (Ilypotriorchis, Boie) andMerlins (JEsalon, Kaup). So rare in most parts of this country is the Hobbythat British ornithologists have had very littleopportunity of observing its habits in a state ofnature. During my residence in the north ofEngland, where I devoted all my leisure time to thestudy of ornithology, not one instance of its occur-rence came under my notice ; and it was not until Iwent to live at Cookham, near Maidenhead, in elsewhere, the notes with which Mr. Briggs fur-nished me on its nidification at Billing-bear Park,where he was keeper some years ago, especially as itgives us a striking instance of the courage for whichthis pretty little Ealcon has always been noted. He had found a nest of this species in one of theplantations on the estate, and only waited till theyoung ones were fledged

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