Gould stated that the Peregrine, with its powerful pectoral muscles and long, pointed wings was admirably suited for rapid flight. It flew at a speed estimated at 150 miles an hour 'but this rate of progression is nothing compared to the impetuosity of its stoop when descending upon its quarry.'

In the background Wolf illustrated a dramatic stoop which Gould had seen while shooting in the Scottish Highlands. A Mallard pursued with 'meteor-like quickness' by a Peregrine was 'struck dead, its back being ripped open by a stroke of the Peregrine's hind claw.' Gould believed that this lightning strike in mid-air was the usual method used by the Peregrine for attacking its victim.

The female, shown about three-quarters life-size in the foreground of the illustration, is always larger than the male.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeding distribution is nearly cosmopolitan. Winters from Europe, south Asia, south Alaska and south Canada south to southern South Africa, Australia and southern South America. The collapse of Peregrine populations in many parts of the world from about 1955 through the effects of organochlorine pesticides has been well documented. In Britain and in some other areas there has been a slow but dramatic recovery due to the withdrawal or reduction in the use of these pesticides, and to more protection