"Nature red in tooth and claw."
"One day last week a merlin flew in through the window of a cottage on the Topsham Road, and made an attempt to grasp a canary which was in a cage near the window, The owner of the canary, Mrs. Bartrum, happened to be present, and struck the merlin to the ground with a parasol; it however soon recovered and again made an attack on the canary, but was ultimately killed by throwing books at it.
"The merlin is not a native of this country, but generally visits it in October. It is one of the smallest of the hawks, not being much larger than the thrush, but it is very courageous. It is easily tamed, and is used for hawking quails, larks, and other birds."
Rejoice , perhaps, for the redoubtable, parasol-wielding, book-throwing Mrs. Bartrum and her fat pet-canary but spend a night of sighs regretting that beautiful merlin!
We have killed too many birds, early and late, one way or another. Gone are the days when merlins frequented the Topsham Road; gone too the skylarks that they fed to their chicks.
I wonder which was the flung book that finally dispatched the merlin. My money is on Mrs. B's brass tipped and clipped Book of Common Prayer.
Source: The Western Times, 2nd May, 1840. (Also: Alfred Lord Tennyson.)
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