Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/592

556 and also at the notchings. Cere, orbits, and legs, yellow, which seems to increase in depth. When I first had it, they were not then tinged with yellow, but the colour of a very white-legged fowl : claws black and powerful, inner one largest. The eye, which is exceedingly bright and piercing, and does not appear to have changed, seems black, but on close inspection, in a good light, is evidently dark-brown. Between the cere and the orbits, and under the eye, the hairy feathers, which lie close, and are pure white, are intermixed with hairs of black, which lie pretty close to the head.

" Were I to guess the weight, I should say it was double that of the Rough-legged Falcon. The wings reach nearly to the tip of the tail." The above detailed account appears to me to furnish a better descrip- tion of the adult Jer Falcon than any that I have met with, and cannot fail to be acceptable to ornithologists.

On inquiring of a Mr Jones, who had been a resident in Labrador for twenty years, I was informed that these Hawks feed on and destroy an im- mense number of hares, Rock Partridges, and Willow Grous ; but he could not give me any information as to the change of plumage, never having seen them in any other state than that of the individuals repre- sented in my plate, which I shewed to him. The fishermen called them Duck Hawks, and some of them reported many exploits performed by them, which I tbink it unnecessary to repeat, as I considered them exaggerated.

Falco Islandicus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. p. 32. Adult. — F. rusticolus, Idem, p. 28. Adult — F. Gyrfalco, Idem, p. 32. Young — F. sacer, F. oescurus, and F. LAGOPUs /S, Idem Temminck, Manual, part i. p. 17 Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. vol ii. p. 27.

Gyrfalcon, Falco islandicus, Kuttall, Manual, part i. p. 51.

Male in immature state. Plate CXCVI. Fig. 1.

Bill shortish, as broad as deep at the base, the sides convex, the dorsal outline curved from the base ; upper mandible cerate, the edges a little inflected, rather obtuse, nearly straight to the tooth-like process, which is rather rounded, the tip trigonal, descending, acute ; lower mandible involute at the edges, truncate at the end, with a notch near it on either side, corresponding to the process above. In an individual which I have seen, the margin line of the upper mandible was undulated, or formed a festoon behind the tooth, but in my two specimens, the skin of one of which is now before me, it is quite straight when viewed directly, although