The Natural History of Ireland/Volume 1/The Greenland Falcon

THE GREENLAND FALCON.


 * Falco candicans, Gmel. Linn.
 * Groenlandicus, Turt. Linn. Hancock, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 2, 249.

Is of extremely rare occurrence.

In a letter from John Vandeleur Stewart, Esq., of Rockhill, Letterkenny, dated Feb. 3, 1837, I was favoured with a minute description of a bird in his collection, believed to be an Iceland Falcon, which had been killed when on wing above a rabbit- warren, close to Dunfanaghy, county of Donegal. At a meeting of the British Association held at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 1838, Mr. John Hancock, of that town, read a paper (admirably illustrated by specimens in various states of plumage) with a view to prove that the Iceland and Greenland Falcons are distinct species. This was subsequently published in the " Annals of Natural History," as above quoted. On referring to the description of Mr. Stewart's bird, I felt certain, that according to the views of Mr. Hancock, it must be F. Groenlandicus, and having submitted the description to him, I had the satisfaction of receiving his testimony to that effect. The specimen is an adult male. Subsequently (in 1842?), Mr. Stewart obtained what he considered to be a young bird of this species, which was shot at Drumboe Castle, in the above named county.

Mr. Hancock kindly replied as follows, on the 1st of March, 1846, to some queries respecting these species : —

"I have had specimens of the Greenland Falcon from both Davis' Straits and Iceland; those from the latter locality were killed in the winter season, therefore I conclude it is only a winter visitant of that country, while those from Davis' Straits were all taken in the summer. I was informed by a captain of a whale-vessel of this port, that he once found the nest of Falco Groenlandicus with young, at Cape Imilie, Baffin's Bay. The Iceland bird appears to be very common in Iceland, from which country I have had a number of specimens, both young and old, and I have an egg from the same place. I have a specimen of F. Islandicus' in its first plumage, which was killed in Yorkshire, March,1847. There was another young bird shot on the North Tyne in January, 1845, which I saw in the flesh : it is now in the possession of Mr. C. Adamson of this place. I only know of one instance of the capture of F. Groenlandicus in this country ; it was a mature bird, and was in the collection of Mr. Ellis of York, up to the time of his collection being sold : it was obtained in Yorkshire, and, to the best of my recollection, was shot about the year 1836. I have no authentic account of either species being taken in Scotland".