558 APPENDIX. 



Crowding to the spot where their prey is discovered, in an 

 hour they will devour a stag or a horse to a skeleton. Their 

 voracity seems insatiable, and after gorging themselves be- 

 come too sluggish and indolent to remove from the place 

 of their repast, perching on the adjacent trees till again 

 aroused by the recurring calls of hunger. Except, however, 

 after eating, or while guarding their nest, they are so wary, 

 that the hunter can scarcely ever approach them within gun- 

 shot. Their flight is slow, steady and sailing, with scarcely 

 any apparent motion in the wings : but they are seen in the 

 greatest numbers, and soar highest before hurricanes or 

 thunder storms. 



The leno-th of recent specimens was 56 inches. 



THE MERLIN. 



(Falco (Bsalon, Temm. Man. d'Orn. i. p. 27. Rich, and Swains. 

 North. Zool. ii. p. 37. pi. 25. [female.] Seley, Brit. Orn. i. p. 

 45. pi. 18. Dubious Falcon, Penn. Arct. Zool. No. 112?) 



Sp. Charact. — Above bluish-grey spotted and striped with dusky 

 and ferruginous ; the head dusky and striped ; below yellowish- 

 white with oblong spots ; cere and feet yellow. — Female above, 

 dusky brown barred and spotted with lighter yellowish-brown. 



The specimen of this well known Falcon of the old 

 continent, was obtained by Dr. Richardson at Carlton House, 

 in the Hudson's Bay fur countries in the month of May. 

 A second specimen, was also killed at the Sault St. Marie, 

 between Lakes Huron and Superior. The Merlin often 

 nests on the ground, very closely amidst the heath, in the 

 north of England ; and sometimes they deposit their eggs 

 in a deserted crow's nest ; these are said to be of a plain 

 chocolate color. Occasionally they are seen in the vicinity 

 of Boston. 



