118 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



motllings of whitish, forming transverse bars ; but terminally and basally they become 

 confused or lost. Wing-formula, 2,3-1,4. Wing, 1G.20 ; tail, 9.50; tarsus, 2.00 - .90 ; 

 middle toe, 2.05; inner, 1.50; outer, 1.50; posterior, .90. 



IIab. Labrador; south and westward in winter, and shores of Hudson Bay. 



Nos. 17,0(i;] (9, Quebec, W. Cooper) and :')4,9C0 (2, Fort Xescopec, 

 Labrador) diller tVom the preceding in having ten small narrow transverse 

 spots of reddish-white on the tail-feathers, forming as many indistinct 

 bands ; these spots touch neither tlie shaft nor the edge of the feather, and 

 are almost concealed, uidess tlie tail is sjjread ; on the latter specimen they 

 are very obsolete, the subterminal one only being distinct, as in the speci- 

 men selected for description. The upper tail-coverts also show faintly indi- 

 cated spots, and the former specimen has the wing-coverts with very narrow 

 irregular spots on the edge of the feathers. In this specimen there is also 

 one feather in the scapulars which lias broader white edges; it also lias the 

 white below about equal to the black in amount ; the anal region, however, 

 in all, is unvaried blackish, and the transverse oblique bands on the lower 

 tail-coverts are a constant feature. 



No. 41,185 ( 9 , Fort Xescopec, Labrador ; H. Conolly) is the darkest of all. 

 Li this the blackish plumbeous-brown is uniform over the whole surface ; 

 even the throat is unvariegated. Abdomen with a few of the feathers 

 edged with white, and sides with a few small circular spots of the .same ; 

 lower tail-coverts transversely spotted with white ; tibitc scarcely variegated, 

 showing only narrow indistinct whitish edges. Mottling on inner webs of 

 primaries reduced so as to be scarcely visible. Tail with the usual number 

 (two) of irregular whitish bars, — one terminal, the other near the end. 



LIST OF SPECIMENS E.\.V.MIXED. 



National Museum, 2; Boston Society, 1. Total, 3. 



Measiiremeni.i. 



H.\Brrs. In treating of the general habits of the Gerfalcons of North 

 America it will not lie necessary, nor will it be possible, to give the distinc- 

 tive peculiarities belonging to the several forms in which these Falcons 

 occur. Whetlier, on account of their variations of plumage, wo consider 

 them as races or as specifically distinct, does not alfect their liistory in this 

 respect. Tliere is no good reason for presuming that tliey have any very 

 noticeable variations as to any of their habits, although certain writers 

 claim for some of them certain well-marked peculiarities of character. 



Li tlie matter of geographical distribution they are all, for tlie most 

 ]iart, rarely seen, even in midwinter, south of the .50th parallel (if north 

 Latitude, and are found in the sumiueras far north as tlio Arctic Ocean. The 



