DUCK HAWK. 21o 



SuiujENUs RHYNCHODON Nitzsch. 

 FALCO PEREGRINUS ANATUM (Bonap.). 



152. Duck Hawk, (•'infi) 



Tarsus feathered but little way down in front, elsewhere iiieyiiluily leticu- 

 lated in small pattern, not longer than middle toe; tirst (jiiill, alone decidedly 

 emarginate on inner web, not shorter than the third. Above, blackish-ash, with 

 more or less evident paler waves; below and the forehead, white, more or less 

 fulvous tinge, and transverse bars of blackish; conspicuous black ear patches. 

 Young: — With tlie colors not so intense and tending to biown ; the tawnj- shade 

 below stronger; the lower parts longitudinally striped. Length, about 18; 

 wing, 13-14; tail, 7-8. 



Hab. — North America at large. 



Nest, in a tree, or on a rock, or on the ground. 



Eggs, three to five, dull white, blotched with difl'erent shades of i-e<ldish- 

 brown. 



This is the Bullet Hawk, the terroi^ of the ducks and the admira- 

 tion of sportsmen at the shooting stations, where he is often seen, 

 either capturing game on his own account, or appropriating what has 

 been killed by the gunner before he has time to pick it up. As this 

 species is known to breed in Massachusetts, on the coast of Labrador, 

 and in Alaska, it will also be found most likely to do so in suitable 

 places in Ontario, but at present we have no satisfactory record of 

 the fact. The steep rock\f ledges which overhang the blue w^aters of 

 Lake Superior oflfer inducements which the birds will hardly overlook, 

 and we expect yet to hear of their being found breeding there. 



While here, the Peregrine is no loiterer, but follows the migratory 

 course of the water-fowl, and fares sumptuously every day. Ducks 

 are his favorite game, and he need never be at a loss, yet (by way of 

 a relish perhaps) we see him sometimes scoop up a sandpiper or a mud- 

 hen and pick its bones on an elevation which commands a clear view 

 for some distance around. In Southern Ontario, the Peregrine is 

 seldom seen except in the fall. 



The Peregrine was held in great esteem in the olden time when 

 " hawking " was a princely amusement in Europe, and a very high 

 price was often paid for a well-trained pair. Here he is under no 

 restraint, but, handicapped neither by bell nor hood, he follows the 

 bent of his own wild nature, exceeding* even the Gyrfalcon in the 

 skill and activity he exhibits when capturing his prey. He is placed 

 in Dr. Fisher's destructive class (d), but he is so seldom seen in 

 Ontario that his habits are not often the subject of complaint. 



