THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND ITl 



my coming soon after into possession of Nauraann's work, I saw at 

 once that the bird was not F. jjeregriniis, but that it naight be the 

 species represented on Plate 23 as an old Lanner Falcon. I was, 

 however, still doubtful, inasmuch as the bird in question was less 

 strongly spotted on its breast, which was rather richly suftused 

 with rust-colour ; and, further, because the feathers of the flanks 

 displayed, if not very broad, yet ver}^ sharply defined blackish- 

 brown bands. Later on, however, at the Berlin Museum, I recog- 

 nised at once, and most definitely, in an example exhibited as 

 F. tanypterus, the bird which forms the subject of this paragraph. 

 This species also has not been seen again in Heligoland, nor 

 need this be a matter of much surprise, for it is a singular fact that 

 examples of all species whose homes lie far to the south of Heligo- 

 land — that of the present species being in Central or Upper Africa — 

 are among the very rarest occurrences on this island. In the por- 

 tion of this book which deals with the Migration of Birds I have tried 

 to explain that species belonging to western Europe are also hardly 

 ever seen, and indeed are hardly to be expected, in Heligoland. 



5. — The Peregrine [Wanderfalke]. 

 FALCO PEREGRINUS, Linn.i 

 Heligolandish : Siiepp-falk = Snipe Falcon. 

 Faho 2}eregrinns. Nauuiann, i. 285. 

 Peregrine. Dresser, vi. 31. 



Faucon pelerin. Temiuinck, Manuel, i. 22, iii. 11. 



^Vhere bird-life is represented in such abundance as in Heli- 

 goland, it is but natural to expect also to meet with this Falcon — 

 one of its noblest representatives. Indeed, it seems to have become 

 more frequent in its visits during the last thirty years, for before 

 that time I had given up all hope of ever securing an old example 

 in perfect plumage for my collection. As a last resource, therefore, 

 I hit upon the idea of keeping a young bird, whose wmg had been 

 damaged, confined in a large cage in the open air, until it had 

 assumed the full adult i^lumage. The experiment was crowned 

 with the most complete success : but after three or four years I 

 had become so fond of this magnificent bird, with its beautiful dark 

 eyes sparkling with pride and daring, that I should never have for 

 one moment thought of killing it, if the absolute impossibility of 

 procuring food for it, during an exceptionally severe winter, had not 

 driven me to this necessity. 



Since that time, besides many young birds, several old examples 



•' Falco peregrinuis, Tunstall. 



