l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 56 



Species, but I doubt if it is correctly so ranked for our material seems 

 to show intergrading with nclsoni. We learned less about this than 

 any of the others for our collecting time on this important island 

 was cut down to one cold, rainy, stormy day, when effective collect- 

 ing was difficult. We collected only one female and seven males. 

 No nests were found, though the female was evidently incubating. 

 What few birds we saw were very tame. 



There is much yet to be learned about the relationships of the 

 Aleutian Ptarmigan and their connection with the mainland birds of 

 both continents, but before the subject can be satisfactorily studied, 

 more material must become available from the unexplored islands 

 and the Asiatic mainland. I shall, therefore, have to leave this 

 important matter for future investigation. 



HALI^ETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS ALASCANUS 



Northern Bald Eagle 



Large Bald Eagles were common on all the islands we visited, 

 particularly about Unalaska and Dutch Harbor, where one or more 

 were almost constantly in sight. They were not at all shy, frequently 

 flying within easy gunshot; they were especially bold about their 

 nesting places or near their favorite lookout points on the hilltops, 

 where feathers and droppings indicated that they habitually used the 

 same spot for a perch ; at one such spot on the crest of a steep rocky 

 hill, I surprised a large \M-iite Headed Eagle which sailed back and 

 forth several times, within a few feet of my head, squealing vigor- 

 ously all the time as if I were intruding on its home. It undoubtedly 

 breeds on all the islands. Nests with young about half grown or 

 more were found on Atka, Adak, Kiska and Tanaga islands ; they 

 were placed on rocky cliffs and some were easily accessible. 



Among the numerous dark colored Eagles seen, some were prob- 

 ably Golden Eagles, as the species is recorded as common among 

 these islands. We saw several which we thought might be Gray Sea 

 Eagles, but they did not come near enough to be positively identified. 



FALCO PEREGRINUS PEALEI 



Peale's Falcon 

 This species is said to be commoner among the western islands 

 than elsewhere, but we saw large Ealcons, undoubtedly this species, 

 on Atka, Kiska, Tanaga and Adak. At Kiska Harbor on Jun 19, 

 I watched a pair of these birds flying about the high rocky cliffs ; 

 they were apparently building a nest, as I saw one of them fly up 



