262 BIRDS OF PREY OF NOVA SCOTIA—GILPIN. 
some twenty years since, being taken by a vessel on the coast 
and brought to Halifax, and a second specimen is exhibited this 
evening by himself. They are not uncommon at Newfoundland, 
being called white hawks, and sometimes stray south of us, into 
New Englana, doubtless taking the inland route. The duck 
hawk (F. communis), and here again we lose the fine old name 
peregrinus, a bold and beautiful bird, with the eye, toothed bill, 
and powerful claw of its race in the highest beauty and perfec- 
tion in my experience, is very rare. There was a good specimen 
in the Halifax Museum 1870, and Mr. Downs has noted it. This 
falcon is the anatum and great footed hawk of American writers. 
The pigeon hawk (F. columbarius) is perhaps the most common 
hawk of our Province. My notes are September and November, 
but still I believe he nests with us or is found during the time 
of incubation. He is a true falcon, in dash, temerity and force. 
He will strike a duck upon the wing and lacerate and tear up 
the whole back and neck region so as to produce death. He 
occurs here with a variation of colour. In the Provincial 
Museum are specimens with four obscure whitish bars upon tail, 
A specimen in Mr. J. M. Jones’ collection agrees with this; the 
bars broader. Another, shot by Mr. Alfred Gilpin, has five white 
bars, the fifth obscured by tail coverts. Another specimen, shot 
by John Baxter, Nov. 4, 1880, has five dark bars crossing the 
tail, the fifth hid by tail coverts. In this specimen the colour 
was more plumbeous on back and rump and tail, and more whit- 
ish below. I have not specimens enough to show any analogy 
between the plumbeous coloured back and darker tail bars, and 
whiter colour below. Coues asserts the female has white bars. 
Reeks (Zoologist, 1869,) describes it at Newfoundland, as having 
dark bars. The question is also complicated by Richardson’s 
merlin or Aesalon of the old world, very allied to this species, 
being found in America, though denied by Coues. We find this 
very active and bold falcon on the flats of the sea shores, 
pouncing verially upon the tringa totani and other shore birds 
in their autumn migration. He lingers into November before 
he leaves us. There is no prettier sight than on a warm 
September day, in the Digby Basin, when the great Bay of 
