24 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Genus FALCO. 



The members of the genus Falco are perhaps more uni- 

 versally dispersed over the face of the globe than any other 

 portion of the family of birds to which they belong ; and I 

 question whether the law of representation is in any case 

 more clearly shown than by the numerous species of the pre- 

 sent form. 



Sp. 7. FALCO HYPOLEUCUS, Gould. 



Grey Falcon. 



Falco hypoleucus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. See, part viii. p. 162. 

 Boorh-ga, Aborigines of Moore's River in Western Australia. 



Falco h3rpoleucus, Grould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 7. 



" Of this rare and beautiful Falcon I have seen only four 

 examples, three of which are in my own collection, and the 

 fourth in that of the Earl of Derby *. The specimen from which 

 my description in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' 

 was taken was presented to Mr. Gilbert by Mr. L. Burgess, who 

 stated that he had killed it over the mountains, about sixty 

 miles from Swan River ; subsequently it was obtained by Mr. 

 Gilbert himself in the vicinity of Moore's River in Western 

 Australia ; and my friend Captain Sturt had the good fortune 

 to secure a male and a female during his late adventurous 

 journey into the interior of South Australia. ' They were 

 shot at the Depot in May 1845 ; they had been soaring very 

 high, but at length descended to the trees on the creek, and 

 coming within range were shot." 



" The acquisition of the Falco hypoleucus is highly interest- 

 ing, as adding another species to the true or typical Falcons, 



* The last-mentioned snecimen is now in the Derby Museum at Liver- 

 pool, to which town his Lordship bequeathed his fine collection. 



