368 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
Falco islandus Briinn. 
WHITE or ICELAND GYRFALCON. 
Common permanent resident. 
There is great confusion as to the specific status of the gyrfalcons, 
and it is thought by some that there may be only one species with 
various color phases. The four forms have all been observed and 
specimens taken in Labrador. ‘Two, the white and the black forms, 
have been found breeding. Our own observations of this class of 
falcons in Labrador were very meager. ‘They will be referred to 
later. We have entered here all the records for Labrador we could 
obtain. 
Audubon describes a pair of adults of this species shot on August 
6, 1833, eight or ten miles from Bradore on the south coast of Labrador. 
Their full-grown young escaped. The nest was on a cliff and was 
surrounded by remains of Puffins, Murres, and Ptarmigan. 
Packard says it is “common at Fort Chimo and east coast of Labra- 
dor. Resident in northern portions, breeds at Fort Chimo.” Weiz 
says it breeds at Okkak. Harvie-Brown says a specimen was shot 
at Ungava Bay by Thomas Mackenzie in 1890. Robert Bell says 
that two were killed at Port Burwell in August and September. The 
following specimens of zslandus are in the Bangs collection: no. 9742, 
Hopedale, 1898; no. 9743, Okkak, 1895; no. 9744, Okkak, October, 
1896; no. 9741, Makkovik, late autumn, 1900. 
At Henley Harbor on August 2d, we saw a bird evidently of this 
species circling about some high cliffs half a mile distant. It sailed up 
to a deep cleft into which it disappeared, soon to re-appear and alight 
on a shelf. Here it hopped and fluttered a few paces before again 
taking flight. The bird was noticeably white, somewhat mottled 
with darker color, especially on the wings whose primaries appeared 
white at the ends. 
Falco rusticolus Linn. 
GRAY GYRFALCON. 
Rare winter visitor. 
The only record is that of Packard (’91, p. 423): ‘‘ Winter specimens 
only obtained at Fort Chimo. Not known to breed in the Ungava 
district.” 
