FALCO rOLYAORLTS. 577 



Falco SAKER. 



Sakt'r F:il£oii. 



ft. imhjagnis — I'lahie Falcon. 



Falco iwlyagnis, Cassin, lUu.str. Birds Oal., Tex., &c., 1853, 88, pi. 10 (front 

 figure— Dot the dark one, wbicU = F. communis pealei, Ridgwa Y, Bull. Essex 

 Inst., V, Dec, 1S7;5, p. 1>01); iu Baird's Birds N. Am., ISJS, 12.— Baikd, Cat. 

 N. All). Birds, 1859, No. 10.— Cooper, Orn. Cal., I, 458. 



Falco lanarius var. polyagnts, Ridgway, iu B. B. & R., Hist. N. Aui. Birds III 

 1874, 123.— Hbnshaw, 1875, 410. ' ' 



Falco mexicatms, Coue.S, Key, 1872, 213; Check List, 1873, No. 342. 



Falco jncxicanns var. pohjagrus, CouES, Birds N.W., 1874, 331). 



This daring- Falcon was a rather common species throughout the Great 

 Basin. It was first observed on the 31st of October, 18(J7, at tlie Hum- 

 boldt Marshes, where we saw one swoop upon a flock of tame pigeons at 

 the stage-station. Late in November, of the same 5'ear, it Avas noticed 

 again among the marslies along the Carson River, near Genoa, where it 

 was observed to watch and follow the 3Iarsh Hawks {Circus Jtiidsoui/ts), 

 compelling them to give up their game, which was caught by the Falcon 

 before it reached the ground ; this pirac}- being not an occasional, but a 

 S3'stematic habit. In the Ti-uckee Valley we saw one snatch a young 

 chicken from a door-yard, iu the presence of several spectators. The quarry 

 of this Falcon is by no means confined to animals smaller than itself, how- 

 ever, for the specimen in our collection was killed while leisurely eating a* 

 Jackass Rabbit {Lcjyiis caUotis), an animal of nearly twice his weight, and 

 which he had carried to the top of a fence-post by the road-side. He exhib- 

 ited no alarm at the approach of our buggy, but continued tearing and 

 devouring his prey; we had even passed by him without seeing him, when 

 the quick eye of Mr. Parker detected him in time for a shot. 



In the rocky canons of the more lofty ranges to the eastward it was 

 common during summer, particularly aljoul the limestone cllfis of the Riiliy 

 range, where the fiimilies of young, accompanied by their parents, made 

 a great clamor, as they flew among the precipitous rocks where they had 

 Ijeen bred. They were likewise common in the rocky canons of the AVah- 

 satch. 



37 PR 



