GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 23 



In the month of December, 1815, a solitary individual of this specie? 

 made its appearance in Philadelphia. This visitor, as may be presumed, 

 occasioned not a little surprise. It was shot with an air rifle, while 

 perched upon a chimney of a large house in Chestnut street. This bird 

 was put into my hands for examination ; and from the appearance of 

 its plumage, I had reason to conjecture that it had escaped from con- 

 finement. 



From Vieillot's figure and description of the Black Vulture, we must 

 conclude that he had never seen it, either alive, or in a recent state, 

 otherwise he would not have committed the egregious error of repre- 

 senting the naked skin of the bill, head and neck, of a blood red, when 

 these parts are of a scurfy, black color, resembling the skin of a dirty 

 negro.* 



Genus II. FALCO. FALCONS. 

 Species I. F. PEREGRINUS. 



GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 



[Plate LXXVI. Female.] 



Falco Peregrinus, Guel. Sysi. i., p. 272, 88.— Briss. i., p. 341, 6, and Var. A. — Ind. 

 Orn. p. 33, No. 72. — Falco Barbarus, Linn. Syst. ed. 10, torn i., p. 88, No. 6. — 

 Gmel. Syst. I., p. 272,8. — Ind. Orn. p. 33, No. 71. — Falco hornotinus, Briss. i., 

 p. 324, A. Falco niger. Id. p. 327, E. Falco macidattis. Id. p. 329, F. — Peregrine 

 Falcon, Lath. Syn. i., p. 73, No. 52. Id. suppl. p. 18. — Penn. Brit. Zool. No. 48, 

 pi. 20. Arct. Zool. No. 97.— Shaw, Gen. Zool. vol. vii., p. 128.— Montagu, (hn. 

 Did. and Suppl. — Low, Fau7ia, Orcadensis, p. 150. — Common Falcon, Lath. Syn. 

 I., p. 65, No. 49, var. A. p. 67, var. Er p. 68. var. F. — Spotted Hawk or Falcon, 

 Edwards, i., pi. 3. Black Hawk or Falcon, Id. pi. 4, both from Hudson's Bay. 

 — Le Lanier, Pi. enl. 430, old male. Le Faucon noir et passager. Id. 469, youug 

 female? Le Faucon sors, Id. p. 470, yearling. — Faucon pdhrin, Temm. Ma)i. 

 d' Orn. p. 22. 



It is with great pleasure that we are now enabled to give a portrait 

 of this celebrated Falcon, drawn of half the size of hfe, in the best 

 manner of our deceased friend ; and engraved by the accurate and 

 ingenious Lawson. 



This noble bird had excited our curiosity for a long time. Every 

 visit which we made to the coast, was rendered doubly interesting by the 

 wonderful stories which we heard of its exploits in fowling, and of its 

 daring enterprise. There was not a shooter along the shore but knew 

 it well ; and each could relate something of it which bordered on the 

 marvellous. It was described as darting, with the rapidity of an arrow, 



* From Mr. Ord's supplementary volume. 



