522 ‘THE GRAY GYRFALCON. 
The killing of a Bald Eagle ought to be a penitentiary offense, and the man 
who would wantonly destroy one of their monumental landmarks is beneath 
contempt. 
Nothing, outside of human woes, could be sadder than the sight of an 
Eagle in a cage. Captivity is irksome at best, and the contemplation of it is 
seldom edifying. Yet the sight of a monkey is not so bad. Ropes and sticks 
and wire nettings are sources of infinite amusement to Jocko, as to his spec- 
tators. Bruin enjoys his fare of peanuts and bonbons, and might not wish 
to exchange his snug pit of concrete for the vicissitudes of mountain life. 
Caged song birds, even, have always artistic relief for their wounded spirit. 
But for the captive Eagle there is no consolation whatever. Befouled, dis- 
heveled, sick at heart, and aching with imprisoned forces, he can only scowl 
in sullen disdain at his persecutors, or mope in abject misery before them. 
The sight of such a captive degrades the onlooker as it outrages every senti- 
ment of justice and fitness. We have no right to imprison creatures whose 
lives we cannot make reasonably happy. 
No. 211. 
GRAY GYRFALCON. 
A. O. U. No. 354. Falco rusticolus Linn. 
Synonyms.—Gray JeRFaLcon. IceELAND GyrFALcon (sharing the name 
with F. islandicus). 
Description. ddults: Upperparts pale bluish gray, everywhere marked, 
chiefly in transverse spots and bars, with darker or slaty, these bars reduced on 
head and hindneck, leaving these parts noticeably lighter than back ; barring of tail 
well marked grayish white and slaty gray; underparts white, more or less streaked 
and striped with the dark color of back on sides, flanks, flags, and crissum, but 
general tone of underparts much lighter than that of upperparts; a slight dark 
mustache ; eyelids, cere, and feet yellowish; bill bluish changing to yellow at base; 
iris brown. Young birds are not distinctly barred, but more uniform dark gray 
above, edged with lighter and more or less whitish-spotted on back and wings; 
below more or less streaked with dusky on lighter ground. Length of adults: 
22.00-24.00 (558.8-609.6) ; wing 14.00-16.50 (355.6-419.1) ; tail 9.00-10.00 (228.6- 
254); culmen .95-1.00 (24.1-25.4); tarsus 2.40-2.75 (61-69.9). Female near the 
maximum of these dimensions. 
Recognition Marks.—Gull size; larger than any local Falcon; gray tone of 
plumage unmistakable. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Washington. Nest: on cliffs. Eggs: 3 or 4, 
dull whitish, sprinkled, stained, or overlaid with dull reddish brown. Av. size, 
2.30 x 1.80 (58.4 x 45.7). 
