THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE. 5 



visitant in the neighborhood of the Bay of Toronto every spring 

 and fall, and occasionally falls a prey to the gun of the sportsman ; 

 but it is said by the hunters to be a bird extremely difficult to 

 obtain. A few, however, have from time to time been killed, and 

 these now figure in one or two private collections in Toronto 

 and Montreal. Mr. W. Passmore, taxidermist to the Montreal 

 Natural History Society, who formerly resided and collected 

 largely at Toronto, informs me that the Duck Hawks arrive with 

 the first flights of wild fowl every spring and fall in the Bay near 

 that city ; that here they wage constant warfare upon the ducks 

 and other water fowl, but are, as a general rule, too wary to allow 

 themselves to be shot. He describes their flight as being incon- 

 ceivably swift, and their " stoop " as comparable to the falling of a 

 lump of lead. They remain on the wing for hours at a time, and 

 often rise to great heights. Their bodies are wonderfully heavy 

 for the size of the bird, and their plumage is of the most compact 

 description. Some specimens which I obtained from Mr. Passmore 

 are exceedingly small, being only 13 to 14 inches in length, from 

 tip of bill to end of tail. 



In Hamilton, according to Mcllwraith, they are but rarely met 

 with ; they, however, are occasionally seen at Baptiste Creek, on 

 the line of the Great Western R. R., and are often killed by the 

 gunners at Long Point, on Lake Erie. More are killed, says 

 Mcllwraith, than perhaps is generally known, and but a few of 

 these are utilized. There are some five or six specimens of this 

 bird in collections in Hamilton, three of which figure in that of 

 the gentleman just named. Chatham and the Lake St. Clair flats, 

 are other likely localities for the occurrence of this species. Whether 

 the Duck Hawk nests in the central portions of Canada is not yet 

 known ; but the north shore of Lake Superior would appear to 

 offer suitable sites for this purpose. Richardson says, "It preys 

 habitually on the Long-tailed Ducks (anas glacialis) which breed 

 in great numbers in the Arctic regions, arriving in June and depart- 

 in gin September." At Long Point on Lake Erie, and other 

 shooting stations, it is observed to prey chiefly on that class of 

 birds embraced under the general name of " Mud-hen.""' 



• Mcllwraith, Hamilton, Ont. 



