THE PIGEON HAWK— MERLIX— " LITTLE CORPORAL," 13 



nestinsf site it observes somewhat of the cunnincr of the Peregrine 

 Falcon or Duck Hawk, and selects some secluded and almost 

 inaccessible position. According to Hutchins, as given in the 

 Fauna Boreali-Americana, it makes a nest on rocks and in hollow 

 trees, ot sticks and grass, lined with leathers. A nest found in 

 Labrador by Audubon was in a low fir-tree, ten or twelve feet 

 from the ground, built of sticks, and lined with moss and feathers. 

 In northern New England, according to Boardman, it nests in 

 hollow trees. Coues, in his " Birds of the North-West," gives "an 

 unquestionable description, derived from examination of specimens 

 in the Smithsonian." He says, "The size varies from 1.50 by 

 1.30 to 1.80 by 1.30 — figures also indicating the range of variation 

 in shape, some being subspherical, others elongate-oval. Colora- 

 tion ranges from a nearl)' uniform deep rich brown (chestnut or 

 burnt sienna) to whitish or white only, marked with a few indis- 

 tinct dots of dull grayish or drab. Such extremes are connected 

 by every degree, a yellowish-brown ground color, irregularly 

 splashed with rich rudd)' brown is the usual style. The markings 

 may be very evenl)- distributed, or mostly gathered in a wreath 

 around one or the other end, or even both ends." Whether our 

 Pigeon Hawk, Falco Coluiiibarius, is the same bird as the Euro- 

 pean Merlin, Falco crsalon, is still an open question with many of 

 our ornithologists. Swainson, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, 

 and in a note under Richardson's description of the Falco ccsalon, 

 says, "The specimen killed at Carlton House is, beyond doubt, 

 an old female Merlin, just beginning to have its new feathers, 

 several of which, darker and more cinereous, are to be seen on 

 the sides near the hind part of the neck." He here undoubtedly 

 is drawing from his experience of the British Merlin ; and the 

 question naturally arises, may not this bird, as well as the Falco 

 Columbariits, inhabit Northern America ? or are we to consider 

 these two species as representing distinct geographical races of. 

 but one species ? On this interesting question. Reeks, in his list 

 of Newfoundland birds, throws some valuable light. He says, 

 " Since my return (to England) I have compared specimens of 

 this species (F. colnmbarius) with others of F. cssaloii ('Merlin), 

 and, although I cannot find any material or reliable difference in 



