THE PIGEON HAWK— MERLIN— " LITTLE CORPORAL." 15 



I believe between our F'. crsalon and the European bird, and is 

 inclined to consider them as belonging to different geological races. 

 From the examination of a great number of specimens of the bird 

 commonly ticketed in our public and private collections, " Pigeon 

 Hawks," however, I cannot bring myself to conclude otherwise than 

 that we have but one species, varying, indeed, greatly in the 

 coloring and often in dimensions, but not more so than is met 

 with in the individuals of the Rough-leo-ored and Red-tailed Hawks 

 iyA. lagopus and B. borealis), and many others. I cannot speak 

 from experience of the /^ asaloii of Europe, having seen only a 

 few indifferently preserved specimens of this bird, but I may state 

 that I attach considerable importance to the statements made by 

 Reeks, and already given in this article, respecting the differences 

 between it and the F. coluvtbarins. 



Dr. Richardson's Faico ccsalon was an old female, shot at the 

 Carlton House on the Saskatchewan, May 14th, 1827, while flying 

 with her mate: " In the oviduct there were several full-sized white 

 eggs, clouded at one end with a few bronze-colored spots." Rich- 

 ardson further adds, " Another specimen, probably also a female, 

 was killed at the Sault St. Marie, between Lakes Huron and 

 Superior, but it could not be preserved." Since the dates of these 

 occurrences of the F. asalon I doubt if altogether six other speci- 

 mens, answering to Richardson's plate and description, have been 

 obtained in Canada ; consequently if the species is to be considered 

 as valid, it must be an exceedingly rare one. With the view, how- 

 ever, of presenting this whole question fairly to our naturalists in 

 the Dominion of Canada, — for whom this monograph is especially 

 intended, — I append descriptions of both birds, namely, the Pigeon 

 Hawk {^Falco columbarms, Linne), and the American Merlin {Falco 

 Richardsonii, Ridg.), of which last additional specimens are a 

 special desideratum. The first of these is by Cassin, and the latter 

 by Ridgeway. 



Pigeon Hawk, Fako Coliiinbariiis, Linne. 



AJult Male. Entire upper parts bluish slate color, every feather with a black longitudinal 

 line ; forehead and throat wliite, other under parts pale yellowish or reddish white ; every feather 

 with a longitudinal line of brownish black ; tibin.- light ferruginous, with lines of black. Quills 



