106 THE NATUEALIST IN NOEWAY. 



there. In those days hawking was a royal pastime, 

 and men travelled throughout Sweden and Norway to 

 buy up all the young falcons. The old birds were 

 often purchased as well, and were trained with a little 

 extra trouble. The Gyrfalco candicans occasionally 

 finds its way to Finmark from Greenland. A beautiful 

 specimen of this variety which I have seen in Norway 

 has the whole plumage snow-white, evenly marked on 

 the back, wings, and tail, with pale cinnamon; the 

 legs, bill, and sere, brilliant yellow, 



The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is common 

 in Nordland and Norwegian Lapland. It migrates late 

 in the autumn, when it is often seen in the neighbour- 

 hood of Christiania. In Norway this bird often builds 

 its nest on a lofty pine. 



The Hobby (Falco subbuteo) is rather common in the 

 south of Norway. It avoids the extreme north, and is 

 never seen further up than Throndjem, and but seldom 

 there. Its Norwegian name is Icerkefalk, or lark-falcon. 

 Migrates. 



The merlin (Falco cesalori) is to be met with in the 

 middle of summer only in the south of Norway. It 

 was formerly used in this country to hunt snipes, larks, 

 and other small birds. It is still trained in Egypt to 

 hunt quails. In England it usually nests on the 

 ground, but in Norway its nest is commonly built on 

 trees. It lays from three to five eggs of a ferruginous- 

 yellow colour, marked with dark brown spots. It mi- 

 grates from Norway in the middle of August. 



The kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is common all over 

 this country except within the Polar Circle, where it is 

 never found. It is called here taarnfalk, or tower falcon, 

 because it nests in ancient ruins, or in towers. Migrates. 



