107 



THE JER FALCON. 



Falco Islandicus, Latham. 

 PLATE III 



Hierofalco Islandicus, Cuv. Reg. Anim. i. 323. Gryfalco 

 Islandicus, Brisson, (immature plumage.) Gyrfalcon, 

 Pennant, Brit. Zool. Faucon Gerfaut, Temminck, 

 Man.i. 17. Gryfalco candicans, Fleming, Brit. Anim 

 The Jerfalcon, Montague, Lowe, Bewick, Selby, Yarrell. 



The Baron Cuvier applied to this bird the 

 generic appellation of Hierofalco^ placing it at the 

 conclusion of his true falcons ; and our country- 

 man Dr Fleming, gives it the same situation, 

 using Brisson's title of Gryfalco. The absence 

 of the lacerating tooth upon the mandible is the 

 reason assigned for the removal, as all the other 

 parts of the form are acknowledged to be quite 

 typical. In all the specimens we have seen, the 

 tooth has been fully, and in some strongly 

 developed ; and we suspect that the want of it is 

 an accidental or occasional circumstance ; in 

 the wood-cut, p. 106, taken from a Scottish 

 specimen, it will be seen strongly marked. 



We can only rank this fine species as an 

 occasional straggler among us, and even in the 



