250 TEN YEAES IN SWEDEN. 



on the edge of the upper mandibles, just behind the tip. 

 Wings long and pointed, second feather longest. Tail 

 scarcely longer than the closed wings. 



1. FALCO GYRFALCO, L. F. Gyrfalco Norvegicus, Wolley. 

 Bla Falk, Norv. Jagt Falk, Sw. Eip. Spen- 

 ning, Lap. Jahti Havkka, Fin. "The Norwegian 

 Jer Falcon. 



By the Swedish naturalists, JP. Gyrfalco, L., F. Islandi- 

 cus, and F. Greenlandicus, Hamck, are considered one 

 and the same species, in different states of plumage. 

 I must confess, however, that I agree with Mr. Wolley, 

 and consider this Norwegian Jer falcon, a distinct and 

 good species, whose peculiar breeding home, is on the 

 great Scandinavian fell range. 



I have not space here to enter into details to prove on 

 what grounds my opinion is formed, further than briefly to 

 observe that although, in all the specimens which I have 

 seen of this Norwegian Jer falcon, there certainly was a 

 great resemblance between the two birds, the plumage has 

 quite a different character to that of the Iceland or 

 Greenland falcon at any age. The back is of a deeper, 

 more uniform, and uninterrupted blue colour, and you see 

 little or no difference in the shadings of the different speci- 

 mens, as you do when looking over a series of the Iceland 

 falcon skins. They may probably become lighter by 

 age, but that is only on account of the blue colour fading^ 

 they never become white like the Iceland or Greenland 

 birds, and the greatest resemblance between the two species 

 is in the middle-aged birds. Wright observes that this 

 middle-aged dress of the Norwegian bird, as described by 

 Naumann, agrees with the figure in the " Swedish Sporting 

 Magazine " of a Norwegian Jer falcon shot at Karuscando 

 (Lapland), 1833; and the coloured figure, which is said 

 in the description to represent the bird in its usual dress, 

 is as dark and very similar to Dr. Breeds coloured engraving 

 of the Norwegian falcon in his " Birds of Europe not 

 Observed in the British Isles." This is much darker than 



