66 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS 



ter. Dedham : " Rather common." Essex County: "Summer visitant. 

 Common." [Doubtless an error.] Springfield: "Rare spring and 

 autumn visitor." Templeton : "Rare summer resident" [?]. Welles- 

 ley: " Scarce migrant .... occasional in winter." 



175. Falco rusticolus obsoletus (Gmel.). BLACK GYRFAL- 



CON. 



An extremely rare winter visitant from the north. The follow- 

 ing are the tenable records : Ipswich, a male was shot November 

 7, 1874, and is now in the Peabody Academy at Salem; l Breed's 

 Island, Boston Harbour, one was taken in October, 1876, and is 

 now in the Field Columbian Museum at Chicago ; 2 Ipswich, a fe- 

 male was captured March n, 1 893.3 



176. Falco rusticolus gyrfalco (Linn.). GYRFALCON. 



An extremely rare winter visitor from the north. The following 

 are the only tenable records : Northampton, one was taken by 

 Mr. E. O. Damon, in February, i88o; 4 Stowe, a male was taken 

 in 1 88 T, and wrongly referred to F. r. obsoletus ; 5 Melrose (or 

 near Lynn), a male was shot January i, 1891. 6 This and the 

 Stowe specimen are now in the collection of Mr. William Brewster, 

 and the Northampton bird is in the Science Building at Spring- 

 field. 



177. Falco tinnunculus Linn. KESTREL. 



Accidental from the Old World. The only record is: Nantas- 

 ket Beach, a female was shot at Strawberry Hill, September 29, 

 1889, by F. H. Brackett. 7 



178. Falco sparverius Linn. AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 

 An uncommon summer resident ; a few remain throughout the 



winter. 



1 Purdie ; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. IV, No. 4, Oct., 1879, P- l8 9- 



2 Cory; ibid., Vol. II, No. I, Jan., 1877, p. 27. 



3 Vickary; O. & O., Vol. XVIII, No. 4, Apr., 1893, P- 5 1 - 



4 Vennor; Forest & Stream, Vol. XIV, Apr. 15, 1880, p. 204. 



5 Brewster; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. VIII, No. 3, July, 1883, p. 184, and 

 Brewster; Minot's Land and Game Birds, 2d ed., 1895, p. 479. 



6 Tufts ; O. &.O., Vol. XVI, No. 4, Apr., 1891, p. 61. 



7 Cory ; Auk, Vol. ,V, No. I, Jan., 1888, pp. no, and ibid.,~No. 2, Apr., 

 1888, p. 205. 



