ICELAND FALCON. 355 



head of Swaledale, near the Westmorland boundary ; the 

 recorder did not see the birds himself, but they were reported 

 as " large white Hawks, spotted with brown." It may be 

 well to remark that, while mentioning these supposed occur- 

 rences, the evidence adduced in support of their authenticity 

 is not by any means satisfactory. 



ICELAND FALCON. 



Falco islandus (J. F. Gmelin). 



Accidental visitant from Iceland and south Greenland, of extremely 

 rare occurrence. 



As stated in my remarks on the Greenland Falcon, there 

 are six instances of this species having occurred in Yorkshire. 



The first was shot about the middle of March in the year 

 1837 on the moors between Guisborough and Normanby, 

 as recorded by John Hogg, F.R.S., in his catalogue of the 

 Birds of S.E. Durham and N.W. Cleveland (ZooL 1845, p. 

 1052). It is there described as " a young bird, having all the 

 upper parts of a brown ash-colour, the white occurring on the 

 edges of the feathers. The under parts white, with large 

 longitudinal brown spots." This specimen is referred to as 

 being in its first year's plumage, and in the collection of John 

 Hancock, in a letter addressed by him to Mr. Wm. Thompson 

 (" Natural History of Ireland " ; Birds, i. p. 32). It is 

 now in the Hancock Collection in the Newcastle Museuir>| 

 and in the official guide is described as " a male, in first plum- 

 age, shot near Normanby " (which is about four miles from 

 Guisborough). See also Hancock, " Ann. Nat. Hist." 1838, 



ii. p. 159- 



In the collection of Admiral Oxley of Ripon is a fine 

 specimen of the Iceland Falcon, which is said to have been 

 captured on Marston Moor, in December 1826 or 1836. This 

 bird was purchased at the sale of the collection of the late 

 Dr. Hobson of Leeds. 



The third occurrence was in November 186^, when a fine 



