460 



FALCON. 



below Philadelphia, in the month of August. He 

 was carrying off a blackbird from the flock, and, thougl 

 mortally wounded and dying, held his prey fast till hi 

 last expiring breath, having struck his claws into it 

 very heart. This was found to be a male. Some 

 times when shot at, and not hurt, he will fly in circle! 

 over the sportsman's head, shrieking out with grea 

 violence, as if highly irritated. He frequently flies 

 low, skimming a little above the field. I have never 

 seen his nest. 



" The pigeon hawk is eleven inches long, and twenty- 

 three broad ; the whole upper parts are of a deep 

 dark brown, except the tail, which is crossed with 

 bars of white ; the inner vanes of the quill feather 

 ai-e marked with round spots of a reddish brown ; 

 t'ae bill is short, strongly toothed, of a light blue 

 colour, and tipped with black ; the skin surrounding 

 the eye greenish ; the cere same ; temples and line 

 over the eye lighter brown ; the lower parts brownish 

 white, streaked laterally with dark brown ; legs, 

 yellow ; claws, black. The female is an inch and a 

 half longer, of a still deeper colour, though marked 

 nearly in the same manner, with the exception of 

 some white on the hind head. The femoral or thigh 

 feathers in both are of a remarkable length, reaching 

 nearly to the feet, and are also streaked longitudinally 

 with dark brown. The irides of the eyes of this 

 bird have been hitherto described as being of a 

 brilliant yellow ; but every specimen I have met 

 with yet had the iris of a deep hazel. I must there- 

 fore follow nature in opposition to very numerous 

 and respectable authorities. 



" I cannot, in imitation of European naturalists, 

 embellish the history of this species with anecdotes 

 of its exploits in falconry. This science, if it may be 

 so called, is among the few that have never yet 

 travelled across the Atlantic ; neither does it appear 

 that the idea of training our hawks or eagles to the 

 chase ever suggested itself to any of the Indian 

 nations of North America. The Tartars, however, 

 from whom, according to certain writers, many of 

 these notions originated, have long excelled in the 

 practice of this sport ; which is, indeed, better suited 

 to an open country than to one covered with forests." 

 The different characters of this and the preceding 

 species of the American falcon, throws some light 

 upon the differences of character in those birds, 

 answering to differences in their geographical distri- 

 bution. This is a more northerly species than the 

 former, not being found at all in the tropical parts of 

 America, and not in the temperate parts, except 

 during the winter. Whereas the former is found 

 most abundantly in tropical climates, and does not 

 at all occur in the regions of the extreme north. 

 This species is also a far more bold and determined 

 bird than the other, and more decidedly a preyer 

 upon the feathered tribes and the smaller mammalia. 

 Something of the same kind occurs on the eastern 

 continent. The small falcons which are most plen- 

 tiful in the south and east of Europe, are very abun- 

 dant in Asia ; but the peregrine, notwithstanding its 

 powers of flight, and its disposition to range, is by no 

 means common there, and the jerfalcon is altogether 

 unknown. 



Hence we see that, in the polar countries, the 

 falcon tribe take after the golden eagle as the grand 

 type of all the tribes, while those in the tropical 

 countries take more after the vulture. The former, 

 in proportion as they are more northerly in their 



proper habitat, prey more habitually upon warm- 

 blooded animals, and kill their prey for themselves ; 

 the latter, in proportion as they are more equatorial 

 in their peculiar habitat, feed more upon carrion and 

 reptiles. In this there is a very beautiful adaptation. 

 The equatorial pastures may be said to be perennial, 

 and therefore their animals are mostly stationary or 

 resident the whole year, and there is no particular 

 period or season at which their numbers require to 

 be thinned. Therefore, in as far as birds are con- 

 cerned, scavengers only are wanted ; but because 

 the plains are alternately luxuriant with herbage, and 

 burnt up with drought, we find the larger beasts of 

 prey stationed there to keep down the super- 

 abundance of the grazing mammalia. In the polar 

 countries, on the other hand, very many of the birds 

 are migrant, and the winter is extremely severe, so 

 that the numbers even of the resident birds, and also 

 of the smaller ground mammalia, require to be 

 periodically thinned. Did our limits permit, it would 

 be easy to follow out this comparative view with 

 reference to almost the whole of the animated in- 

 habitants of the polar and tropical lands ; but we 

 must leave the farther prosecution of the subject to 

 the reader, and proceed with our list of the remaining 

 falcons, of which we shall not in general give English 

 names, as they are not very applicable. 



Falco fusco-caerulcscens. This species, as its name 

 imports, is brown and blue. The upper parts are 

 bluish with brown markings ; and the upper tail- 

 coverts are streaked with white. The coverts and 

 quills of the wings are brown j the under parts 

 reddish with brown spots ; the throat and breast 

 brown with white streaks ; the beak greenish-ash, 

 and the feet ash-coloured. The length is about 

 eleven inches, and the bird is an inhabitant of North 

 America. 



Falco ophiophagus. This name implies that the 

 3ird feeds upon snakes ; but very little is known 

 respecting its manners. It is described as being 

 alackish-ash on the upper part, and greyish-white on 

 the under ; the top of the head, the throat, and sides 

 of the neck reddish ; the greater wing-coverts have 

 white tips, but the rest of the coverts of the wings 

 are black. The beak blackish-blue, and the naked 

 >arts of the feet blue. The upper mandible has a 

 ooth towards the middle ; and the lower a slight 

 notch towards the point. The length is about 

 hirteen inches, and the bird is found in North 

 America, but its habits are not known. 



Falco aUricollis. The neck of this species, as the 

 lame imports, is white, which is also the colour of the 

 lead, and the under part of the body. The upper 

 >art is varied with white and blackish ; the beak is 

 sh-coloured, and the feet yellow. The bird is thus 

 described ; but there are two doubts respecting it, 

 irst, whether it be a distinct species ; and, secondly, 

 whether, granting that it is so, it be a falcon. 



Falco nigricoUis. The general plumage is a mix- 

 ure of black with reddish and white ; the head, 

 neck, and tips of the greater coverts are quite black ; 

 and the feet are yellow. Like the species imme- 

 liately preceding, it was obtained from the northern 

 parts of South America ; but whether it be a distinct 

 pecics is not known. 



Falco bidentatit. This species is named from 

 laving the bill double-toothed. It is a native of 

 ropical America. The upper part is of a grey 

 olour, brightest on the head and cheeks ; the under 



