THE GYR-FALCONS. ^ 



Falco i shin du s (nee Gm.), Newton, ed. Yarr. Brit. B i n 46 



(1871); Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 25, pis. 370, 371 (1876); 



Saunders, Man. Br. B. i. p. 333 (1889); Lilford, Col 



Fig. Br. B. part xxix. (1894). 

 Hierofalcoislandus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. 0.414 (1874} 



B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 102 (1883). 

 Falco gyrfalco-candicans, Seebohm, Brit. B. i. p. 16 (1883). 



Adult Male. Entire head white, with blackish shaft-streaks, 

 very narrow on the forehead and broader on the nape, with a 

 slight greyish shade under the eye and over the ear-coverts ; 

 upper surface of body greyish-brown, clearer on the rump, all 

 the feathers tipped and barred across with white, these bars 

 sometimes not continuous; quills dark brown, with narrow 

 white tips, the feathers barred on the inner web, but notched 

 and freckled on the outer web with white ; tail ashy, with a 

 white tip, alternately barred with blackish, the intermediate 

 spaces being ashy-white, sometimes freckled with blackish ; 

 under surface of body white, the throat almost unspotted, the 

 chest covered with central streaks developing into tear-drop 

 spots at the end ; rest of under surface of body spotted with 

 blackish, taking the form of bars on the sides of the body, 

 under tail-coverts, and flanks, being rather numerous and 

 close-set on the latter; under wing-coverts white, spotted or 

 half-barred with blackish ; bill pale horn-blue, yellow at base 

 of lower mandible ; cere, orbits, and feet yellow ; iris dark 

 brown. Total length, 22 inches; culmen, 1-4; wing, 14*6; 

 tail, 9'o ; tarsus, 2*3. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, but larger. Total length, 

 24 inches; culmen, 1*4; wing, 16-0 ; tail, 9*0; tarsus, 2-4. 



Young Birds. Brown ; all the feathers of the upper surface 

 being margined with whitish, with conspicuous oval spots of 

 white on the upper tail-coverts ; tail brown, with broad bands 

 of whitish ; head whitish, the feathers streaked with dark brown 

 down the centre, the hind-neck more conspicuously mottled ; 

 under surface white, the throat unspotted ; all the rest of the 

 feathers conspicuously centred with brown, these markings 

 somewhat oval in form, excepting on the flanks, where they 

 are irregular, the brown occupying the greater portion of the 

 feather ; cere, orbits, and feet bluish-grey. 



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