PERNIS. HIEROFALCO. 147 



General Distribution. The Honey-Buzzard breeds in north 

 and central Europe from Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia 

 southwards to north Spain, north Italy, and the western 

 shores of the Black sea ; it is also found in western Siberia 

 and Turkestan. It winters in Africa and Madagascar. In 

 India and eastern Asia it is represented by allied forms. 



Genus HIEROFALCO Cuvier, Regne Anim.i. 1817, p. 312. 

 Type : II. candicans (Gmel.). 



Hierofalco, from it'pa$=a falcon in Greek and falco=a. falcon in Latin, a 

 barbarous compound of a Latin and a Greek word. 



Hierofalco gyrfalco. GYR-FALCON. 



FalGO gyrfalco Lin-nans, Syst, Nat, 1758, p. 91 : 

 Sweden. 



Hierofalco gyrfalco (Linn.} ; Sharps, Cat. Birds B. M. i. 1874, 



p. 416 ; B. O. U. List, 1st ed. 1883, p. 101. 

 Falco gyrfalco Sounders, Manual, 2nd ed. 1899, p. 345. 



Gyrfalco = the Falcon that soars in circles: from gyrdre= to wheel round, 

 and falco. 



Distribution in the British Islands. A Rare Visitor. It has 

 possibly occurred three times : an adult, Mayfield, Sussex, 

 Jan. 1845 ; an immature, Orford, Suffolk, Oct. 1867 ; and 

 an immature from Thetford Warren, Norfolk, spring of 

 1883, which is doubtfully authentic. An immature Falcon 

 killed at Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex, Dec. 1901, and referred 

 to this species, was undoubtedly a dark female Peregrine. 



General Distribution. The Gyr-Falcon breeds in northern 

 Scandinavia, Lapland, and northern Russia, extending west- 

 wards to Greenland and across Arctic America to Alaska. 

 In Labrador a very dark form, //. g. obsoletus, is found 

 ranging south in winter as far as Maine and casually 

 elsewhere. 



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