286 HISTORY OF THE 



readily the Passenger Pigeon, one of the swiftest of birds). It 

 seldom watches from a perch, or hovers in the air as it sights 

 its prey, but as a rule darts rapidly through the thickets, and 

 over the open grounds, giving chase to the birds startled in its 

 course. It also feeds on squirrels, mice, etc. In flight, like 

 others of the Falcon family, it strikes rapidly with its wings, 

 never sailing except for a short distance. 



In the month of July, 1880, I found several of their nests on 

 the Magdalen Islands, containing from two to four young birds, 

 nearly full grown. The nests were placed in fir trees, upon 

 branches near the body of the tree, and about thirty feet from 

 the ground. They were made of sticks and twigs, and lined 

 with grasses and a few feathers; they were rather large for the 

 birds and had the appearance of being old, deserted nests of the 

 common Crow. The birds are also said to nest in holes in trees 

 and cavities in rocks. Eggs two to four, 1.56x1.23; ground 

 color creamy white, speckled, spotted and blotched with vary- 

 ing shades of raw mnber to rusty brown, thickest around the 

 larger end; in form, rather oval. A set of two eggs, collected 

 May 26th, 1882, at Helena, Montana, measure only, 1.50x1.21, 

 1.52x1.20. 



Falco richardsonii RIDGW. 



RICHARDSON'S MERLIN. 

 PLATE XIX. 



A rare visitant in the eastern, not common in the western, 

 part of the State. 



B. . E. 418. C. 507. G. 194, 134. U. 858. 



HABITAT. Interior of North America, from the Mississippi 

 River to the Pacific coast, and from the Arctic regions to Texas 

 and Arizona, probably into Mexico. 



SP. CHAR. Middle tail feathers crossed by (all together) five darker and six 

 lighter bands; outer webs of quills distinctly spotted with light grayish in adult 

 male, and buffy or ochraceous in adult female and young, and general plumage 

 paler. Adult male: Above, pale bluish gray (top of head usually more or less 

 tinged with light rusty or ochraceous); tail crossed on middle feathers by five 

 blackish and six light bluish gray (or five bluish gray and one white terminal) 

 bands, the lighter ones often clouded or mixed with white; outer webs of quills 

 distinctly spotted with light grayish. Adult female: Above, rather light earthy 

 brown, more or less distinctly barred or transversely spotted with a lighter shade; 



