Greenland and Iceland Falcons, %At. 



and blue legs, evidently considering the mature Greenland 

 falcon as the one species and the young either of this or the 

 Iceland bird as the other. He afterwards, however, united 

 them, and believed he had obtained a thorough knowledge of 

 the subject. He continues nevertheless in error. He de- 

 scribes the nest plumage no less than three times over as dif- 

 ferent ages. The first is from Iceland, and has the bars on 

 the tail non-continuous, Hke the individuals I possess from that 

 island. The other two are from Greenland, and vary very 

 slightly, one having only a Uttle more white than the other. 

 This is of no importance whatever ; all species are Hable to vary 

 in this way, and the young birds from the same nest brought by 

 Mr. Proctor from Iceland vary as much or more than do those 

 two which he has described as birds of different years. He, 

 afterwards described the mature Greenland falcon, but never 

 mentions the mature Iceland : from this it is probable he had 

 never seen it. Temminck, however, is acquainted with both 

 species, but describes the mature Iceland falcon as the female 

 of the Greenland bird. In this he is most certainly wrong, 

 for I possess both the sexes of the mature Greenland bird, 

 and the only difference perceptible is that the male is perhaps 

 a little whiter. The markings are perfectly of the same cha- 

 racter ; and as we have before us male and female of the Ice- 

 land species, nothing more need be said on this head; and in 

 fact Faber has settled this point of the question, for he has 

 shown that the plumage of the Greenland bird is not occa- 

 sioned by sex. Before I conclude I have to acknowledge my 

 obHgations to Dr. Charlton of Hesleyside for extracts from 

 various German works and for the loan of others. 



I shall now close this paper by describing the two species 

 in their various plumages. I have retained Latham's name 

 of Islandicus for the true Iceland species, as the most appro- 

 priate, it being, as far as I am aware, peculiar to that island, 

 though I am much inclined to believe that the birds Audubon 

 figures and describes as the Iceland or ger falcon is the young 

 of this species, and the other species cannot perhaps be better 

 named than after the country from which it is most abundantly 

 procured. I therefore continue Linnaeus' name of Grmn^ 

 landicus, which he gave the young bird. 



Falco Islandicus. Ground of the upper plumage a dark 



