8 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



and the Norway bird the Gyr Falcon of falconers 

 being the darkest, the Iceland Falcon (the present 

 species) being intermediate. This is generally a 

 good guide at all ages, but oceasionally there may 

 be some difficulty in distinguishing young birds, 

 especially as between the Iceland and the Norway 

 Falcon. In a doubtful case in the Channel Islands, 

 however, it would always be safer to consider the 

 bird an Iceland rather than a Norway Falcon. 



5. PEREGRINE FALCON. Falco peregrinus, Tunstall. 

 French, "Faucon pelerin." The Peregrine can 

 now, I think, only be considered an autumnal 

 visitant to the Islands, though, if not shot or other- 

 wise destroyed, it would, no doubt, remain through- 

 out the winter, and might perhaps have been 

 resident, as Mr. MacCulloch sends me a note of 

 one killed in Herm in December. All the Channel 

 Island specimens I have seen have been young 

 birds of the year, and generally killed in October or 

 November. Adult birds, no doubt, occasionally 

 occur, but they are comparatively rare, and it 

 certainly does not breed anywhere in the Islands at 

 present, though I see no reason why it should not 

 have done so in former times, as there are many 

 places well suited to it, and a constant supply of 

 sea-birds for food. Mr. MacCulloch also seems to 

 be of opinion that the Peregrine formerly bred in 

 the Islands, as he says, speaking, however, of the 



