PERNIS FALCO 539 



striped with dark brown, and the rest of the under parts white, broadly 

 and closely barred with deep brown. The young bird has the head and 

 neck white, slightly marked with dark brown ; upper parts dark brown 

 varied with white ; under parts white, the breast with dark shaft stripes ; 

 another specimen is almost uniform dark chocolate-brown. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to Lapland, but rarely ; southern 

 and central Scandinavia ; Great Britain ; North Africa in winter. 



In general habits it differs from the true Buzzard, is a 

 slighter bird, and has a comparatively longer tail. It feeds 

 almost exclusively on insects, chiefly on the larvae of wasps and 

 bees, but is said by Naumann to feed on buds and vegetable 

 matter in the spring and to plunder other birds' nests. Its call- 

 note is a shrill kee, kee, kee, but as a rule it is a silent bird. 

 Its nest is placed in a tree and is constructed of sticks, lined 

 with fresh green foliage. The eggs, 2 to 3, rarely 4, in number, 

 -are deposited late in May or in June, and are white so richly 

 blotched with rich reddish brown that the ground-colour is 

 obscured ; or else marbled with reddish brown on a rich fox- 

 red ground, and, measure about 2*3 by 1*64. 



FALCO, Linn., 1766. 



757. GYRFALCON. 

 FALCO GYRFALCO. 



Falco gyrfalco, Linn. Syst. Nat, i. p. 130 (1766) ; Naum. xiii. taf. 391 ; 

 Gould, B. of Gt. B. i. pi. 16 ; Newton, Ooth. Wolley. p. 87, pi. vfii. 

 tab. C. ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 416 ; Dresser, vi. p. 15, pi. 

 367 ; Saunders, p. 345 ; Lilford, i. p. 29, pi. 15 ; F. rusticolus gyrfalco, 

 Kidgway, p. 246. 



Jagdfalke, German ; Jagtfalk, Dan., Norweg., and Swed. ; 

 Eiefsakfalle, Lapp. ; Tunturivalli, Finn. ; Kr edict, Russ. 



$ ad. (Norway). Upper parts dark slate-grey barred with light blue 

 .grey, in some places nearly white ; head blackish grey with whitish 

 markings on the nape and sides of the neck ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 clear blue-grey barred with slate-blue ; quills dark brown externally 

 mottled with grey, the inner webs white with dark bars ; tail slaty brown 

 barred with blue-grey and tipped with white ; a broad moustachial stripe 

 slaty brown ; under parts white, the breast and abdomen with dark drop- 

 shaped stripes, the flanks and under tail- coverts barred with slaty brown ; 

 bill blue, becoming black towards the tip ; cere, edge of eyelid, and feet 

 yellow ; iris nearly black. Culmen T35, wing 13'6, tail 8'5, tarsus 2'4 inch. 

 Female similar but larger. The young bird has the head and neck buffy 



