THE GYR FALCON. 123 



brown, dotted with rusty red, and occasional patches of the 

 same colour ; sometimes they are dull white, and are 

 mottled all over with pale reddish-brown. 



During incubation, and until the young 1 birds are 

 capable of taking 1 care of themselves, the parents are par- 

 ticularly fierce, and exhibit great intrepidity in defending 

 their home and progeny from intruders. During the 

 period that the young are dependent upon thuir parents, the 

 old birds are ceaseless in their search for food, and the 

 number of victims secured at such a time by a pair of 

 these active hunters is stated to be well-nigh incredible. 



Like other birds of the same order, the female is 

 larger than the male, and fiercer and more fearless than her 

 mate. 



The length of the male Gyr Falcon is about twenty-two 

 or twenty-four inches. The beak is short, but strong and 

 much hooked; the head, crown, and neck are pure white, 

 or white with a few brownish-black spots or streaks ; the 

 nape, chin, and breast white, or slightly spotted or lined, 

 like the head and neck; back more or less spotted and 

 mottled with blackish-brown. The wings are long and 

 powerful, reaching to within four inches from the end of 

 the tail, and are similarly marked to the back, the under 

 coverts being pure white. The tail is long and rounded at 

 the end ; in some specimens it is pure white, and in others 

 barred with blackish-brown; the tail-coverts are white. 

 The legs are bright yellow (bluish-grey in the young bird), 

 and are short, stout, and feathered half-way down, the re- 

 mainder, as well as the toes, are covered with scales; the 

 claws are black and powerful, the hinder one being 

 larger than the others. 



The plumage of the female has a general resemblance 



