Gyr-Falcon. 67 



feather being white with dark markings, while in the latter the 

 ground-colour is dark, with light markings thereon ; or, in other 

 words, in the Greenland bird, at all ages, the prevailing colour is 

 white, while in the Icelander it is dark, as has been admirably 

 set forth by Professor Newton.* Very nearly approaching to the 

 eagles in size, and by far the most rare, as well as the strongest 

 and most valuable of the falcons trained for the chase, are these 

 White Falcons, whether Greenland, Iceland, or Scandinavian, 

 which is the third species, in reality the true Gyr-Falcon, but 

 which is not known to have visited England. The prevailing 

 colour of all of them is white, more or less spotted with brown ; 

 but each year diminishes the dark spots, so that in very old 

 specimens the bird assumes a plumage of almost perfect white- 

 ness, from which constant variations in colour have arisen the 

 many conflicting opinions as to the identity of the several species. 

 They are natives of the most northern latitudes, and, though 

 nowhere numerous, have, from their excessive value, often 

 tempted falconers to their capture on the inhospitable shores of 

 Greenland, Iceland, Lapland, and Norway. Indeed, so highly 

 were they prized in bygone days, that the King of Denmark 

 reserved for his own use all that were found in his dominions, 

 and sent his falconer annually to Iceland to obtain a fresh supply ; 

 and so rigid was this game law, that the penalty of death was the 

 result of an infringement of it, by destroying one of the royal 

 birds. In this country, and in more modern times, no less than 

 1,000 have been given for a well-trained cast (or couple) of these 

 falcons, which were used for flying at the larger kinds of game 

 herons, cranes, wild geese, etc. Much doubt has existed as to 

 the origin of the specific appellation ' Gyr ;' it is by some said to 

 be derived from the German word geyer, a vulture, from a sup- 

 posed resemblance in this splendid falcon to that ignoble bird, or 

 from its being of a vulture size; but others, apparently with 

 more reason, attribute it to the wide gyrations which this species, 

 above all others, makes before its stoop, which on all hands is 

 allowed to be remarkably grand, rapid, and daring. It is very 

 Fourth edition of Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. i., p. 39. 



52 



