118 



NOUTII AMEIUUAN BIHDS: 



iiiDltliiifTs of wliitisli, foriT)iii<; tnmsvorso Iwi-s ; but terniinally and liiisnlly they bet.'omc 

 confiiscil or lost. Wini.'-r(>ninil!i, •2,:]~\,4. Wiiifr, Id.'M \ tail, U.uO; tarsus, li.OO -.1)0; 

 niiiUlle toe, '2.05; inner, l.od; outer, l.'iO; posterior, .90. 



IIaii. Laltraiior; soutli and westward in winter, and shores of Hudson I5ay. 



Nos. 17,(»(l:! (9,Qu('l.oc, W. Cooper) luid :U,OGO (9, Fort Nescoiicc, 

 Labnidor) ditl'er IVoiii lliu prucediii;^' in liaviiig tun .small niirrow transvofsc 

 spots of reddisli-wliitc on the tail-feathers, forming as many indistinct 

 bands ; these sjjots touch neither the shaft nor the edge of the feather, and 

 are almost concetiled, uidess the tail is sjn-ead ; on the latter .specimen they 

 are very obsolete, the subterminal one oidy l)eing distinct, as in the sjjeci- 

 men selectetl lor description. The upper tail-coverts also show faintly indi- 

 cated spots, and the former specimen has the wing-coverts with very narrow 

 irregular spots on the edge of the feathers. In this s])ecimen there is also 

 one i'eatli(?r in the scapulars which has broader white edges ; it al-so has tho 

 white below about equal to the black in amoinit ; the anal region, however, 

 in all, is unvaried blacki.sh, and the transverse oblique bands on the lower 

 tail-coverts are a constant feature. 



No. 41,185 ( 9 , Fort Xescopec, Labrador ; H. Conolly) is the darkest of all. 

 In tiiis the blackish plumbeous-brown is tmiform over the whole surface ; 

 even the tiiroat is unvariegtited. Abdomen with a few of the leathers 

 edged with white, and sides with a few small circular spots of the .same ; 

 lower tail-coveits transversely sjjotted with white; tibia- scarcely variegated, 

 showing only narrow indistinct whitish edges. Mottling on inner webs of 

 primaries reduced so as to be scarcely visible. Tail with the usual number 

 (two) of irregular whitish bars, — one terminal, the other near the end. 



LIST OF SPKCIMENS KXAMIXED. 



National Museum, 2 ; Boston Society, 1. Total, 3. 



Me(i.'nire}iifiif,<i. 



H.vmis. In treating of the general habits of the (Jerfalcons of North 

 America it will noi; be necessary, nor will it be possible, to give the distinc- 

 tive pectdiaritics belonging to the several forms in which these Falcons 

 occtir. Whetlier, on account of their variations of jdumage, we consider 

 them as races or as s]iecifically distinct, does not affect their history in this 

 res])ect. There is no good reason for presuming that they have any very 

 noticeable variations as to any of their habits, although certain writers 

 claim for some of them certain well-marked peculiarities of character. 



In the matter of geographical distribution they are all, I'or the most 

 part, rarely seen, even in midwinter, south of the ."lOth parallel of north 

 latitude, and are found in the summer as far north as the Arctic Ocean. The 



