120 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS'. 



J>iiy territory, wliere it is known as llm Siwcklud l';irtriilgo-IIawk, aiul also 

 as the Winterer. It.s southern limit ho could not j,'ive, hut he never met 

 with it south of 52°. IIo traced it nortiiwurd to the coast of tlie Arctic 

 Sea, and probably to the most northern CJeorgian i.slands. He cites Captain 

 Sabine as authority for its occurring as I'ar north as latitude 74° on the west 

 coast of (Jreenland. Itichardson often met with it during his journeys over 

 the I'arren (Grounds, where its habitual jney was the I'tarmigan, and where 

 it also destroyed I'lover, Ducks, and Geese. Ho relates tiiat in the middle 

 of June, 1821, a pair of these birds attacked him as he was clind)ing to the 

 vicinity of their nest, wliich was built on a lofty jjrecipicc on the borders of 

 Point Liikc, in latitude 05° 'M)'. The bird Hew in circles, uttering loud and 

 harsh screams, stooping alternately with such velocity that their motions 

 through the air produced a loud ru.shing noise. They struck their claws 

 within an inch or two of his head. Keeping the barrel of his gun close to 

 his cheek, and suddenly elevating its nmzzle when they were in the act of 

 striking, ho found that they invariably rose above the obstacle with the 

 ra])idity of thought, showing equal power of motion. They bore consider- 

 able resemblance to the Snowy Owl, but their Hight was nuich more rapid. 



Mr. MacFarlane, in the memoranda of liis collections in the neighborliood 

 of Anderson liiver and Fort Anderson, furnislies notes of eighteen nests of 

 the Gerfalcon obtained by him in that region. With only two exceptions, 

 these were placed near the tops of pines, or other trees, at distances from 

 the ground varying from ten to twenty-tive feet. In some instances the nest 

 was placed on the vo!^' top of the tree, in others on a lower limb against the 

 trunk. They were ccmposed of twigs and small l)rancln!s, and lined with 

 mosses, hay, deer's hair, feathers, and other sul)stances. The jiarents were al- 

 ways veiy nuich excited whenever their nests were approached, making a great 

 noise, and not mifrequently their loud screams drew attention to nests that 

 would otherwise have escaped notice;. In one instance a nest had been 

 built on a ledge of rocks thirty miles northwest of Fort Anderson. It was 

 composed of a few withered twigs, and lined with mos.ses and hay. It was 

 found on the 27lh of ^lay, and contained two eggs nearly fresh, and two in 

 a state of greater development. One nest, placed on a broad branch of a 

 tree, near the trunk, was of considerable size. Another nest was on the 

 ground, on the side of a .steep and high hill. The earliest date of finding 

 these nests is given as the lOtli of May. The eggs then i'ound were fresh. 

 The ground at that time was still thickly covered with snow, and the 

 weather was very cold. In a nest found five days later the eggs contained 

 partially develo])ed embryos. In nearly every instance the eggs seem 

 to have been in different stages of develojjment in the same nest. In some, 

 young birds were in the same nest with eggs only i)artially developed, 

 and in another an rug perfectly fresh was in the same nest with others nearly 

 ready to hatch. A nest found -Inly 3 contained young about two days old; 

 another, on May 27, had eggs with large end)ryos ; and one, on June 25, had 

 young nearly ready to fly. • 



