122 NORTH AMERK'AM lUKDS.- 



pounce uiion a I'lilliii, as tliu lattiT liinl was .staiiiliiij,' at the r'litraiico of its 

 hiiiTow, Miiawai'o ol' tliu aiipioacli of its eneiiiy. Tlio wi'ij,'lit ol' tliu I'ullin 

 Sfciucd to loiin no ini[iuilinu'nt to tlio Hawk in its lli|,'ht. 



Till! European (Jerl'alcons are said to seldom appear south of tlu! r»2d p;o- 

 nllel of latitude, or north of 74°. They are nowhere niinieroas, and were 

 formerly much sought for, and purchased, at immense prices, for purposes of 

 falconry. ( 1 real ditferences were supposed to exist in regard to the luiliits 

 and other jieculiarities of the several races. The Iceland Eidcons eoiu- 

 manded the highest prices, and were regarded as a species (piite distinct 

 frctm the /'. ijurj'dlco. The former was much the more valualile, both as 

 more rare, and as a bird of higher counige and of a more rapid and bolder 

 ilight, and a bird that could, on that account, be " llown " successfully at 

 lai'ger game. 



The (jci'falcons, in Eurojie, build on the rocky coasts of Norway and Ice- 

 land, and are said to defend their young with great courage and determina- 

 tion. They are compamtively rare in the British Islands, especially the 

 more southern portions. Even iu the Orkneys it is only an occasional 

 visitor. 



All the eggs of the several forms of Gerfalcon that I have seen present 

 common characteristics, and do not differ from each oUier more than eggs 

 known to lielong to the same .species of Hawk are fre(]uently found to vary. 

 One from Greenland, presumed to belong to the mndicans, measures 2.37 

 inches in length l)y 1.71 in breadth. The predominant color of its mark- 

 ings is a deep i 'ddish brown, very generally and nearly equally difl'used 

 over its surface, concealing the ground-color, which is lighter and of a yel- 

 lowish-I)rown shade. 



An egg of the islandicus, from Icelajul, has the same measurements, but 

 is so slightly yet uniformly marked with light yellowi.sh-brown as to seem 

 to be of one color only, — a light brown, shaded with yellow. 



An egg from Norway, of the form gyrfalco, is 2.42 inches in length, 1.71 

 in breadth, has a ground-color of a dirty yellowi.sh-white, and is marked 

 with s})ots, dottings, and confluent blotches of yellowish-brown, more so 

 about the larger end. 



The series of eggs of Falco sacer in the Smithsonian Collection exhibits the 

 following range of variation in size, color, and markings : length, from 2.;:>0 to 

 2.45 inches ; breadth, l.GO to 1.90 inches ; ground-color usually a light red- 

 dish-ochre, varying to pinkish on the one hand, and to rufous on the other. 

 They are usually spriiikled all over with small spots, which are sometimes 

 not distinguishable from the ground-color when this is very deep, and again 

 larger and quite conspicuous. 



An egg of the variety candicans, from Greenland (No. 2,00G, S. I.), mea.s- 

 ures 2.25 inches by 1.80. In color and in markings it is like the average 

 eggs of vaiicty sacer, namely, pale rufous, sprinkled over with a slightly 

 deeper shade. 



