138 NOUTII AMl-JKICAN HIliUK 



Tliis c'lrinuH iwo of Falm nun mint is is a jiocitl illiistriitioii of the cliiiialii; 

 peculiarity oC tli(i nortiiwu.st cdiist it'j,'i<in, to wliicli I liiivi; (iftcii rclLMTfil 

 liuloic! ; liiii same iiielaiiistic toiuloiicy lusiiij,' a]»pari!iit in liinls ui' otlier 

 •species IVniii the .saiiie rei^ioii, as an ovaiiiph! (if wliidi I may iiieiitidii tlio 

 IilacU .Merlin [Ftdiv tisalon, vav.siirl./ci/i), wliicli is a purl'uct miniature (if tlie 

 ]>reseut liinl. 



IIaiuts. Tlie (li^ t-l'ootecl Hawk of North Amurica is very closely allied 

 to the well-kuowu l'ere;;riiio Falcon ol' iMiropu, anil 80 closely resenil)les il 

 that liy many writers, oven at the present ilay, it is rej,'arile(l as identical 

 with it. Witiiout doulit, the hal)its of tiie two rai;es are very n(!arly the 

 sauio, thou;4li tiuj peculiarities ol' the Xorth American liird an; not s<i well 

 known as are those ol' the Kuropean. In its distriliutioii it is somewiiat 

 erratic, i'or tiie most part conlined to tlie rocky sea-coast, tiie river-l)anks, 

 and the hijjli ;j;round of tiie northeastern parts of America. It is known to 

 breed in a few isolated I'ocky crags in various parts of tiie country, even a.s 

 far to tiie south as Pennsylvania, and it occurs probaiily liotli as migrant 

 and resident iu several of the West India Islands, in Central and in South 

 America. A single specimen wa.s taken liy Dr. Woodhonse iu the Creek 

 country of the Indian Territory. Two individuals are report<,'d by Vou 

 I'el/eln as having been taken in llrazil. The Newtons met with it in St. 

 Croix. Mr. (io.sse found it in Jamaica, and Dr. (Jundlach gives it as a 

 bird of Culia. Jardine states it to be a liird of Hermuda, and also that it 

 has been taken in the Stiaits of Magellan. A single specimen was taken 

 at Duenas, (iuateniala, in Februar-, by Mr. Salvin. 



On the I'acilic coast this Falcon has l)een traced as far south as the 

 limit of the land. Dr. Coo])er met with only two ])air.s, in March, 1854, 

 freciuenting a high wood(!<l cliif at Shoal-water Bay. Dr. Suckley ])roonrcd 

 a single .sjiecimen from Steilacoom. Dr. Coojier states that the lialiits of 

 tlie.se corre.sjionded with tho.se descrilieil for the/', (iiuditni and /'. pcnyrinvs, 

 and that, like tluise Falcons, it is a terror to all land animals weaker than 

 itself. It is said to breed on the rocky clills of the Vacitic. 



All individual of this bird was taken by Cohtnel (Jray.son at the Tres 

 Marias Islands. When shot, it was endeavoring to caj)ture a Sparrow- 

 hawk, indicating its iiidilference as to the game it jtursues. He adds that 

 this bird attacks with vigor (!verything it sees, from the size of a Mallard 

 Duck down, and is the terror of all small birds. Its range must be very 

 great, as it often ventures iar out to sea. On his passage from Mazatlan 

 to San Franci.sco, in 1858, on the bark Carlota, one of these Kalcon.s came 

 on board more than a hundred miles off the coast of Lower California, 

 and took u]) its (piarters on the main-top yard, when' it remained two 

 days, during whicii time it captured several Dusky Petrels. It would dart 

 lie.adlong upon these unsusiiecting birds, .seldom missing its aim. It would 

 then return to its resting-place and ^lartly devour its prize. At other times 

 it drup])ed its victims into the sea in wanton sport. Finally, a.s if tii-ed of 



