114 MR. H. E. DRESSER ON FALCO LABRADORUS. _ [ Mar. 2, 
discernible. They are in length 1! inch, and ‘81 in breadth, of a 
light rich cream-colour when fresh, fading to almost white after 
being emptied, clouded with fleecy marks of pale slaty grey or bluish 
grey appearing beneath the surface of the shell; they are of an oval 
form, and two innumber. They are placed on the bare ground, ina 
similar situation to that chosen by the Eurostopodi, usually on a 
strong ridge. 
2. Notes on Falco labradorus, Aud., Falco sacer, Forster, 
and Falco spadiceus, Forster. By H. E. Dresser, 
F.Z.8. &e. 
[Received February 5, 1875.] 
Amongst some Jer Falcons, below referred to, sent to me for exa- 
mination by Professor Spencer F. Baird, was one of the Black or 
Labrador Jer Falcon, which, although not in the darkest stage of 
plumage, at once struck me as being a very good species, totally 
distinct from any other form of the Jer or Iceland Falcons. When 
in Brunswick in the autumn of 1873 I had the opportunity of exa- 
mining a magnificent series of these Labrador Jer Faleons in the 
museum of that city, and was then fully confirmed in my opinion that 
they belonged to a totally distinct species. I tried to obtain one of 
these birds, but was unsuccessful, and have since then been using 
every endeavour to secure a specimen for my collection. Fortunately 
my exertions have at last been crowned with success, and I am now 
enabled to exhibit three examples of this rare Falcon just received 
from Labrador. 
Mr. Sharpe, in his recently published Catalogue of Accipitres, 
refers this Labrador Jer Falcon to the true Falco gyrfalco, L.; but 
this is evidently an error, which has doubtless arisen from the want 
of specimens for examination. A glance at the birds I now exhibit, 
together with my series of specimens of I’. gyrfalco from Scandi- 
navia, will at once show how very distinct these two forms are. As 
will be seen, my three specimens are in different stages of plumage— 
one being dull dark sooty brown, streaked on the head with white, 
and marked and spotted on the underparts with buffy white, the 
chin being white streaked with sooty brown, and the upper parts of 
the body having lighter margins to the dark feathers. Tail dark 
sooty brown, the central feathers unmarked, and the outer rectrices 
barred on the inner web with pale yellowish white. 
The second specimen resembles the first, but is much darker and 
less marked with buffy white; but the third is very dark, the upper 
surface of the body being uniform sooty blackish brown, with a slaty 
grey shade on the rump ; the head nearly black ; tail uniform blackish 
brown, with a few dull buff spots at the extreme tip ; underparts like 
the back, but very sparingly marked with buffy ochreous streaks ; the 
edge of the wings similarly marked; under tail-coverts blackish 
brown, spotted with light ochreous buff. 
According to Mr. Ridgway (N. Ain. Birds, iii. p. 117) the dark 
birds are the adult, and the lighter birds the immature ; and I must 
