1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 29 



and suckleyi in life made it impossible to determine the propor- 

 tional abundance of the two subspecies. 



Falco columbarius suckleyi Ridgway 

 Black Pigeon Hawk 



Seen only after the autumnal migration had begun. The first 

 was noted at Central Lake, on August 22, in pursuit of a swallow. 

 Another was observed near Cameron Lake on August 28, and 

 thereafter, during the remainder of my stay on the island, they 

 were seen daily in the vicinity of Errington and Parksville. 



In habits and actions they were exactly like pigeon hawks as 

 observed elsewhere. The cleared fields seemed to attract them 

 and they were fond of sitting in elevated, exposed positions while 

 at rest, and of sweeping along the edge of the brush, close to the 

 ground, while hunting. They were frequently observed pursuing 

 flocks of Steller jays, but were never seen actually to seize one, 

 while the moment a hawk lit he was sure to be surrounded by 

 the jays and pestered until he moved away. 



Five specimens were secured (nos. 15627-15631), all taken at 

 Errington during September. Two are males and three females, 

 and apparently none are in fully adult plumage. They are all 

 very uniform in appearance, sooty above, and very heavily 

 marked below, as compared with true columbarius. In all. the 

 transverse bars on the tail feathers are reduced to disconnected 

 spots; in one (no. 15627) the middle rectrices and the outer webs 

 of the others are unmarked. 



Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus 

 Sparrow Hawk 



Fairly common at several of the points visited. One was seen 

 by .Miss Kellogg at French Creek, April 28, and one by Miss 

 Alexander at the Little Qualicum River, May 9. while a number 

 were observed at Beaver Creek during June. At Errington they 

 were common early in September, but had nearly all disappeared 

 before the end of the month. Not met with at Nootka Sound, 

 nor elsewhere in the higher mountains. 



Sparrow hawks were usually seen about patches of cleared 

 land, never in the thick woods; and the dense and uninterrupted 



