GREENLAND FALCON. 9 



a man named Storthwaite, on the 15th of February 1837, and 

 passed into Mr. Allis's possession. It was shot in each wing, but not 

 wounded in the body. Like most birds of the family when in 

 captivity, it sulked and entirely refused all food for the first four 

 days ; it was still alive on the 26th of April, and seemed likely to 

 do well. That this was a Greenland Falcon we have high 

 authority in Mr. John Hancock, the author who was the first to 

 point out the distinction between this and the Iceland Falcon. 

 In a letter to Mr. Thompson (Natural History of Ireland; Birds, i. 

 p. 32) Mr. Hancock says, "I know of one instance of the 

 capture of F. Grcenlandicus in this country ; it was a mature bird, 

 and was in the collection of Mr. Ellis [Allis] of York, up to the 

 time of his collection being sold ; it was obtained in Yorkshire, 

 and, to the best of my recollection, was shot about the year 1836." 



The second bird is now in the Scarborough museum (where 

 I have seen it) and is a fine mature female. It was shot on 

 the 25th of November 1854, by a person named Dixon, near 

 Robin Hood's Bay, on the moors of Sir John Johnstone, Bart., 

 and recorded in the Zoologist (1855, P- 45^8) by Mr. A. Roberts 

 of Scarborough, by whom it was preserved. The length from the 

 point of the beak to the end of the tail was 2o| inches, full 

 extent of the wings 3 feet 10 inches, weight 3 lbs. 3 ozs. ; the crop 

 was overloaded with the entrails of some animal, the stomach 

 with feathers and portions of a grouse. 



In the third instance the bird was not absolutely identified, 

 but from the description may, I think, be referred to this species. 

 It is recorded in Mr. Cordeaux's 'Birds of the Humber District,' 

 under the head of Jer Falcon, as follows : — " Was shot at Flam- 

 borough several years since by that well known bird-slayer, 

 Thomas Leng, fisherman. Leng was shooting rock-pigeons at 

 the time from the Speeton rocks, and says that at some distance 

 the bird looked quite white, but on a nearer view he distinctly 

 saw that its plumage was speckled with black, although it was 

 altogether a very light bird. It fell to the bottom of the cliff; and 

 he sent his son down, also descending himself to recover it, but 

 was unsuccessful, as the rising tide had carried it out." 



