554 ICELAND OR JER FALCON. 



It is therefore probable that the two which left the nest at the approach 

 of the party were the young birds. 



I made my drawing of them the day after their death. It was one of 

 the severest tasks which I ever performed, and was done under the most 

 disagreeable circumstances. I sat up nearly the whole of the night, to 

 sketch them in outline. The next day it rained for hours, and the water 

 fell on mv paper and colours all the while from the rigging of the Ripley. 



The weight of the female was 3 pounds 2 ounces, that of the male 

 2 pounds ] 4 ounces avoirdupois. Their flesh was tough and bluish, and 

 their whole structure was remarkable for the indications of strength which 

 it exhibited. The intestines measured 4 feet 9 inches. The heart was 

 extremely large, and very remarkable for its firmness. The liver also 

 was large. The stomach, which was thin, contained remains of fish, fea- 

 thers, and hair. 



From the account which I received from my son and his companions, 

 I would willingly suppose that no one had ever before disturbed their so- 

 litude. They flew about and close to them, as if altogether unacquainted 

 with the effects of a gun. The young appeared full grown, and, as if 

 aware of the fate of their parents, alighted only on the highest and most 

 inaccessible parts of the rocks around. Both the specimens procured were 

 carefully skinned and preserved. One is in my possession ; the other I 

 gave to my worthy and generous friend John Bachman. 



When I first saw this noble pair of Falcons, I thought, as I have 

 above said, that they were new ; but since my return to Europe, I have 

 seen several specimens, which, though not altogether similar in the tints 

 of the plumage, agree in most other respects with them, in so far as I can 

 judge from the comparison of skins shrunk or distended beyond measure, 

 such as we too often see in museums. These specimens are said to be 

 young birds of the famous Iceland Falcon, and I am disposed to think 

 that my birds belong to the same species. 



That this species, as well as many others, should mate and produce 

 young, before obtaining its full plumage, is not a singular phenomenon. 

 I am persuaded that many years elapse before it obtains its perfect plum- 

 age, from the remarks made by a gentleman not yet personally known to 

 me, although acquainted with my son Victoe, Mr John Heppenstall, 

 of Upper Thorpe, near Sheffield, who has kept one of these birds alive for 

 more than thi'ee years. Of his letter to my son, which is dated " 5th month 

 14th 1834,"" the following is an extract. " The bird thou saw when at my 



