78 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



The Duck Hawk used to breed in the mountainous parts of the 

 State about fifteen years ago, and may still do so in the wilder 

 and less settled portions. 



144. Falco columbarius Linn. Pigeon Hawk. 



The Pigeon Hawk is a regular transient visitant in autumn, ar- 

 riving in September and departing in November. My earliest 

 and latest dates for this species are September 13, 1894; Septem- 

 ber 11, 1899; September 12, 1909; and November 7, 1898. It is 

 most frequently seen in October, when large flights sometimes 

 occur, as on October 10, 1903, when I witnessed an enormous 

 migration lasting through the whole day. Nearly all of these 

 hawks were flying beyond gun shot and but one specimen was 

 taken. Adult birds are very rarely seen or taken, and a male 

 secured April 13, 1900 (which is my only spring record), and a 

 female taken November 7, 1898, are the only adulf. birds I have 

 ever seen. 



Although this species is said to ' ' winter in Massachusetts and to 

 the southward" 1 it certainly does not occur at that season on the 

 coast of South Carolina. 



The Pigeon Hawk ranges in winter to northern South America, 

 and breeds north of the United States. 



145. Falco columbarius richardsonii (Ridgw.). Richardson's 

 Pigeon Hawk. 



This form closely resembles the Pigeon Hawk, from which it 

 differs in having six tail-bands instead of four, and in having the 

 outer webs of the primaries conspicuously spotted, as well as being 

 of a generally lighter color. I shot a superb adult female of this 

 Merlin near Mount Pleasant on October 15, 1895 . 2 This is the 

 first record for the State, in fact the first record anywhere east of 

 the Mississippi River. 



There can be but little doubt that richardsonii is a subspecies 

 of F. columbarius. I have a young male from Colorado which 

 has the tail crossed by five light and five dark bands. A young 

 female in my collection, taken near Mount Pleasant October 7, 

 1896, has the middle tail-feathers crossed by five light and five 

 dark bands. The outer webs of the primaries (except the first 

 two) are conspicuously spotted with ochraceous, while the first 



1 Brewster, Land-Birds and Game-Birds of New England, 366. 



2 See Auk, XX, 1903, 67. 



