126 Order IV 



grey and cream-coloured above, and marked with brown 

 below ; the young, however, are browner and often very 

 difficult to distinguish from those of the Scandinavian 

 Gyr Falcon (H. gyrfalco). This is a somewhat smaller 

 bird of a more lilac grey colour above, which should have 

 the head much darker, the streaks below more numerous, 

 and a black cheek-patch, as in the next species. These 

 three large northern forms are similar to the Peregrine 



Greenland Falcon 



Falcon in flight, food, and cry, while they lay their eggs 

 in old nests — probably of Ravens or Crows — or on 

 ledges of cliffs without any nest. The eggs, however, 

 are bigger and lighter in the markings. 



The Peregrine Falcon {F. peregrinus), the falconer's 

 mainstay and the "Hunting Hawk" of country-folk, 

 is the fiercest of our resident members of the Family, 

 for our eagles are comparatively timid and the stories 

 of their ferocity should be credited to other birds. If 

 we were to ignore closely allied species and subspecies, 



