66 Birds of Massachusetts , 



ter. Dedham; " Rather common." Essex County: "Summer visitant. 

 Common." [Doubtless an error.] Springfield: "Rare spring and 

 autumn visitor." Templeton : "Rare summer resident" [?]. \Welles- 

 ley: " Scarce migrant .... occa.sional in winter." 



175. Falco rusticolus obsoletus (Gmel.). Black Gyrfal- 



CON. 



An extremely rare winter visitant from the north. The follow- 

 ing are the tenable records ; Ipswich, a male was shot November 

 7, 1874, and is now in the Peabody Academy at Salem; ' Breed's 

 Island, Boston Harbour, one was taken in October, 1876, and is 

 now in the Field Columbian Museum at Chicago ; ^ Ipswich, a fe- 

 male was captured March 11, 1893.2 



176. Falco rusticolus gyrfalco (Linn.). Gyrfalcon. 



An extremely rare winter visitor from the north. The following 

 are the only tenable records : Northampton, one was taken by 

 Mr. E. O. Damon, in February,. 1880; ^ ^^i/ze/^, a male was taken 

 in i88t, and wrongly referred to F. r. obsoletus;^ Melrose (or 

 near Lynn), a male was shot January i, 1891.* This and the 

 Stowe specimen are now in the collection of Mr. William Brewster, 

 and the Northampton bird is in the Science Building at Spring- 

 field. 



177. Falco tinnunculus Linn. Kestrel. 



Accidental from the Old World. The only record is : Nantas- 

 ket Beach, a female was shot at Strawberry Hill, September 29^ 

 1889, by F. H. Bracketf 



178. Falco sparverius Linn. American Sparrow Hawk. 

 An uncommon summer resident ; a few remain throughout the 



winter. 



I Purdie ; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. IV, No. 4, Oct., 1879, p. 189. 



' Cory ; ibid., Vol. II, No. i, Jan., 1877, p. 27. 



3 Vickary ; O. & O., Vol. XVIII, No. 4, Apr., 1893, p. 51. 



■• Vennor; Forest & Stream, Vol. XIV, Apr. 15, 1880, p. 204. 



'" Brewster; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. VIII, No. 3, July, 1883, p. 184, and 

 Brewster; Minot's Land and Game Birds, 2d ed., 1895, p. 479. 



8 Tufts ; O. & O., Vol. XVI, No. 4, Apr., 1891, p. 61. 



'Cory; Auk, Vol. ,V, No. i, Jan., 1888, pp. no, and ibicl.,'No. z, Apr.,. 

 1888, p. 205. 



