NORTH AMERICAN BIRDtS. 221 



and 28th, 1894. Both nests were placed upon ledges of cliffs and the structures 

 were composed of sticks and rubbish. The eggs, Mr. Crandall informs me, have a 

 reddish-white ground color, profusely marlted with a rich dark red of varying 

 shades, but exceedingly bright in intensity. In some these markings blend with the 

 ground color. All the eggs show little elevations like warts on the shell. The first 

 set mentioned measures: 2.32x1.83, 2.35x1.83, 2.38x1.84, 2.39x1.79 inches respectively; 

 the second, 2.40x1.82, 2.38x1.85, 2.41x1.74, 2.43x1.83 inches. 



354. GBAY GYBPALCON. Falco rustlcolus Linn. Geog. Dlst.— Extreme 

 .'Northern portions of Europe, Asia and North America; Iceland, Southern Green- 

 land; south in winter to the northern border of the United States. 



The Gray Gyrfalcon is not uncommon in Iceland and Southern Greenland, and 

 strays in winter into Northeastern United States. Mr. Norris has a set of two eggs 

 of this bird, collected by Mr. Proctor in Southern Greenland, on the 30th of May, 

 1884. Incubation was just begun, and the parent bird was shot. The nest was placed 

 on a shelving rock. One of the eggs is marked, over a whitish ground, with small 

 light reddish-brown spots sparingly sprinkled over the surface, confluent at the 

 small end, where they almost obscure the ground color. The rest of the egg has a 

 whitish appearance. The other specimen is heavily marked over the entire surface. 

 Siaes, 2.26x1.82, 2.25x1.86, 



354a. GYBrALCON. Falco lusticolus ijyrfalco (Linn.) Geog. Dist.-^-Northeril 

 Europe; interior or Arctic ^imerica, from Hudson's Bay to Alaska. 



MacFarlane's Gyrfalcon breeds abundantly in the interior regions of Arctic 

 America, where numerous skins and eggs are annually taken. It not infrequently 

 visits the Northern United States in winter, and it is recorded as even 

 reaching the Middle States. The number of eggs laid by this variety of 

 Gyrfalcon ranges from two to four, more commonly three to four. In Mr. Crandall's 

 collection there are two sets of four eggs each, taken April 20, 1892, and April 25, 

 1893; the former near Kantokino, the latter near Finnmarken, Lapland. Both nests 

 were placed on ledges of cliffs and were composed of sticks, small twigs, feathers, 

 etc. The first set of eggs are very light colored and may he described as appearing 

 an almost uniform dull yellowish red; the sizes are 2.18x1.68, 2.28x1.70, 2.28x1.71, 

 2.20x1.70. The second is of a very dark type of coloration, the ground showing but 

 little of the yellowish-red; the markings being of a deep burnt-umber, resembling 

 the markings of the typical Merlin's eggs. They measure 2.34x1.79, 2.30x1.79, 2.35x 

 1.78, 2.32x1.82 inches. These two sets are selected to show the wide contrast in 

 coloration from a series of forty-one eggs of this species. A single egg in the cabinet 

 of the late Capt. B. F. Goss, taken at Fort Yukon, Arctic America, in June, 1865, is 

 finely and evenly speckled with reddish-brown over the entire shell; the spots are 

 partly confluent, giving the egg a reddish appearance; size 2.34x1.75, which is un- 

 usually large. 



354?). BLACK GYRFALCON. Falco rusticolus ohsoletus (Gmel.) Geog. Dist.— 

 Labrador; south in winter to Canada, Maine and New York. 



This dusky form of the Gyrfalcon makes its home on the cliffs of the rugged 

 coasts of Labrador. Its habits are said to be the same as those of any of the fore- 

 going belonging to the genus, and the eggs are similar. All the eggs of the several 

 forms of Gyrfalcons present common characteristics, and do not differ from each 

 other more than eggs known to belong to the same species of hawk are found to 

 vary. The average size of the Black Gyrfalcon's eggs is 2.26x1.77. 



