GYRFALCON— DUCK HAWK 71 



country by the American Sparrow Hawk. As has 

 been said, the Sparrow Hawk of Europe is quite a 

 different species, and more nearly corresponds to our 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper's Hawk. 



The American Sparrow Hawk is about eleven 

 inches in length, and the sexes are quite different in 

 colouration, the male being reddish brown above, with 

 a few black marks, wings bluish and spotted, with 

 a single broad black band across the tail, while the 

 female is barred over the whole of the back, streaked 

 with black on the breast, and has the tail crossed with 

 numerous black bars. The bill is dark blue, the feet 

 and legs are yellow. 



This beautiful little Hawk is found in many parts 

 of North America. It has the same habit as the 

 European Kestrel mentioned above, of hovering on 

 swiftly moving wings while seeking its prey of mice 

 and smaller birds. It builds no nest, but frequently 

 usurps that of the Woodpecker. 



The Greenland Falcon, or Gyrfalcon, is one of the 

 largest of this group, and is native to the Arctic 

 regions, though occasionally found further south. In 

 the old days when the sport of falconry was at its 

 height, this bird was the most highly prized of all the 

 Falcons. The general tone of the plumage is pure 

 white relieved by black markings. Nearly allied to 

 this bird, if not of the same species, is the Labrador 

 Falcon, but it is at once distinguishable by the very 

 dark colouring. The food of these Falcons consists 

 of Ptarmigan and Willow Grouse, varied by lem- 

 mings and other small mammals. See Plate 2, Fig. 7. 



The American Duck Hawk, or Peregrine Falcon, 



