284 LIFE HISTORIES OP NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Country in the interior, to Alaska. It is also found in northern Europe 

 (Scandinavia). It apparently does not reach quite such high northern lati- 

 tudes as the other subspecies already mentioned. 



Mr. R. MacFarlane, chief factor of the Hudson Bay Company, states that 

 this Falcon is common in the wooded country on both sides of the Anderson 

 River, and from the fact that over twenty nests were secured by him this must 

 certainly be the case. All of these nests, with but two exceptions, were placed 

 close to or near the tops of the tallest trees in the neighborhood, generally in 

 pines. One nest was built on a ledge of rocks and the other against the side of 

 a deep ravine. The nests were composed of sticks and small branches and 

 lined with mosses, hay, deer hair, feathers, etc. They were similar in com- 

 position but smaller in size than those of the Bald Eagle, and while the 

 number of eggs was either three or four, their contents were frequently found 

 in different stages of development. 



Both parents manifested much anger and excitement when interfered with, 

 or even distantly approached. They made a great noise, and indeed more 

 than once their folly in coming so near and screaming so loudly over our heads 

 attracted attention to some that would otherwise have escaped notice. The 

 earliest date of finding a nest was May 10, 1863, at Anderson River Fort. 

 The eggs, three in number, were quite fresh. In another, taken five days 

 later, the eggs contained partially formed embryos. In a few cases young 

 birds were found in the same nest with eggs, the contents of which were but 

 little changed, and in another nest a perfectly fresh egg was found with several 

 ready to hatch. In nearly every case the eggs seemed to be in different stages 

 of development, and incubation seems to begin as soon as the first egg is laid. 1 

 The latest date on which eggs were found by Mr. MacFarlane, according to the 

 records in the U. S. National Museum, is June 12, 1864, wheu two sets of four 

 eggs each were taken. 



Nelson, in speaking of this species, says: "Throughout Alaska, from the 

 Aleutian Islands north, both along the coast and in the interior, extending 

 from Bering Strait across the northern portion of British America, the present 

 Falcon is the commonest resident bird of prey. It was observed by Murdoch 

 at Point Barrow, though it was not common. It frequents the vicinity of cliffs 

 and rocky points about the seacoast, or the rocky ravines of the interior during 

 the breeding season; and the remainder of the year, especially in the fall, it is 

 found wandering over the country everywhere that food can be obtained; it 

 is especially numerous during the migration of the Ptarmigan along the sea- 

 coast. * * * 



'Along the seacoast in the vicinity of St. Michael it breeds rarely, choos- 

 ing rocky cliffs, facing the sea. Along the Lower Yukon, and the Kuskokwim 

 River, it is numerous in winter, and finds an abundance of Ptarmigan, upon 

 which it preys. At this season it is frequently seen perching on a stout branch 

 of a tree overhanging the river bank, and I have seen it on several occasions 



1 From R. MacFarlane's Manuscript Notes on the Land and Water Birds Nesting in British America. 



