£4 NORWEGIAN JER-FALCON. 



bird — having "dark feathers with light markings;" and 

 these differences, in the last paper referred to, Mr. 

 Hancock says exist at all ages, and are permanent and 

 specific distinctions. 



In 1844 Schlegel published his "Revue Critique des 

 Oiseaux d'Europe," and subsequently his splendid 

 "Traite de Fauconnerie," in which he describes, and 

 in the latter illustrates with beautiful drawings by 

 Wolff, three distinct species of Jer-Falcon, under the 

 names of Falco candicans, (greenlandicus of Hancock;) 

 Falco islandicus, (islandicus of Hancock;) and Falco 

 gyr-falco, the subject of the present notice. 



In 1854 Mr. Hancock published a second paper in 

 the "Annals," in which he corrects some important 

 mistakes he had made in his first, regarding the plumage 

 of the whiter species when young. Mr. H. having had 

 an opportunity of examining upwards of one hundred 

 and fifty specimens is now quite convinced that the 

 Iceland and Greenland Falcons are distinct species or 

 races; that the Greenland Falcon is never dark like 

 the Iceland, however young; and that the adult is 

 distinguished more by the difference of shape in the 

 markings than by the colour. 



This, I believe, is the position in which this inter- 

 esting discussion now stands. I will not offer any 

 further observations about the Greenland and Iceland 

 birds, but proceed to lay before my readers a history 

 of and Schlegel's description of the third species, the 

 Norwegian Jer-Falcon. 



Buffon gives two figures of this bird; one of a young 

 subject under the name of Norwegian Falcon, and the 

 adult simply as Ger-Falcon. Linnaeus appears to 

 describe the female of adult age under the name of 

 rusticolus, and the young male as lanarius. His 



