NORWEGIAN JER-FALCON. 27 



can be little doubt that young individuals, which are 

 very difficult to distinguish from Icelanders, occasionally 

 visit Britain, as they do the parallel countries on the 

 continent. Last year I obtained an egg that looks like 

 a Gyr-Falcon's, from a nest in a tree, for the first 

 time from such a situation." 



Mr. Wolley remarks that it would be convenient to 

 call this bird Falco gyr-falco norvegicus , and as I quite 

 agree with him, I have adopted the suggestion. 



In captivity it differs a good deal from the white 

 and Icelandic birds. It is obstinate, revengeful, and 

 sometimes attacks Falcons of any species, or darts upon 

 its comrade instead of its game. 



Mr. Gurney observes: — "Of the three Jer-Falcons I 

 look upon the first, the white one, as certainly distinct. 

 I think F. islandicus and gyr-falco are so alike that 

 it is practically impossible to distinguish them. The 

 average size of specimens killed in Iceland certainly 

 appears to be rather larger than the average of those 

 killed in Norway, and a difference is said to exist in 

 the proportion as well as the size of the breast bone ; 

 but whether this is really a permanent distinction can 

 only be proved by more dissections than have hitherto 

 taken place. I have a specimen which was killed a few 

 years ago in Scotland, and which I believe was 

 recorded at the time in the "Zoologist," by the person 

 who procured it. I cannot say whether it is islandicus 

 or gyr-falco, but as it is rather a small one, it would 

 probably, if the two were distinct, be a gyr-falco" 



With regard to the specific difference between the 

 gyr-falco and F. islandicus M. Schlegel observes: — 

 "When young, the Gyr-Falcon agrees in colour in every 

 respect with the young- of the Iceland bird, and the 

 distribution of colours has the same individual varieties 



