THE NORTH AMERICAN PEREGRINE. Ill 



44.2. Min. : 46x38.2 mm. Breeding-season.— Usually from about 

 April 10 to early May, exceptionally end of March. Incubation. — 

 Chiefly by female, but male takes some part. Period : four weeks. 

 Single brooded. Fledging-period. — 5-6 weeks. 



Food. — Varies according to site of nest. Pigeons (domestic and 

 wild) are always favourite food ; on grouse-moor, Grouse freely 

 taken, and on west coast, sea-birds ; while locally Rooks and 

 Jackdaws form large proportion of food. Other species recorded 

 definitely are Carrion-Crow, Jay, Chough, Magpie, Starling (many), 

 Hawfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Pied and Grey Wagtails, 

 Meadow-Pipit, Blackbird, Mistle- and Song-Thrush, Ring-Ouzel, 

 Redwing, Cuckoo, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Merlin, 

 Peregrine (<$), Buzzard, Sparrow-Hawk, Rock-, Stock- and Ring- 

 Doves, wounded Barnacle-Goose, Sheld-Duck, Mallard, Teal, 

 Wigeon, all Limicolse which breed with us (except Stone-Curlew, 

 Dotterel, Kentish Plover and Phalarope) and also Grey Plover, 

 Knot, and Purple Sandpiper ; Kittiwake (many), Common, Lesser 

 Black-backed and Herring-Gulls, Common and Arctic Terns, Puffin 

 (many), Guillemot and Razorbill, Moor -Hen, Coot, Corncrake, Black 

 Grouse, Partridge and Pheasant. Rabbits also occasionally taken ; 

 also young hare, shrew and mice ; as well as frogs, toads and beetles. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident and passage -migrant. In 

 south England confined as breeding-bird to cliffs of south and south- 

 west coasts, but in Wales, north England, Scotland (mainland and 

 islands) and Ireland much more common and breeds both sea-cliffs 

 and inland rocks. In autumn northerly-bred birds pass through 

 Great Britain on migration, while in winter our residents are fre- 

 quently observed inland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — North and central Europe. Accidental 

 in Greenland. Represented by allied forms in the Mediterranean 

 countries, Africa, various parts of Asia, Australia, and America. 



246. Falco peregrinus anatum Bp. — THE NORTH AMERICAN 

 PEREGRINE. 



Falco Anatum Bonaparte, Geogr. & Comp. List, p. 4 (1838 — New Jersey). 

 Falco peregrinus, E. Bidwell, Bull. B.O.C., xxvn, p. 103 ; cf. Brit. B., 

 v, p. 219. 



Description. — Adult male and female. — Very much like F. p. 

 peregrinus and often difficult to distinguish but moustachial stripe 

 usually wider and often joined to ear -co verts and sometimes patch 

 between moustache and ear-coveits is grey ; under-parts sometimes 

 very finely peppered grey but this is also sometimes so in F. p. 

 peregrinus. 



Juvenile. — Very distinct from F. p. peregrinus, upper -parts 

 being very dark — usually blackish-brown, edged dark rufous- 

 brown ; streaks on under-parts black-brown much darker than in 



