﻿BIRDS OF PREY. — FALCONS. 



301 



rostral, and lead immediately to Buteo. It should, 

 therefore, possess some of the characters of the buzzards 

 proper, joined with others that would unite it to Falco. 

 This type may be thought by some to be the Iceland 

 falcon, made into a subgenus by M. Cuvier ; but we 

 have not a specimen of this rare bird now before us, 

 and we can add nothing to what we have already said 

 on this subject.* But there is another singular form in 

 the Gampsonyjc Swainsonii (Vig.)t, discovered during 

 our researches in Brazil, which exhibits the union of 

 characters above mentioned, and which may therefore 

 very properly be placed within the circle of Falco. 

 The identical specimen, from which the description we 

 have quoted was taken, is now upon our table. Its 

 bill is rather small, and is formed very much like that 

 of the common buzzard ; for the upper mandible is 

 entirely destitute of the lobed tooth, common to all the 

 sparrowhawks, with which it has been so confidently 

 associated^: to compensate, apparently for the want of 

 this tooth, the tip of the mandible is prolonged into an 

 unusually long and sharp hook. The wings, instead of 

 being " short," are nearly as long as those of Falco 

 sparverius §, and are completely typical of a true 

 falcon : the feet, although rather short, are very strong 

 and robust for the size of the bird ; they have the 

 breadth and scutellation of Aviceda, with the same pro- 

 portioned toes as the generality of falcons, that is, both 

 the outer toe and its claw are longer than the inner. 

 The whole aspect of the bird, notwithstanding its small 

 size, gives it the appearance of a most bold and mus- 

 cular little creature. It deserves to be added, also, that 



* Northern Zoology, vol. ii. p. 30. 

 + Zoological Journal, vol. ii. p. 65. 



i " This bird decidedly belongs to the accipitrine sub-family of the Falco- 

 nides ; but it is placed at that remote extremity of it, where the species, 

 gradually approaching the falcons, partially assume some of their leading 

 characters. It possesses the bill of the hawks, and also the shortness of 

 wing which so strongly characterises them." — Zoological Journal, vol.ii. 

 p. 68. 



\ The wing of a specimen of Falco sparverius, now before us, measures 

 six inches nine-tenths ; that of Gampsonyx six inches three-tenths : so that, 

 considering the relative size of the two birds, the proportionate length of 

 their wings is perfectly equal. 



