190S.] 



BIKDS. 



361 



oarly in Xovember, 1893 ; « and several near the mouth of Peel River 

 June 25, 1891.^ Macoun, on the authority of Raine, records eggs 

 taken in northern (now central) Alberta.^ In the early autumn of 

 1895 J. Alden Loring saw one near Jasper House, Alberta. 



Falco rusticolus gyrfalco Linn. Gja^falcon. 



On August 29, 1903, I saw a g^^rfalcon on the ' barrens ' near our 

 camp east of Leith Point, Great Bear Lake. Another was seen near 

 the same place August 31. It appeared to be in pursuit of a wounded 

 ptarmigan, which had towered and finally fallen, and which it had 

 evidently seen from a distance. Though loath to leave its prospective 

 prey, the hawk was shy and eluded my efforts to approach, and after 

 a few short flights from tree to tree flew away to the southward. 



A species of gyrfalcon to which this name is supposed to apply was 

 found by MacFarlane to be common in the wooded country on both 

 sides of Anderson River, where over 20 nests were found, most of 

 which were in trees. The earliest nest was found May 10. A speci- 

 men (Xo. 43139, *• 9 and two eggs"), taken by MacFarlane at Fort 

 Anderson May 25, 1864, which served as the type of Ridgway's de- 

 scription of Falco g. sacer and another taken at Fort Anderson 

 May 27, 1864, are now in the National Museum. I^endire records that 

 eggs were taken by MacFarlane near Anderson River ; and various 

 other published records are based on the same specimens. Under the 

 name Falco islandicus Richardson speaks of finding a nest about the 

 middle of June (1821) on a lofty precipice on the shore of Point Lake.'' 

 This record probably refers to the present form. Armstrong, under 

 the name of Ilierofalco candicans^ states that an individual was shot 

 near Prince Alfred Cape, Banks Land, September 5, 1851, and that 

 several others were seen later.^ J. C. Ross, under the name Falco 

 islandicus^ records several seen at Victoria Harbor in August and 

 September, 1832, and states that the species breeds at Felix Harbor.'' 

 These records may also refer to the present species. 



Falco peregrinus anatum Bonap. Duck Hawk. 



This powerful falcon is distributed in summer throughout the 

 wooded portion of the region. Since it requires cliffs or cut banks 

 for nesting, it is necessarily of somewhat local distribution, but is 

 fairly common along the larger rivers and in mountainous districts. 



« Expl. in Far North, p. 90, 1898. 

 » Ibid., p. 138, 1898. 



<^ Cat. Canadian Birds, Part II, p. 247, 1903. 



'^Hist. N. A. Birds, Land Birds, III, p. 115, 1874. 



^Life Hist. N. A. Birds [I], p. 285, 1892. 



f Fauna Boreali-Americana, II, p. 28, 1831. 



3 Narrative Discovery N'orthwest Passage, p. 426, 1857. 



^Appendix to Ross's Second Voyage, p. xxv, 1835. 



