612 



ON SOME SPECIES OF THE 



niger. The tenth variety, is the Black Falcon ; Falcd 

 niger, Briss. 



This differs so much from the bird described 

 under the name of Common Falcon, that although 

 generally given as one of its varieties, Buffon 

 considered it as a distinct species ; and indeed it 

 would have been difficult to believe otherwise, 

 supposing, as Buffon and all the ornithologists of 

 his time did, that the Falco communis and Faico 

 peregrinus were specifically distinct ^. 



Latham follows Brisson, and gives the Black 

 Falcon as a variety of the Common Falcon, but 

 in his Supplement he hints at the probability of 

 its being a variety of the Peregrine. He says it 



* This is the true Faucon Pelerin ou Passager of Buffon, 

 considered by him as distinct from the Common Falcon, and in 

 a state of complete maturity. It is figured in the Histoire des 

 OiseauXf under the name of Le Faucon noir et Passager, 

 (Enl. 469.) 



I have endeavoured to shew, that it is the F. peregrinus ap- 

 proaching to maturity, and not distinct from the Common Fal- 

 con of Buffon. 



Beckstein says it is the two year old Peregrine Falcon^ 

 which is just the age I should have assigned it from an inspec- 

 tion of the plumage. 



I am happy to find that Cuvier also considers it an imma- 

 ture variety of the Peregrine Falcon, (now the Faucon ordi- 

 naire of the French.) He observes, " Ceux qu'on appelle 

 -Faucons pelarins, Enl. 469. paraissent des jeunes un peu plus 

 noirs que Ires autres." 



