130 LORD LILFORD ON BIRDS IN THE LILFORD AVIARIES. 
« 
of his day, and, as you are probably well aware, a very acute 
field ornithologist. Old John Campbell, the gamekeeper to whom 
I have alluded, said that these Falcons, during their visits to the 
Perthshire loch-sides, devoted their attention principally to Eooks, 
that they made the wild-fowl very “ uneasy,” and that he once saw 
one of them “put in” an old Blackcock, but never noticed them in 
pursuit of Eed Grouse; on the whole, from his professional point 
of view, he did not seem to consider these strangers “ such a bad 
vermin” ! as the native “Hunting Hawks,” i.e. Peregrines. 
Of the Iceland Falcon, Falco islandus, I have had a few and 
found them generally intractable and sulky; they are hardier in 
constitution than the Greenlander, but require more care than 
Peregrines. I have seen one or two of these birds well broken 
to the hood and lure, but although I am well aware that the 
species has been successfully flown at Herons, other winged quarry 
and Hares, I have never yet seen one on wing that gave me the 
impression of being a really “ good Hawk ” from a falconer’s point 
of view. I never attempted to fly one of my own birds at wild 
quarry, as our district at Lilford is eminently unfavourable for 
falconry. 
Of the Norwegian Gyrfalcon, Falco gyrfalco, I have had five ; 
the first of them presented to me by the Eev. W. Newcome, of 
Hockwold, who caught it in Norway under a cliff upon which it 
had no doubt been bred ; the second was taken on the autumnal 
passage near Yalkenswaard, and I subsequently received three out 
of sixteen caught on the Norwegian fjelds by the late John Barr. 
We did not attempt to do more with these birds than break them 
to the hood and lure ; they are somewhat stubborn and savage- 
tempered; but I am inclined to consider this species as superior 
in constitution and quality for field purposes to the Icelanders, 
though it has certainly not the “ turn of speed ” in flight of the 
Greenlander. The bird presented to me by Mr. Newcome was a 
female, and after the moult was a most beautiful and well-shaped 
bird ; during my absence from home she was suddenly alarmed 
by the fall of a large branch near her block, and her gear having 
been shamefully neglected, she broke her leash and was never, to 
my knowledge, heard of again. I am aware that many orni- 
thologists consider this bird and the Icelander as local races of the 
same species, and it is certainly very difficult to distinguish them 
