’94 
AI.I.r.N’s naturai.ist’s i.irrary. 
mostly young birds, wander from their northern home and 
occur in more southern latitudes. It breeds in Northern 
Greenland, and probably in all the circumpolar lands, as 
Dr. Stejneger found it nesting on Bering Island. It also 
breeds in north-eastern Arctic America, and may possibly do 
so in other northern portions of the American continent. 
Habits — In the Middle Ages this splendid bird was in great 
request among Falconers, and was chiefly used for the capture 
of Cranes and Herons, and, in more recent Hawking days, 
the Greenland Falcon has been trained to catch Hares and 
Rabbits. In a wild state it feeds on Ptarmigan and Willow- 
Grouse, as well as Lemmings and other small animals, and, 
like the Snowy Owl, it has to migrate south in winter, when 
its food-supply disappears from the arctic tundras, and the 
country is covered with snow. Although a powerful bird; the 
Greenland Falcon does not possess the dashing spirit of the 
Peregrine, and Lord Lilford writes: — “My experience of this 
bird in captivity is to the effect that it is extremely docile, and 
a very fine and powerful flyer and stooper, but what we call in 
Falconry a poor “ footer,” that is, it is not able, or more prob- 
ably not disposed, to bind to and grasp its quarry firmly ; it is 
also by no means hardy of constitution, and is difficult to 
keep in good condition for field purposes.” He also states 
that an old gamekeeper, John Campbell, told him that he had 
frequently seen Greenland Falcons near Loch Rannoch in- 
Perthshire during the winter months, and that the birds 
seemed to prefer Rooks to any other quarry, but that they 
made the wild fowl very “ uneasy ” ; he never saw one in pursuit 
of a Red Grouse, but once saw one make a stoop at an old 
Blackcock ; on the whole, from his professional point of view 
he did not look upon the Greenlander as such a “ bad ver- 
min ! ” as the “ Hunting Hawk or Peregrine.” 
Nest.— None, the eggs being laid upon the bare rock, but 
sometimes the old nest of some other bird is adopted. 
Eggs. — Four in number. 
II. THE ICELAND GVR-FALCON. HIEROF.AI.CO ISLANDICU3. 
Falco hlandiats, Hancock, Ann. Nat. Hist. ii. p. 247 (1839). 
Falco gyrfalco, pt. Macg. Brit. B. iii. p. 284 (1840). 
