SPECIES 16. FJILCO HYEMALIS. 
WINTER FALCON. 
[Plate XXXV.— Fig. 1.] 
Tvrton, Syst. p. 156 . — drct. Zool. p. 209, JV’o. 107.^ — Peale’s 
Museum, JVo. 272 and 273.* 
This elegant and spirited Hawk is represented in the plate 
of one half its natural size; the other two figures are reduced in 
the same proportion. He visits us from the north early in No- 
vember, and leaves us late in March. 
This is a dexterous Frog-catcher; who, that he may pursue 
his profession with full effect, takes up his winter residence al- 
most entirely among our meadows and marshes. He sometimes 
stuffs himself so enormously with these reptiles, that the pro- 
minency of his craw makes a large bunch, and he appears to 
fly with difficulty. I have taken the broken fragments, and 
whole carcasses, of ten frogs, of different dimensions, from the 
crop of a single individual. Of his genius and other exploits I 
am unable to say much. He appears to be a fearless and active 
bird, silent, and not very shy. One which I kept for some 
time, and which was slightly wounded, disdained all attempts 
made to reconcile him to confinement; and would not suffer a 
person to approach, without being highly irritated; throwing 
himself backward, and striking with expanded talons, with 
great fury. Though shorter winged than some of his tribe, yet 
I have no doubt, but, with proper care, he might be trained to 
strike nobler game, in a bold style, and with great effect. But 
the education of Hawks in this country may well be postponed 
for a time, until fewer improvements remain to be made in that 
of the human subject. 
* We add the following' synon 3 rmes: Falco hyemalis. Gmbl. Syst, i, p. 274. 
— Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 35. 
