205 
great speed and their endurance permits them to maintain it. They 
are bold and strong and capture their prey by sudden swoops when possible, 
but unlike the Accipiters are not discouraged when their stroke misses. 
They first rise above their prey by means of a long spiral climb. Once 
above, they drop like a bullet, striking with their powerful talons as they 
do so. 
The flight of the Falcons is quite recognizable — pointed wings (Figure 
228) and quick strokes with very little sailing. Been in the hand, the upper 
mandible furnished with a tooth (Figure 229) will 
always separate the Falcons from other Hawks. 
Fortunately, none but the smallest and least harmful 
of the subfamily is common within cultivated areas 
and those that size makes important are either very 
rare or are more or less confined to the wilder 
wastes where their depredations can do the husband- 
man the least harm. Even those that do occur 
occasionally about cultivation are generally wary 
enough to keep away from the immediate vicinity of the habitations. 
Figure 229 
Toothed bill of Falcon. 
Gyrfalcons 
General Description. The largest of the Falcons, 20 to 22 inches in length; usually 
of light coloration, in some cases nearly pure white, others almost black. They are most 
easily distinguished from the other Falcons by their large size, but are otherwise characterized 
by the tarsus being feathered for one-half its length instead of only one-third, and the first 
primary being equal to or shorter, instead of equal to or longer, than the third. 
Figure 230 
Crowns of subspecies of Gyrfalcons. 
a, White Gyrfaloon. 6, Grey Gy r falcon. c, Common Gyrfaloon. 
The Gyrfalcons were most highly regarded for hunting by the falconers 
of old and by the exacting laws of the times their use was restricted to 
persons of the highest rank. They combined all the spirit and hardihood 
of the smaller species with greater size and strength and hence were adapted 
for the largest game to be taken with Hawks. The Gyrfalcons are of 
far northern distribution in Canada and are very rare within the limits 
of settlement, rarely troubling poultry yards or game coverts; otherwise 
a war of extermination would probably have to be waged against them as 
they undoubtedly can be very destructive. 
In Canada there are two species. They are circumpolar in distribu- 
tion, occurring in the northern parts of both the Old and New Worlds. 
