Pal go r . gvrfalco . 
Concord, Mass. 
1896. extend his legs to seize his victim. To my surprise he did 
I Nov. 21. not show so much as the tips of his talons hut on overtaking 
j 
| (No. 2). tlie Pigeon he seemed to strike to strike it with his "breast, 
half upsetting it and sending it a yard or more downward be- 
fore it could resume its equilibrium. Then setting his wings 
he scaled off swiftly towards the Estabrook woods - the di- 
rection whence he had first come.- leaving the Pigeon to pur- 
sue its way unmolested, at a lower level, to its home in the 
Derby barn. What did it all mean? Was the Falcon merely a- 
rausing himself or was he too slow or clumsy to strike the 
Pigeon when apparently he had only to use his talons to make 
it his prize? I have repeatedly seen the Duckhawk, as well 
as other Hawks, fail in a similar way. On some occasions I 
have thought that , like this Gyrfalcon, they were not really 
in earnest; on others they appeared to lack the skill and 
quickness necessary to secure their victims when the latter 
were fairly brought within reach. Of one thing I am con- 
vinced, viz., that nearly if not all our birds of prey includ 
ing the Shrike lack persistence in the chase. If they fail 
in the first swoop they frequently will not attempt a second 
and I have rarely seen one of them try more than three times 
in succession. Few, I feel, get more than one bird in four 
or five. Cooper's Hawk may. He is the deadliest of them all 
