FALCO CANDICANS. 
301 
near the sea shore. I do not, however, think that they occur much north of New Jersey 
during winter. 
FALCO CANDICANS. 
Jer Falcon. 
Falco candicans Gm., Syst. Nat., I; 1788, 275. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, robust. Size, very large. Sternum, stout, with the marginal indentations quite large. Tongue, long, 
not very fleshy, and about the same width for nearly its entire length, then is rounded, slightly bifid, and grooved beneath. 
Tarsus, feathered in front for more than half its length. Wings, with two outer quills incised. Coeca, present and com¬ 
paratively well developed. Sexes, similar in color. 
Light stage. 
Color. Adult . White throughout with regular and irregular confluent bands and spots of dark-brown above, and 
sparsely spotted below with the same color. Primaries and tail, transversely banded with brownish and the former is tip¬ 
ped with it. 
Young. Quite similar to the adult in general coloration but tinted with bluish above and below. The bandings are 
also broader and the spots larger. 
Young of the year. Are overwashed with brown above, and every feather is spotted and edged with reddish. The 
under parts are tinged with yellowish-white and longitudinally streaked with dusky. 
Nestlings. Are at first covered with white down, then gradually assume the plumage last described, which they keep 
for a year. 
Dark stage. 
Color. Adult. Sooty black, throughout, becoming lighter below, but not conspicuously barred or spotted anywhere. 
Bill and cere, pale blue, iris, dark-brown, feet, slaty-blue, in all stages. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
This species is subject to various changes of plumage which are merely due to a predominance of the lighter or darker 
tints. The different plumages have been described by authors under several names, either as species or races; thus the light 
types are either candicans, Islandicus, or sacer and the dark types ,Labradora. To be consistent with my views already 
published, however, I must consider them all one species. Readily known from all other species by the large size, prepon¬ 
derance of white in the light stage and peculiar Falconine form, as well as uniform tints when dark. Distributed as a 
constant resident, throughout North America, above latitude 50 3 . Rare in New England during winter. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of male specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 2P75; stretch, 48-50; wing, 15-75; 
tail, 9‘75; bill, P20; tarsus, P95. Longest specimen, 22'50; greatest extent of wing, 49-00; longest wing, lti-00; tail, 
10 00; bill, 1-30; tarsus, 2-00. Shortest specimen, 2P00; smallest extent of wing, 48-00; shortest wing, 15-50; tail, 9-50; 
bill, 100; tarsus, 1'80. 
Average measurements of female specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 23-50; stretch, 50-00; wing, 16-50; 
tail, 10-53; bill, P33; tarsus, 2'05. Longest specimen, 24-00; greatest extent of wing, 5P00; longest wing, 17-00; tail, 
11-00; bill, 1-40; tarsus, 2-10. Shortest specimen, 23'00; smallest extent of wing, 49-00; shortest wing, 16-00; tail, 10 - 00; 
bill, P10; tarsus, P95. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed on rocky cliffs. Although the eggs are occasionally placed on the naked rock, there is usually a rudely 
constructed nest, composed of sticks, moss, and sea weeds.. 
Eggs, two to four in number, rather oval or spherical in form, varying from creamy-white to yellow-brown in color, 
profusely sprinkled with reddish-brown of varying shades, usually so thickly as to nearly, or even completely, obscure the 
ground color. Dimensions from P71x2-12 to P90x2 45. 
HABITS. 
The Jer Falcon are, to my taste, the handsomest of the order. Perhaps, however, 
this fancy of mine may be due to the fact that, as these birds are very rare in the sections 
