CONCORD. 
1896 
Fiber 21 
Despite the depressing and very disagreeable weather 
I saw some interesting birds and one that was actually new 
to me. I took it to be a Gray Gyrfalcom ( Falco gyrfalco ). 
It was of about the size and general coloring of an imma¬ 
ture female Gos-hawk but it had the long, sharp-pointed 
Falcon wings and it flapped them as a Duck Hawk does with 
a continuous, rapid, vibrating movement. My experience 
with this bird was as follows: 
I was paddling past the Buttricks’ on my way down 
river at about 8.30 A. M. when I noticed three tame Pigeons 
flying high in air towards Mr. Derby’s barn, coming from 
the direction of the town. Just as they were passing 
over the Buttricks' house, the Falcon appeared about 100 
yards off and coming directly towards them. They turned 
back at once at the same time separating. The Falcon 
chose a white bird (the other two were blue) and pursued 
it hotly. The Pigeon made scarce 100 yards before it 
was overtaken but it had been rising the while and when 
its pursuer came up, he was a yard or more under it. 
Wheeling with easy grace and bounding upward twenty feet 
or more with a single effort of his powerful wings he 
got well above his prey and shot towards it down a steep 
incline. "Poor bird, your fate is sealed! 11 I said to 
myself as, with the field glass pressed to my eyes, I gazed 
