142 
ZOOLOGY. 
Family FALCONIDAE. The Falcons. 
Sub-Family FALCONINAE. True Falcons. 
FALCO NIGRICEPS, Cass in. 
The Western Duck Hawk. 
Falco nigriceps , Cassin, Birds of Cal. and Tex. I, p. 87, (1853 ) —Ib. in Gilliss’s U. S. Astron. Exped. 11, (1855,) 
pi. xiv.— Baird & Cassin, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 8. 
Sp. Ch-—A bove bluish cinereous, narrowly banded with black; below reddish, with circular spots, and bands of black on sides. 
Crown and cheeks nearly black. Female: length 15 to 17J inches; wing, 11 to 12; tail, 6 to 6J. 
Younger: above dark brown; tail barred with rufous on inner webs; beneath reddish yellow, with broad stripes of black. 
Adult: resembling the common duck hawk of the eastern coast, (F. anatum,) but smaller, and with the bill disproportionately 
weaker. Head and neck above black, and a large black space on cheeks 
Specimen No. 8501, original No. 63. Dimensions when fresh: Length, 17.25; extent, 39.50. ris haze bill whitish blue, feet 
yellow. Plate xi (birds) represents this specimen. 
Of the western duck hawk I have seen only two pairs, which, in March, 1854, frequented a 
high wooded cliff at Shoalwater bay. Often as I passed underneath they would fly round over 
my head, and I succeeded in shooting two of them, which were marked exactly alike. The 
other two, from their larger size, I supposed were females, and they soon after left the 
neighborhood. I supposed from their keeping about the same spot that they intended to build 
there.—C. 
In the summer of 1856 Mr. George Gibbs, of Steilacoom, W, T., presented me with a 
specimen of this bird, killed near his farm. This was forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution 
museum. I know nothing respecting its habits.—S. 
FALCO COLUMBARIUS, Linnaeus. 
The Pigeon Hawk. 
Falco columbarius, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 128, (1776.)— Wilson, Am. Orn. II, pi. xv, fig. 3.— Baird & Cassin, Gen. 
Rep. Birds, p. 9. 
Falco columbarius and termerarius, Aur.'B. of An. pi. Ixxii and xcii; oct. ed. I, pi. xxi. 
Hypotriorchis columbarius, Newberry, P. R. R. Rep. Yol. YI, p. 74, (Birds.) 
gp, Ch _Small and stout in form; above bluish slate color, with black lines; beneath pale yellowish or reddish white, each 
feather with a black stripe. Tail with one wide dark band, and several (about three) narrower bands of black. 
Younger: dusky or light brown; sometimes with ferruginous markings; beneath dull white, with light brown stripes. Tail 
pale brown,'with about six white bands. 
Young: brownish black, the white parts dusky, stripes wider, sides with black bands and white spots; quills and tail nearly 
black, the tail with about four white bands, or unspotted. 
No. 4476, adult emale, Straits of Fuca, April, 1855. Length, 12.50; extent, 27 inches. 
No. 4475, adu.t male, Santa Clara, Cal., November, 1855. Length, 11.75; extent, 23.50. 
No. 4477, young male, Shoalwater bay, August, 1855. Length, 10.25; extent, 22.50. 
Iris brown, bill bluish black, cere and feet yellow, in all the specimens. 
The pigeon hawk seems, to be rather uncommon in the Territory. I shot one in June, 1853, 
and did not see another until April, 1855, when they had just arrived at the Straits of De 
Fuca. I was surprised one day by an unusual screaming of some bird close to the house, and 
going out I found that one of these hawks had just caught an unfortunate flicker, which 
probably feared no assault from a bird no larger than itself. Its weight brought the hawk to 
the ground, where I immediately shot it. On picking it up the flicker, though unhurt either 
