existence or non-existence o f food o f a particular kind suited to a s p e c i e s is one o f the causes o f . its
absence o r presence: thus the fact o f the majority o f the trees of Australia not having a bark adapted
for insect life would indicate the absence o f the Woodpecker family; and accordingly no one o f its
m e m b e r s is fouud there. The large White Falcons figured iu this work are restricted to the northern
hemisphere, to which t h e Ptarmigan, Grouse, and Ducks upon which they mainly subsist almost solely
resort, only a single representative species, the Falco kypoleucos o f Western Australia inhabiting the
southern hemisphere. On the other hand, Peregrines o r Duck-Hawks not only frequent t h e : ' n o r t h e r n
hemisphere, but are also found in all southern countries; thus there is a Peregrine a t Cape Horn, another
a t the Cape o f Good Hope, aud a third in Tasmania.
N o t w i s h i n g t o m u l t i p l y g e n e r i c t e r m s i n a w o r k l i k e t h e p r e s e n t , I h a v e r e t a i n e d t h a t o f Falco f o r t h e
b i r d s u n d e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n ; b u t I a m n o t o f o p i n i o n t h a t C u v i e r a n d t h e o l d e r w r i t e r s w e r e r i g h t i n
g i v i n g t h e m a s e p a r a t e g e n e r i c a p p e l l a t i o n — t h a t o f FFierofalco; f o r t h e y c e r t a i n l y d o d i f f e r i n m a n y r e s p e c t s
f r o m t h e P e r e g r i n e s , f o r w h i c h t h e t e r m Falco i s r i g h t l y e m p l o y e d .
“ O f a l l t h e b i r d s u s e d i n f a l c o n r y i n t h i s c o u n t r y , ” s a y s J . C . B e l a n y , i n h i s ‘ T r e a t i s e o n F a l c o n r y , '
p r i n t e d f o r t h e a u t h o r a t B e r w i c k - o n - T w e e d , i n 1 8 4 1 , “ t h e G e r f a l c o n h a s e v e r b e e n r a n k e d t h e f o r e m o s t .
S u p e r i o r i n s t r e n g t h a n d a g i l i t y t o e v e r y o t h e r b i r d o f i t s s i z e , a n d e n d o w e d w i t h p o w e r s o f f l i g h t e q u a l l e d
b y n o n e t h a t w i n g t h e a i r , w i t h a c o r r e s p o n d i n g c o u r a g e , h e d a s h e s i n t o t h e a i r f e a r l e s s o f e v e r y o t h e r b i r d ,
h o w e v e r l a r g e ; n o r w i l l h e , a t t i m e s , h e s i t a t e t o d i s p u t e p r e c e d e n c e w i t h t h e ‘ m o n a r c h o f t h e s k i e s . ’ N o r
n e e d a n y o n e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e a n a t o m i c a l s t r u c t u r e o f t h i s b i r d w o n d e r a t h i s p o w e r . T h e b r e a d t h
o f t h e s t e r n u m , t h e d e p t h o f t h e k e e l a f f o r d i n g a v a s t e x t e n t o f s u r f a c e f o r t h e m u s c l e s t h a t m o v e t h e w i n g s ,
t h e f u r c u l a , c i r c u l a r , b r o a d , a n d s t r o n g , g i v i n g a f i r m s u p p o r t t o t h e s h o u l d e r s , w i t h h i s l o n g a c u m i n a t e d
w i n g s , a n d w i t h t h e f e a t h e r s f i r m , n a r r o w , a n d s o a r r a n g e d a s t o p i e r c e t h e a i r a n d r e s i s t p r e s s u r e , g i v e
h i m p o w e r s w h i c h f e w o f t h e f e a t h e r e d t r i b e p o s s e s s . M r . M u d i e c o n s i d e r s h i m t h e b o l d e s t , t h e m o s t
p e r f e c t l y w i n g e d , a n d , i n p r o p o r t i o n t o h i s w e i g h t , t h e s t r o n g e s t , b o t h f o r a c t i o n a n d e n d u r a n c e , o f a l l t h e
f e a t h e r e d t r i b e . " N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h i s a f f i r m a t i o n , I q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r t h e Hterofalcones a r e e q u a l i n e i t h e r
f l i g h t o r c o u r a g e t o t h e f e m a l e o f t h e t r u e P e r e g r i n e s .
L a t h a m , w i t h o u t d i s t i n g u i s h i n g o u e f r o m a n o t h e r , s a y s T h i s s p e c i e s , w i t h i t s v a r i e t i e s , has e v e r b e e n
i n m u c h e s t i m a t i o n f o r i t s u s e i n f a l c o n r y ; a n d I c e l a n d h a s t h e r e p u t a t i o n o f f u r n i s h i n g t h e m o s t g e n e r o u s
b r e e d . T h e K i n g o f D e n m a r k i s s a i d t o s e n d t h e r e a n n u a l l y t o b u y u p a l l t h a t c a n b e p r o c u r e d , t h e
e s t a b l i s h e d p l a c e b e i n g B e s s e s t e d , t o w h i c h t h e I c e l a n d e r s b r i n g t h e m a s s o o n a s t a k e n , t h e w h i t e o n e s
b e i n g i n m o s t e s t e e m : a n d t h e y m u s t b e v e r y d o c i l e ; f o r p e o p l e c a t c h t h e m , i n n e t s , o f a n y s i z e o r a g e . B e l l ,
i n h i s T r a v e l s i n R u s s i a , s a y s t h a t a b o u t Z a b a c h - Y e e r a n d C a s a n a r e c a u g h t t h e b e s t a n d l a r g e s t F a l c o n s i n
t h e w o r l d , w h i c h a r e p u r c h a s e d b y t h e T u r k s a n d P e r s i a n s ; t h e R u s s i a n s p r e f e r t h e o l d o n e s , w h i c h a r e
t a k e n i n n e t s w i t h a l i v e b i r d a s a d e c o y . T h e s e w i l l f l y a t S w a n s , H e r o n s , o r C r a n e s , a n d w i l l t a k e a D u c k
o u t ° f t h e w a t e r w h e n o n l y t h e b i l l a p p e a r s . T h e T a r t a r s a l s o f l y t h e m a t a n t e l o p e s a n d h a r e s . S o m e o f
t h e F a l c o n s a r e a s w h i t e a s a D o v e . ”
I cannot conclude without calling attention to the admirable delineations o f all these l a r g e n o r t h e r n
Falcons, for which I am iudebted to the pencil o f Mr. Wolf, whose abilities as an artist are s o justly
celebrated, and who thoroughly understands the subject. I trust they will be duly appreciated b v the
possessors of the present work, as I feel every one must have been delighted with the illustrations of Messrs.
Schlegel and Verster van Wulverhorst’s ‘Traité de Fauconnerie,’ by the same master hand.
m tf 'AlICRichter del ft M t
FALCO CARDIGANS*
Greenland F a lcon.da rk r a c e you n g . Hidler,Imp?