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Show 1875.J MR. H. E. DRESSER ON FALCO LABRADORUS. 115 confess that I lean to this opinion also. Should this be the case, this species assimilates to F. gyrfalco, in which the young birds are lighter than the adults, rather than to F. islandus and F. cqn-dicans, in which the adults wear a much lighter livery than the young birds. The synonymy of this Labrador Jer Falcon will be as follows:- FALCO LABRADORUS. Falco labradora, Aud. B. A m . pl. cxcvi. (1831). F. (Hierofalco) gyrfalco, var. labradora, Ridgway, N. A m . Birds, iii. p. 117(1874). Hierofalco gyrfalco(~Li), Sharpe, Cat. of Accipitres, i. p. 416 (1874, partim, nee Linn.). Mr. Ridgway (North A m . Birds, iii. p. 115) separates the American Jer Falcon from our European species, calling it MacFarlane's Gerfalcon, F. (Hierofalco) gyrfalco, var. sacer, Forst. ; but I feel convinced, from an examination of specimens from America, that there is no specific or even subspecific difference whatever between them. Some time ago Professor Spencer F. Baird courteously forwarded to me five specimens of Jer Falcons for examination, viz. :-a, 2 • Fort Anderson, Arctic America, 29th May, 1864 (MacFarlane) ; b, cS • Fort Yukon, Porcupine River (Captain F. J. Page) ; c, <3. Fort Yukon, Arctic America, June 1862 (J. Loekhart) ; d, $. America ; e. Fort Nescopee, Labrador (H. Conolly). Of these the first four (a, b, c, and d) are undoubtedly identical with the Norwegian Jer Falcon, the fifth (e) being the dark Labrador F. labradorus above referred to. Having a fair series of Jer Falcons in m y possesion, I made a critical comparison of the four American examples ; and m y notes, taken at the time, are as follows -.- Specimen a, an adult female, compared with a female of F. gyrfalco from Quickjock, Lapland. This specimen agrees so closely that I cannot trace the least difference either in coloration, measurements, or any thing else ; and as the two skins are made up much alike, I could not well tell them apart, except by the labels. Mr. Blanford, who is working with me, is also unable to discern any difference. Specimen b, a male, evidently adult, agrees closely with an old male from Lapland in m y collection, but has the head darker and less streaked with white, and the back is also bluer than that of the Lapland specimen. Doubtless the American bird is the older of the two. Specimen c, also a male, agrees tolerably well with m y male bird from Lapland, but bas tbe head darker. Specimen d, a female, agrees very closely with a female from Lapland. I have marked the specimens with which these American birds have been compared, and exhibit them herewith. Unfortunately the American specimens have been sent back, or else every one here present could have convinced himself of the specific identity of the two birds. Mr. Ridgway evidently lacked the materials which have been at my disposal, or he would doubtless have arrived at precisely the same |
