FALCONIDAE—FALCONS.
171
sion of one Watson, a tailor, at Newport; that another was obtained at Sandon
in 1840 ; and that another very fine specimen, said to be a male, was shot at
Audley End on June 1st, 1838. It was very tame, and " had assumed the ash-
colour on the head." Dr. Bree (32a) mentions " a female in breeding plumage "
shot at Wyvenhoe Park in June, 1867, and preserved by Cater for Mr. Hector
G. Rebow. Mr. Travis remembers (44. ii. lxxiv.) that a specimen was
shot at Newport about fifty years ago, and about forty years ago in September he
himself shot one, which is now in Lord Braybrooke's Collection, at Audley End.
A few days later another was shot almost at the same spot. He also records
(44. ii. lxxiii.) one shot near Strethall in September, about the year 1876,
as it was ransacking a wasps' nest. It was an old male, and is now in the posses-
sion of Mr. Edmund Emson. Mr. Travis very seldom receives them now. Mr.
Wm. White records one (44. ii. lxxiv.) caught on a hedge at Aveley on September
24th, 1881, and afterwards kept alive on bread and milk for several weeks. A
wasps' nest was discovered within a few feet of the spot. Another bird of the
same species was seen about on the same day and for a month afterwards. On
one occasion it was mobbed by Wood-pigeons.
Sir T. Fowell Buxton records (44. ii. lxxii. & 29. Oct. 1) that he saw a speci-
men near the same spot on Woodredon Hill, in Epping Forest, on three consecu-
tive days, 23rd to 25th September, 1881. Sir Fowell says that on the first
occasion,
"it rose from a bush of beech close to my feet, and flew with rather a heavy
flight to an oak about twenty yards off, where it remained for a few seconds.
On examining the bush I found it swarming with wasps, which began to fly out
on my touching the bushes. I then found pieces of wasps' comb lying on the
ground outside the bush, and the dead leaves scattered around."
The following day,
" on approaching the spot, we again saw the bird flying over the trees away
from us. Much more of the wasps' comb was lying about, and a large cavity
could be seen under the branches, where the nest had evidently been scratched
up and the contents strewn around."
On Sept. 26th, 1881, a young male (?) was shot (44. ii. lxxiii. & 29. Oct. I)
in the rectory garden at Great Chesterford and sent to Mr. Travis for preserva-
tion. When shot it rose from near a large wasps' nest, but Mr. Travis and myself
found in its stomach what appeared to be the remains of grasshoppers, small
beetles, and other insects. The bird was very fat. About the same time another
example was shot by one of Lord Braybrooke's keepers, near the Aviary at Audley
End. It is now in the Collection there. Mr. Charles Smoothy shot a very fine
female at Little Baddow on May 18th, 1888 (29. June 2). Its stomach contained
the remains of beetles and caterpillars, together with the shells and yolks of eggs.
He has one shot at Elmdon some years ago. Mr. Hope says it passes over regu-
larly every year, and mentions one shot at Upminster early in Oct., 1888.
Greenland Falcon: Hierofalco candicans, or It is impos-
Iceland Falcon : Hierofalco islandus. sible to decide
to which of these two species the specimens recorded below really
belong, as they have, until recently, been lumped together as " Gyr-
falcons." Both are rare winter visitors to Britain.
C. E. Smith, of Coggeshall, records one (31. 52) "shot close to the town
by Mr. William Gardiner, 1855." Of its present whereabouts, I know nothing.