considered very rare accidental visitants to the Islands, it may be
interesting to some of my readers to mention that they may distinguish
them easily by colour, the Greenland, _Falco candicans_, being always
the most white, and the Norway bird--the Gyr Falcon of falconers--being
the darkest, the Iceland Falcon (the present species) being
intermediate. This is generally a good guide at all ages, but
occasionally there may be some difficulty in distinguishing young birds,
especially as between the Iceland and the Norway Falcon. In a doubtful
case in the Channel Islands, however, it would always be safer to
consider the bird an Iceland rather than a Norway Falcon.


5. PEREGRINE FALCON. _Falco peregrinus_, Tunstall. French, "Faucon
pèlerin."--The Peregrine can now, I think, only be considered an
autumnal visitant to the Islands, though, if not shot or otherwise
destroyed, it would, no doubt, remain throughout the winter, and might
perhaps have been resident, as Mr. MacCulloch sends me a note of one
killed in Herm in December. All the Channel Island specimens I have seen
have been young birds of the year, and generally killed in October or
November. Adult birds, no doubt, occasionally occur, but they are
comparatively rare, and it certainly does not breed anywhere in the
Islands at present, though I see no reason why it should not have done
so in former times, as there are many places well suited to it, and a
constant supply of sea-birds for food. Mr. MacCulloch also seems to be
of opinion that the Peregrine formerly bred in the Islands, as he says,
speaking, however, of the _Falconidae_ generally, "There must have been
a time when some of the species were permanent residents, for the high
pyramidal rock south of the little Island of Jethou bears the name of
'La Fauconnière,' evidently denoting that it must have been a favourite
resort of these birds, and there are other rocks with the same name."