cking it
up as they pass; whereas the true falcons 'pounce' down upon it from
above, and in a line nearly vertical."

"Then this must be a true falcon," interrupted Francois, "for I saw the
gentleman do that very thing; and beautifully he did it, too."

"It is a falcon," continued Lucien; "and of the many species of hawks
which inhabit North America--over twenty in all--it is one of the
boldest and handsomest. I don't wonder you never saw it before; for it
is truly a bird of the Northern regions, and does not come so far south
as the territory of the United States, much less into Louisiana. It is
found in North Europe, Greenland, and Iceland, and has been seen as far
north on both continents as human beings have travelled. It is known by
the name of 'jerfalcon,' or 'gyrfalcon,' but its zoological name is
_Falco Islandicus_."

"The Indians here," interposed Norman, "call it by a name that means
'winter bird,' or 'winterer'--I suppose, because it is one of the few
that stay in these parts all the year round, and is therefore often
noticed by them in winter time. The traders sometimes call it the
'speckled partridge-hawk,' for there are some of them more spotted than
this one is."

"True," said Lucien; "the young ones are nearly of a brown colour, and
they first become spotted or mottled after a year or two. They are
several years old before they get the white plumage, and very few
individuals are seen of a pure white all over, though there are some
without a spot."

"Yes," continued the naturalist, "it is the jerfalcon; and those other
birds which you call 'white partridges,' are the very creatures upon
which it preys. So you have killed both the tyrant and his victims. They
are not partridges though, but grouse--that species known as 'willow
grouse.'"

And as Lucien said this, he began to handle the birds, which were of a
beautiful white all over, with the exception of the tail feathers. These
last were pitch-black.

"Ho!" exclaimed Lucien, in some surprise, "you have two kinds here! Were
they all together when you shot them?"

"No," answered Francois; "one I shot along with the hawk out in the open
ground. All the others I killed upon a tree in a piece of woods that I
fell in with. There's no difference between them that I can see."

"But I can," said Lucien, "although I acknowledge they all look very
much alike. Both are feathered to the toes--both have the black feathers
in the tail--and the bills of both