132 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



pellets and food refuse. The bird is a close sitter, and 

 views disturbance with little concern, the members of a 

 colony flying to and fro and in and out of their nest- 

 holes with little shyness or fear. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Lesser Kestrel are from four to seven in 

 number, five or six being the usual clutch. They are 

 globular in form, and yellowish-white in ground colour, 

 but very often this is so washed with surface colour as 

 to appear pale brick-red. The markings are pale and 

 dark orange-brown, and are generally washed over the 

 entire surface concealing the ground colour, but varieties 

 occur in which the spots and blotches are scattered, and 

 the pale ground shows distinctly between them. The 

 eggs of this species cover much the same range of 

 variation as those of the Common Kestrel and the 

 Orange-legged Hobby. Average measurement, v\ inch 

 in length by I'l inch in breadth. Incubation is per- 

 formed by both sexes, but the duration of the period is 

 unknown. 



Diagnostic characters : There is no constant 

 character by which the eggs of the Lesser Kestrel can 

 be distinguished from those of the Orange-legged Hobby. 

 They are on an average smaller. From eggs of the 

 Common Kestrel their small size and yellower tints — 

 orange not red — serve to distinguish them. They should 

 always be carefully identified. 



