182 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



^ 252-266, 9 261-275. Tarsus 34-38. Bill 14-15. Young: 

 above, feathers with narrow dull rufous or reddish grey margins ; 

 beneath as in adult, but abdomen, etc., buff not chestnut. 



Breeds. — England and Scotland ; Continental Europe from 

 about 65° N. south to Mediterranean and Islands (chiefly on 

 passage in Mediterranean basin but some winter as well as 

 breed) ; Madeira, Caucasus, Urals to C. Asia. Migrates ; occurs 

 N. Africa on passage, and in winter tropical and S. Africa and 

 Asia, east to India. 



P. subbuteo jugurtha Hartert and Neumann. Upper parts 

 paler, abdomen, thighs, etc., paler chestnut. 

 Breeds. — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia. 



Palco columbarius aesalon Tunstall. Merlin. Fr. 

 Faucon emerillon ; Gcr. Merlinfaike ; Hal. Smeriglio ; Swed. 

 Stenfalk. 



^ Above slate colour with black shaft streaks, rufous on 

 hind neck ; tail barred black, tip white with a broad apical black 

 band ; beneath rufous buff with narrow dark streaks, thighs 

 striated ; quills black barred white on inner webs ; 2nd and 3rd 

 primaries longest, ist about equal to 4th. Bill bluish horn, tip 

 black, base below yellow. Cere yellow. Legs and feet pale 

 yellow. Iris dark brown. Wing $ 200-210, ? 210-231. Tarsus 

 35-38. Bill 11-13. 9 Above brown tinged grey, with black 

 shaft streaks, sometimes with rufous bars ; underparts reddish 

 buff with broad brown striations ; quills barred reddish ; under 

 wing coverts, axillaries, and flanks chestnut brown with large 

 white spots. Young very similar to 9- 



B7'eeds. — British Isles, Faroes, Iceland, Continental Europe 

 north of Baltic, N. Russia to about 68°, Swiss Mountains, W. 

 Siberia. Migrates ; occurs on passage in Urals and at Oren- 

 burg, also throughout S. Europe and in winter in Egypt, Palestine, 

 N.W. Africa, but many winter in S. Europe and some as far north 

 as British Isles. 



P. columbarius pallidus (Suschkin). ^ Above pale ashy 

 blue, ? paler, more rufous above than 9 " ^salon." 



Breeds. — Ural Valleys and Kirghiz Steppes ; occurs N.W. 

 India in winter. 



The typical race " F. columbarius columbarius " is American. 



