LESSER KESTREL. 345 



especially on the tail. A young male in my possession showed 

 the grey rump and tail at the end of the second July, and 

 attained full dress on August 26. Unlike most other rap- 

 torial birds, there is little difference in the size of the sexes, 

 both showing great variation. In a number which Mr. R. J. 

 Howard and I measured, the wing measurements of males 

 were on the average slightly larger than of females. Length, 

 av. 14 ins. Wing, 9*5 ins. Tarsus, r6 ins. 



Lesser Kestrel. Falco tiantnanni Fleischer. 



The gregarious Lesser Kestrel is a bird of the Mediterranean 

 basin, where it often nests under the eaves of houses as well as 

 in more natural sites ; in winter it migrates to tropical Africa. 

 It has frequently wandered north and west in Europe, and 

 about ten have been obtained in the British Isles, single 

 examples in Scotland and Ireland. Most of these have been 

 mature males, from which we may guess that the visits of the 

 species are commoner than is supposed ; males are easier to 

 identify, and probably females have been overlooked, even 

 when shot. The bird is mainly an insect feeder, catching 

 grasshoppers and other insects on the wing. The male re- 

 sembles our Kestrel, but has no spots on the back, and the 

 secondaries are slate-grey. The female closely resembles our 

 bird except in size, but in both sexes one character is dis- 

 tinctive — the claws are white. Length, i2"25 ins. Wing, 

 9'2 ins. Tarsus, i*2 ins. 



Sub-order PANDIONES. Ospreys. 



The fish-eating Ospreys have, in common with the Owls, the 

 outer toe reversible, but the laterally placed eyes and absence 

 of facial disc agree with the Accipitres. The sole of the foot is 



