186 BUTEO VULGARIS. 



Female. — The female is considerably larger than the male, 

 and although similar in colouring difters in several respects. 

 The colours of the bill, iris, and feet are the same as in the 

 male. The upper parts are of a darker and more uniform 

 brown, the bases of the feathers dull grey, and only white on 

 the hind-neck ; the whitish bands on the scapulars more ob- 

 scure. The wings and tail are coloured as in the male, only 

 the last brown bar on the latter is much broader than the rest. 

 The predominant colour of the lower parts is chocolate-brown ; 

 but the cheeks and throat are streaked with dull brownish- 

 white ; the fore-neck obscurely, the middle of the breast con- 

 spicuously transversely spotted or barred with yellowish-white, 

 intermixed with reddish ; the inner and anterior feathers of 

 the legs barred with brownish-red ; the lower tail-coverts 

 white barred with brown ; the lower surface of the wing as 

 in the male but much darker, the white patch consequently 

 more conspicuous. 



Length to end of tail 22 inches ; extent of wings 51 ; wing 

 from flexure 17 ; tail 9| ; bill along the ridge Ij'^^ ; tarsus 3 ; 

 first toe 1, its clawl^; second toe "|, its claw Ij ; third 

 toe 1.J, its claw l^V ; fourth toe 1^^^, its claw if. 



Another individual shot in Aberdeenshire, in May 1817, 

 was similar to the above ; the whole upper surface rich brown, 

 on the upper part of the back the feathers laterally margined 

 with light ferruginous, the scapulars and wing-coverts with that 

 colour and white ; the primary quills nearly black, glossed 

 with purple toward the end ; the secondaries nearly of the 

 general tint ; all with the inner webs edged with white, and 

 barred with a deeper shade of brown ; on its lower surface, 

 the wing much lighter, there being a white patch including 

 part of the inner webs of the five outer quills ; the coverts 

 barred with white, their ground colour being toward the base 

 light ferruginous, toward the end deep brown ; the tail deep 

 brown, barred with grey and reddish, or marked with alter- 

 nate bars of brown and brownish-grey, the last dark bar being 

 the broadest, and the tips red dish- wdiite ; nine dark bars on 

 the middle, and ten on the lateral feathers; on the lower 

 surface the prevailing colour brown, of a lighter shade than 



