317 



FALCO .ESALON. THE MERLIN FALCON. 



STONE FALCON. ROCK HAWK. SPARROW HAWK. 



Falco Litho-falco. Lath. Ind. Orn. I. 47. Adult Male. 

 Falco /Esalon. Lath. Ind. Orn. I. 49. Female and Young. 

 Stone Falcon. Mont. Orn. Diet. Append. Adult Male. 

 Merlin. Mont. Orn. Diet. Adult Male and Female. 

 Faucon Emerillon. Falco JLsalon. Temm. Man. d'Orn. L 27 

 Merlin. Falco Esalon. Selb. lUustr. I. 51. 

 Falco Esalon. Merlin. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 83. 



II. 13. 



The icings rchen closed about mi inch and a half shorter than 

 the tail, the inner icehs of the first and second quills abruptly cut 

 out toward the end. Male with the upper parts deep greyish- 

 hlue, each feather icith a black central line, the tail barred with 

 black, the lower parts light reddish-yellow, ivith oblong blackish- 

 broicn sjyots. Female with the upper parts greyish-broicn, ths 

 shaft-lines darker, the tail barred with pale reddish, the lower 

 parts yellowish-white, with large longitudinal markings. Young 

 tvith the upper parts broicn, spotted icith p)ale red, the lower 

 reddish-white, marked as in the female. 



Male. — The Merlin, which is the smallest British species of 

 its genus, is a very beautiful bird, of a form proportionally as com- 



