MERLIN FALCON. 319 



trils roundish, nearly a twelfth in diameter, with a central pa- 

 pilla. The aperture of the ear roundish, rather large, three- 

 twelfths in length. 



The tarsi, which arc feathered anteriorly more than a third 

 down, are short, slender, somewhat compressed, covered with 

 angular scales, of which the anterior are much larger, and four 

 over the joint are scutelliform. The toes are slender, scutellate 

 above, prominently padded beneath, the anterior connected by 

 short basal webs, the first short, with eight, the second con- 

 siderably shorter than the outer, and Avith ten, the third long, 

 with twenty-one, the fourth with eleven scutella. The claws 

 are well curved, long, slender, narrowed beneath, and tapering 

 to a fine point. 



On the upper parts the plumage is compact, on the lower 

 blended. On the head the feathers are short, ovato -lanceolate, 

 and acuminate, on the other parts oblong, on the sides and 

 outer part of the tibia elongated. The cere is bare above, the 

 loral space covered with radiating bristle-tipped plumelets. 

 The wings are long, rather broad, narrowed tov/ard the end ; 

 the primaries strong, tapering, obtuse, the second longest, the 

 first nine-twelfths, the second one-twelfth shorter ; the first and 

 second with the inner web abruptly cut out near the end, the 

 third slightly sinuate ; the secondary quills thirteen, broad, 

 rounded, and somewhat incurvate. The tail is long, nearly even, 

 but with the lateral feathers four-twelfths shorter than the next. 



The bill is pale blue at the base, bluish-black toward the 

 end ; the cere and bare parts about the eye greenish-yellow ; 

 the irides darlc-brown ; the feet orange-yellow, the claws black. 

 The inside of the mandibles is pale blue, the palate of a dark 

 leaden blue, the tongue flesh-coloured, with its horny part blue. 

 The general colour of the upper parts is a deep greyish-blue, 

 each feather with a central black line. The anterior part of 

 the forehead, the loral space, and the cheeks are greyish- white, 

 with blackish lines ; over the eye is a greyish-white line, mar- 

 gined beneath with black, of which there is also a semicircular 

 line anterior to the eye. On the hind-neck is a broad half 

 collar of pale red, with small lanceolate black spots. The 

 edge of the wings is whitish ; the alula and primary coverts 



