76. HIEHOFALCO. 419 



margins, with one or two creamy buft' spots, as have also the old 

 feathers which remain ; quills dark brown, the secondaries margined 

 with whitish near the tip, and coloured as above described, the 

 feathers white underneath at the base, notched with greyish near 

 the shaft, the notches developing into bars towards the tip ; tail 

 greyish brown, tipped and spotted with white on the outer web, these 

 spots being rather more oval on the inner, the middle feathers 

 scarcely marked at all "uath faint white or buff spots, which are quite 

 obsolete near the base ; top of the head dark brown, slightly tinged 

 with rufous and streaked with white ; frontal band and a broad line 

 over the ear-coverts and the hinder neck white, the two latter 

 mottled with dark brown ; lores, feathers under the eye, and upper 

 margin of ear-coverts greyish brown ; a narrow cheek-stripe dark 

 ■brown ; sides of face and neck white, the former narrowly streaked 

 with brown, the latter plainly dotted with triangular spots of the same; 

 throat, vent, and under tail-coverts white ; rest of under surface 

 white, with conspicuous rounded spots of dark brown on the breast, 

 becoming more oval and longitudinal in shape on the lower breast 

 and sides of the body ; under wing-coverts brown in the centre, with 

 broad white edges. Total length 17 inches, culmen 1-3, wing 14-7, 

 tail 12-5, tarsus 2*1. 



Ohs. The adult bird described is an ordinary old Saker, the fully 

 adult or aged bird being very rare indeed. When in its complete 

 dress this Falcon looks like a gigantic Kestrel, all the feathers of the 

 upper surface, as well as the tail, being barred with pale rufous ; 

 the under parts are rich creamy white, with a few blackish spots on 

 the lower breast and abdomen, taking the form of bars on the flanks ; 

 the under wing- coverts are also spotted and barred with blackish. 

 The head is rufous, with blackish central streaks to the feathers ; 

 forehead and cheeks whitish, the ear-coverts tinged with rufous, the 

 feathers under the eye and a moustachial stripe blackish brown ; on 

 the upper surface there is a slight shade of grey, especially on the 

 inner secondaries and upper tail-coverts. In this state of plumage 

 the bird is H. milvipes of Hodgson and If. hendersoni of Hume. 



Hah. South-eastern Europe ; X.E. Africa, extending thence 

 through Central Asia to Xorthem China. 



Baron A. von Hiigel [P.]. 



E. B. Sharpe, Esq. [P.]. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. [P.J. 



Dr. Henderson [C.]. Type of 

 F. hendersoni. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.;. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.' 

 Type of F. milcipes. 



Parchased. 



Zoological Society. 



2 f2 



