l8o AIJ.ENS naturalist's LIBRARY. 



the overlying blotches being of the deepest chestnut, in fact 

 almost black. Some eggs are entirely clouded over with 

 lighter chestnut, while in others the buffy-white ground-colour 

 is conspicuous, and half of the egg is spotted with chest- 

 nut, with blotches and cloudings round the larger end, and 

 sometimes quite half the egg is clouded and blotched, while 

 the other half is only sparsely spotted. Axis, i"9-2"2 inches; 

 diam., i '6-1 75. 



THE TRUE FALCONS. SUB-FAMILY 

 FALCONING. 



The Falcons have the tarsus reticulated and covered with a 

 network of scales both in front and behind. They are also 

 distinguished by having a distinct notch or tooth in the bill. 

 The outer toe is connected to the inner toe by a membrane 

 near the base, and the tibia is considerably longer than the 

 tarsus, imparting a great strength to the leg, which is evidenced 

 by the way in which these birds strike down their prey in full 

 flight. As with all the other Sub-families of the Birds of Prey, 

 species of various form are included, from the feeble Kite-like 

 Cuckoo-Falcons on the one hand, to the dashing Peregrines 

 on the other. Licluded in this Sub-family are the tiniest of all 

 the Hawks, viz., the Pigmy Falcons or Falconets {Microhierax), 

 birds which do not exceed the size of a Butcher-bird in bulk, 

 feed on insects, and lay white eggs in the hole of a tree. These 

 little Falconets inhabit the Himalayas, the Burmese countries 

 to Southern China, as well as the Malayan Peninsula and the 

 Indo- Malayan islands. 



THE FALCONS. GENUS FALCO. 



Falco^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 124 (1766). 



Type, F. peregrinus^ Tunst. 



All the Falcons have a distinct tubercle, or pedestal, in the 

 centre of their nostrils, which are round. The foot is powerful, 

 and the talons curved and very sharp, the outer toe longer 

 than the inner toe. The wings are very pointed, and the 

 primaries far exceed the secondaries in length. 



The Falcons are found in nearly every part of the world. 



