Falco babylonicas and Falco barbarus. 163 



the Indian Central provinces on 16th December, 1869, and 

 agrees in coloration with the most fully adult males (as I 

 conceive them to be) of F. babylonicus, but is a slightly 

 larger bird. 



Elaborate measurements of this specimen, taken from it 

 whilst in the flesh, are quoted by Mr, Hume in ' Stray Fea- 

 thers,' vol. i. p. 21, and from these I extract the following 

 for comparison with others above recorded, viz. ; — wing 11 '40 

 inches, tail 6*40, tarsus 1*80, middle toe s. u. 1*80. My own 

 measurements, taken from this specimen in the skin, give a 

 slightly different result, viz, : — wing 11*70, tail 5*60, tarsus 3, 

 middle toe s. u. 1"90. 



Mr. Hume, writing {he. cit.) of this Falcon, and of the male 

 obtained by Dr. Stoliczka in Cutch, of which I have already 

 given my measurements, states that he at first referred both 

 of them to F. babylonicus, but subsequently became convinced 

 that they were a male and female of F. barbarus, and adds 

 " in both specimens the sexes were ascertained and recorded 

 by, I need not say, careful observers." 



Notwithstanding the strong evidence of Mr. Hume's state- 

 ment, I cannot but suspect that some accidental error may 

 have occurred in determining the sex of the supposed female 

 specimen, and that in reality it is not a female of F. barbarus, 

 but an unusually large and very adult male of F. babylonicus, 

 and I conceive that some confirmation of this suspicion arises 

 from the circumstance that on the ticket attached to this 

 specimen, presumably by the collector, a blank space was 

 left for the sex, which has been filled with the word " female " 

 in a different handwriting from the rest of the ticket, and 

 with a different ink, red instead of black. 



The following are measurements which I have taken from 

 specimens of F. babylo7iicus which were marked as females 

 either by the collector or the taxidermist employed ; except 

 where otherwise described, the birds are all adult, and all 

 preserved in the British Museum : — 



M2 



