366 Letters, Announcements, S^c. 



frequently breeds in Afghanistan, and offered to send me some 

 nestlings. As this Falcon is no favourite of mine, I declined 

 the offer ; but he sent down some to the Regiment of Guides 

 quartered at Hoti Murdan, and these birds were flown with 

 success at ravine-Deer. 



Talco babylonicus. 



Tiiis Falcon is very highly prized about Rawul Pindee, 

 Peshawur, Euzussaie, and Kohat (it is flown from the air at 

 Ducks) ; and I have lately had some very good Hawks of this 

 species. The old Falcon alluded to as belonging to Captain 

 Griffiths was fifteen years old when I saw her in fine flying order 

 at Peshawur, her previous owner having moulted her seven 

 times, and she had moulted seven times in Captain Griffith's pos- 

 session. She was a perfect game- Hawk. I ought not to have 

 said that I had seen some examples of this Falcon with heads 

 " as red as in F. chicquera," but ^' nearly as red." But there are 

 always grey markings, m.ore or less, through the rufous, how- 

 ever strong the rufous colour may be. One adult bird which I 

 brought home alive from India last December in beautiful 

 plumage, has much grey marking through the rufous on the 

 head ; but probably this year there will be less of the grey. She 

 is in high health and beauty, and has begun to moult. 



Falco severus. 



This beautiful little Falcon (not noticed as yet by Dr. Jerdon in 

 his Supplementary Notes) I find mentioned in my memoranda 

 as bearing apparently the same relation to F. subbuteo that F. 

 peregrinator does to F. peregrinus. It is local, while F. subbuteo 

 is migratory ; its colouring is deeper, and its feet and beak are 

 stronger than in F. subbuteo, in a degree exactly corresponding 

 with the differences as to colours and proportions between the 

 two larger Falcons. 



I observed exactly the corresponding differences between 

 Cuculus himalmjanus and C. canorus. It seems very curious that, 

 in addition to their Hawk-like markings. Cuckoos should re- 

 semble .the Hawks in these respects also. 1 was reminded of 

 my remarks the other day on looking at a beautiful adult speci- 

 men of F. severus, now in the hands of Mr. Edwin Ward, which 



