Ornithology of Northern Africa. 289 



I met at Souf, a month later, with Falcons answering the 

 above description in every respect excepting size. They were 

 only 16i inches long, and no doubt the males of the same species. 



4th. Tair el h^ohr. I cannot say whether this be specifically 

 the F. lanarius or F. peregrinus, which latter never occurred 

 within my observation in the Desert. 



5th and 6th. El Bah^'i and El Bourni. The latter is certainly 

 Falco barbarus, as described by Mr. Salvin in 'The Ibis/ No. 2. 

 The El Bah'ri I believe to be only the falconer's appellation for 

 the female. I never was fortunate enough to meet with it in the 

 field ; but my informant stated it to be a long- winged Falcon, and 

 the best of all for partridge (El Hadjel) and " Klf-kif Bourni 

 khebir," — ^just the same as F. barbarus, but larger. 



7th. Ez Zebarbach is the name I have seen applied to the 

 Hobby when trained. I believe that the Erythropus vespertinus 

 (Orange-legged Hobby) is also sometimes trained under this 

 name ; or it may be Hypotriorchis eleonora, of which my in- 

 formant spoke as a small '' Tair Saouda/' or Black Falcon, used 

 by some for larks. 



I may mention that few Arab falconers keep their hawks 

 over the moult, usually turning them loose in their breeding- 

 places and securing the young ones. Hence, and fi-om the ex- 

 traordinary want of observation in the Arab, I suspect arises 

 much of the controversy which overlies the whole question of the 

 various species of Falcon. I should have felt inclined to have 

 inserted, for the sake of comparison, the description of my 

 Falco lanarius, had it not been procured in Tunis, and therefore 

 not a Sahara specimen. I can only state a confident belief, not 

 a positive assertion, that I have seen this bird in the Desert in a 

 state of nature. If any friend feel inclined to question the accu- 

 racy of the guesses advanced in this paper, I promise him no one 

 will be better pleased than myself to have the subject elucidated, 

 and I will not follow old Latham's retort, — 



" If any Criticke into censures breake, 

 Hee's but a Bussard, wee of Hawkes doe speake." 



9. Falco barbarus. (Barbary Falcon.) " Bourni," Arab. 

 Besides the trained birds with which I have chased the Sand- 

 grouse, I have occasionally seen this Falcon wild on rocky pre- 



