GYR FALCON. 153 



shortish, the head rather large and round. The bill is 

 shortish, but very thick and strong, the upper mandible 

 with the edges a little inflected, rather obtuse, with a 

 sliglit, sometimes obsolete, festoon, the tooth-like pro- 

 cess distinct, and rather rounded, the tip trigonal and 

 acute ; the lower mandible with the edges involute, the 

 tip directly truncate, the notch rounded. The legs are 

 robust and short ; the tarsi, which are feathered more 

 than halfway down, have their lower part covered an- 

 teriorly with transversely oblong scales, posteriorly with 

 smaller papillar scales; the toes are covered at the base 

 with small scales, in the rest of their upper extent scu- 

 tellate, scabrous and tuberculate beneath. The second 

 and fourth toes are nearly equal, the hind toe shortest, 

 the third longest, the fourth little longer than the se- 

 cond; the claws are strong, that of the hind toe largest. 



The plumage is compact, the feathers distinct ; those 

 of the head short and narrow, of the back rounded, of 

 the neck and breast oblong. The wings are long ; the 

 second and third quills nearly equal, as are the first 

 and fourth ; the first and second sinuated on the inner 

 margin near the end. The wings, when closed, are 

 about four inches shorter than the tail, which is long, 

 straight, slightly rounded, its feathers rounded and 

 acuminate. 



The bill is pale blue, the tips blackish ; the cere and 

 eyelids livid yellow ; the legs bright yellow ; the claws 

 black. Tlie general colour of the plumage is white, 

 the shafts of most of the feathers of the upper parts 

 greyish-blue, with a spot of the same on many, and the 

 quills and tail feathers barred with dusky ; the throat, 

 abdomen and lower wing-coverts pure white. 



