160 FALCO PEREGRINUS. 



shortish, thick, and strong ; the upper mandible with 

 the edges sharp, slightly inflected, with a distinct pro- 

 cess toward tlie curvature, having on either side a 

 rounded sinus, the tip trigonal, descending obliquely, 

 and acute ; the low^er mandible involute at the edges, 

 the tip directly truncate, the notch distinct. The legs 

 are robust and short ; the tarsi, which are feathered 

 more than half-w^ay down, are covered all round with 

 reticularly arranged scales, the anterior larger, broad, 

 and subhexagonal, the posterior small and rounded ; 

 the toes are robust, covered above with scutella, sca- 

 brous and tubercular beneath ; the second and fourth 

 toes are nearly equal, the hind toe shortest, the third 

 longest, the third and fourth connected by a membrane 

 at the base. On the first toe are six, on the second 

 nine, on the third seventeen, on the fourth ten scutella. 

 The claws strong, rounded on the ridge, rather com- 

 pressed, acute, narrow, and marginate beneath. 



The plumage is compact on the upper parts, firmer 

 and stronger than in any other British bird of the fa- 

 mily ; the feathers of the back rounded, of the neck 

 and breast anteriorly broad and rounded, of the sides 

 long, all acuminate ; of the tibite long and rounded. 

 The space between the bill and the eye with bristle- 

 tipped feathers. Wings very long and pointed ; pri- 

 mary quills of moderate breadth, attenuated towards 

 the end, the first quill with a sinus near the end inter- 

 nally, the second longest, the first a little shorter, the 

 third iiearly as long as the first ; secondaries thirteen, 

 curved inwards, broad, obtuse with an acumen. Tail 

 about half an inch longer than the closed wings, slight- 

 ly rounded, the feathers broad and rounded. 



