FALCONING. 21 



reaching nearly to the end of the tail, the first one or two quills 

 notched internally, the 2nd quill longest ; the tail rather short ; tar- 

 sus short, strong, reticulated, feathered at the knee ; toes long, 

 scutellated, the middle toe very long, outer toe longer than the inner ; 

 claws long and sharp, inner fore and hind claw very large. 



This genus comprises the most typical Falcons, and are found 

 all over the world. They are birds of large size mostly, and the 

 changes of plumage they undergo are greater than in most others 

 of the family. They have a dark cheek stripe more or less con- 

 spicuous. Of late they have been sub-divided into three lesser 

 groups, which I shall merely indicate here. The first group com- 

 ])rises the Peregrines, the second, the Learners ; and the third, 

 the Jerjalcons. 



Peregrines — Falco, as restricted. 



These are distinguished from the other two groups by their 

 longer wings, shorter tail, longer toes, a more marked cheek stripe, 

 and darker plumage. 



8. Falco peregrinus, Gmel. 



F. Communis, Briss — F. Calidus, Lath., (the Indian variety) — 

 F. JMicrurus, Hodgs. — Jerd., Cat. 27. — Blyth, Cat. 33 — Horsf., 

 Cat. 18— Gould, Birds of Europe, pL 21— PI. enl 430, 421— 

 Blujri, H. (the female) ; Blu/ri bacha (the male) — Bhjri Dega, 

 Tel. — Dega, i. e., ' the Hawk' par excellence of the Yerklees.* 



The Peregrine Falcon. 



Descr. — Young bird above dark brown, most of the feathers 

 edged with paler and somewhat rufous brown ; head more edged 

 with whitish, especially the hind liead ; clieek stripe brown ; wings 

 darker brown than the back, with pale rufous spots or bars on the 

 inner webs ; the tail dusky cinereous, with numerous interrupted 

 pale rufous, or rufous white bars ; beneath white or creamy, with 

 brown oval spots, longitudinal and narrow on the throat and 

 breast, wider and ovate on the abdomen. 



* It is (lie litis of tlie liucliun.iiih iiiul JJasi of thu IVisiiiDS uccoiiliDg to Puliiis. 



