( 298 ) 

 ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A YOUNG KESTREL. 



BY 



A. GEOFFREY LEIGH. 



As up to the present little seems to be recorded regarding 

 the development and habits of nestlings and young birds, 

 perhaps a few notes on two young Kestrels [Falco 

 tinnunculus), which I reared last year, may be of interest 

 to readers of British Birds. 



On May 23rd one of the keepers in the district where 

 I live showed me a nest of this species containing five 

 eggs, incubation having already commenced ; these 

 I examined occasionally during the next month, but it 

 was not until June 20th that I found any young, the nest 

 on that date containing two chicks and two addled eggs, 

 the fifth having disappeared. One of the nestlings had 

 its eyes well opened, and was covered with thick white 

 down, with the exception of a small naked patch on the 

 breast ; from subsequent observations I concluded that 

 it was seven days old. The other chick had evidently 

 only been out of the shell a few hours, the down being 

 much sparser and the eyes closed ; from the fact of this 

 bird being only just hatched, it is evident that in this 

 case incubation lasted about twenty-eight days. 



Both adults being unfortunately killed, I took the two 

 chicks, and placed them in a box filled with sticks, with 

 a slight covering of dead grass, and for some time I fed 

 them on liver and bird-meat ; I had to have the elder 

 killed, owing to its breaking a leg, but the other, of which 

 I knew the exact age, I reared successfully, making careful 

 notes on the development of its plumage, which was as 

 follows : 



Between the ages of seven and ten days the colour of 

 the down completely changed from white to warm light 

 brown. As the birds were in the nest during this time 

 I could not make very minute examinations, but I am 

 convinced that this was a change in colour only and not 

 a fresh growth of down. During the same period the 



