70 FALCONID^. 



Falco gesalon, GmeL Syst. Nat. i. p. 284; Tlrugl. Orn. N. 0, 

 Afric; Hypotriorcliis assalou, Gray. Gen. B. i. p. 20.; Jerd. B. of 

 Lid. vol. i. p. 35. Lithofalco ffisalon, Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 89; 

 Jerd. Ills, 1871, p. 242; 3Iurray, Edbk., ZooL, Sf-c, Sind, p. i08. Falco 

 regulus, Pall Beis. Riiss. Reichs II. Anliang, p. 707; Gmel.Syst. Nat. 

 i. p. 285; Sliarpe, Gat. Ace. Br. Mas., p. 406. — The Merlin. 



Adidt. — Above clear slaty blue, paler on the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts, the black shafts on all the feathers distinctly indicated. 

 Head dark slaty, with broad shaft-stripes; forehead, lores and sides 

 of the face whitish, the feathers with dark mesial streaks. Eyebrow 

 and nape strongly mixed with rufous. Ear-coverts tinged with grey 

 on the hinder part ; chin and throat pui'e white. Sides of the neck 

 and entire under parts white, washed with rufous, the feathers dark 

 shafted ; under wing-coverts white, spotted and barred with black. 

 Quills black, the inner web barred with greyish white and the outer 

 washed with bluish grey near the base. Inner secondaries concolorous 

 with the back, dark shafted. Tail slaty blue, tipped with white, with 

 a broad subterminal black band. Cere yellow ; bill bluish horn colour, 

 darker at the tip ; feet yellow ; icis dark brown. 



Length. — Male, head and body 10 to 11*25 inches, wings 7'75to8, 

 tail 4"6 to 5, tarsus 1*45. Female browner in colour, under surface 

 less rufous; length 12 to 13 inches. 



The young bird is like the adult female in colour, but tinged grey, 

 with dark shafts and rufous edges to the feathers ; the head rufous, with 

 dark streaks, the tail ashy brown^ barred with rufous and with a white tip. 



Rah. — Sind, Kutch, Punjab, Beloochistan, and Afghanistan. The 

 whole of Europe and Northern Asia, extending into India and China. 



Falco chiquera, Baud. Traite, ii. p. 121 ; Blyth, Gat. Mus. As. 

 8ocy. Beny. p. 14; Sliarpe, Cat. Ace. Br. Mus. p. 403. Hypotriorchis 

 chiquera, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 20 ; Jerdon, B. Iiid. i. p. 36, No. 16 ; 

 Murray, Hdbk., ZooL, Sj'c, Sind, p. 108. Chiquera typus, Bp. Bev. et 

 Mag. de. ZooL p. 536, 1854; Hume, Str. F. i. p. 167. Lithofalco 

 chiquera, Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 91 ; Anderson. P. Z. S. 1871, 

 p. 681. The Turrumti, Hind. — The Red-headed Merlin. 



Adidt Male. — Crown, nape and neck, and sides of the neck chestnut ; 

 forehead white ; sides of the face, chin, throat and neck white, except 

 a faint, short, moustachial stripe. Eyebrow and a narrow streak 

 below the eye, black ; back, scapulars, tertiaries, wing and primary 

 coverts and secondaries slaty blue, the feathers with dark shafts and 

 barred with dark brown. IPx'imaries dark or .blackish brown, their 

 inner webs barred with white. Under wing-coverts white, barred with 

 blackish brown ; breast white, some of the feathers with dark shaft- 

 streaks ; rest of under surface white, barred transversely with black. 

 Tail like the back, the feathers barred with black, tipped white and with 

 a broad subterminal black band. Cere, orbits and feet yellow. Claws 

 black; bill greenish yellow at base, black at the tip; irides light brown. 



Length. — 11'5 to 12 inches, wing 8*25, tail 4-75 to 6, tarsus r5, 

 culmen 0*85. 



