FALCO iESALON. 105 



1857 a third. All these passed into Mr. Gurney's possession : one made its 

 escape not long after ; but I believe the other two, supposed to be females, are 

 still li\ang at Catton. The skins of the birds that were shot are now in the 

 Museum at Norwich. This egg was from one of two nests within a himdred 

 yards of each other. It was brought by an Arab ; but though Mr. Salvrn went 

 immediately to the spot, he was unable to see the bird.] 



FALCO iESALON, Linn^us. 

 MERLIN. 



[The series of Merlins' eggs recounted in the following notes has been 

 selected from about two hundred trustworthy specimens, more than three- 

 fourths of which have been simultaneously compared in fonning it. As it 

 stands, it may therefore be held a fair representation of what the eggs of this 

 species are really like. There are not many specimens in it which, taken 

 singly, could be pronounced from their appearance alone to be certainly 

 Merlins' ; but, taken as a whole, a purple tint is seen to be prevalent, which is 

 not discernible in the series of Kestrels' eggs lying in the same drawer, while 

 the average size of these latter is also greater. It vdll be seen that the 

 Merlin is also one of those birds of prej^ which are not constant in the choice 

 of a locality for their nests, sometimes breeding (as in the British islands is, 

 I believe, its usual habit) on the groimd, at others in trees.] 



§ 245. Three. — Orkneys, 1851. From Mr. George Harvey. 

 Out of seven, some of them beautiful varieties. 



§ 246. 8ix. — Sutherlandshire, 1852. 



Hewitson's ' Eggs of British Birds,' ed. 3. p. 31. 



These beautiful eggs from one of the men who accompanied me 

 when I was there. He says, " The male was one of the wicked- 

 est I ever saw. It was like to pick out my eyes when going to the 

 nest, and convoyed me about a mile on my way home. The nest 

 was among the heather." He also adds that it was about the size 

 of a Thrush ; tind from his description of the bird, and from the situa- 

 tion of the nest, there can be no doubt it was a IMerlin. I am not 

 sure I ever saw this bird whilst 1 was in Sutherlandshire, but I 

 heard the nest of one described. It certainly is not common there. 

 I think the partial colouring of these eggs remarkably fine. 



[Mr. Hewitson mentions (loc. cit.) that one of these, sent him by Mr, Wolley, 



