46 FALCONIDE. 



The upper figure in tlie wood-engraving represents a young 

 female ; the lower figure is that of an adult male. 



After their first change, the plumage of the males is much 

 more uniform than that of the females. In the adult male, 

 the base of the beak is yellowish white, the other part dark 

 horn colour ; the cere and eyelids reddish orange, the irides 

 dark brown ; the head, neck, back, upper surface of the wings 

 and tail, the throat, breast, and belly, of a uniform dark lead 

 colour ; the thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts, deep ferru- 

 ginous ; the legs and toes reddish flesh colour ; the claws 

 yellowish white, with dusky tips. The whole length of the 

 bird eleven inches. 



The plumage of the young males before their first change 

 is similar to that of young females, which will hereafter be 

 described. At their first change, they become of a uniform 

 pearl grey ; the thighs and flanks ferruginous ; beak, cere, 

 eyes, legs, toes, and claws, as in the old male. The repre- 

 sentation used as a vignette is taken from a young male bird 

 that has nearly completed his first change, but still retains a 

 portion of the barred appearance of his first livery on the 

 outer or distal part of the wing, on the lower part of the 

 back, and the tail-feathers, the central pair only of which are 

 as yet moulted. 



The adult female has the beak, cere, irides, legs, &c. as in 

 the male ; the head and back of the neck reddish brown ; the 

 eye surrounded with dusky feathers almost black ; the 

 whole of the back, wing-coverts, and tail-feathers, blackish 

 grey, barred transversely with bluish black ; upper sur- 

 face of the wing-primaries uniform dusky black. The 

 chin and throat nearly white ; the breast and all the under 

 surface of the body pale rufous, with dark reddish brown lon- 

 gitudinal streaks ; the thighs and their long feathers plain 

 rufous ; under wing-coverts rufous, with transverse bars of 



