50 FALCONID.E. 



Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. It inhabits Germany and 

 France, and from tlience southward to the shores of the 

 Mediterranean. Mr. Strickland includes the Merlin among 

 the birds seen by him at Smyrna in the winter of 1885-6 ; 

 but it was considered rare : and Dr. Andrew Smith obtained 

 examples of it as far south as the vicinity of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. But this last may prove not to be identical 

 with the true Merlin of Europe. 



Dr. Richardson obtained two specimens of the Merlin in 

 the fur-countries of the North American continent, both of 

 them females, one of which is figured by IVIr. Swainson 

 in the Fauna Boreali-Americana ; but this bird is not 

 recognised by name as going so far south on that continent 

 as the United States, since it is not mentioned by Wil- 

 son or Mr. Nuttall. The work of Mr. Audubon not being 

 yet completed may still include it. 



The Merlin makes its scanty nest on the ground, laying 

 four or five eggs, mottled all over with two shades of reddish 

 brown, and measuring one inch seven lines in length, by one 

 inch three lines in breadth. In North Wales, the young 

 birds are called Stone Falcons ; but among Ornithologists the 

 Stone Falcon is considered to be an adult bird. It is not, 

 however, improbable that the habit of sitting on a bare stone 

 or portion of rock, by which this species has acquired the 

 name of Stone Falcon, is common to it at all ages, and in 

 other countries. In France it is called Le Rockier , and 

 Faucon de Roche ; and in Germany, Stei?i-Falke. This 

 bird occasionally builds on rocks. 



The Merlin measures from ten to twelve inches in length, 

 depending on the sex of the specimen. An old male has the 

 beak bluish horn colour, palest at the base, darkest towards 

 the tip ; the cere yellow, the irides dark brown ; the top of 

 the head blue grey, with dark lines passing backward ; the 



