70 FALCONID-E. 



France, and Italy. It lias been observed in Egypt in winter, 

 and several localities in Africa north of the equator have 

 been quoted as producing this bird. 



The specimen from Avhich the figure and the following- 

 description were taken measured twenty-six inches in length. 

 The beak is horn colour, cere and irides yellow ; the feathers 

 of the head and neck greyish white, streaked along the shaft 

 with ash brown ; the feathers of the back and wing-coverts 

 dark brown in the centre, broadly edged Avith rufous ; the 

 inner web of some of the tertials edged with white ; the pri- 

 maries nearly black : upper tail-coverts rufous ; tail-feathers 

 reddish brown, the outer webs of one uniform colour, the 

 inner webs barred with dark brown ; the outer tail-feather on 

 each side the darkest in colour ; the tail deeply forked : the 

 chin and throat, like the top of the head, greyish white, 

 streaked with dusky ; the breast, belly, and thighs, rufous 

 brown, each feather with a central longitudinal streak of dark 

 brown : the under surface of the wings, near the body, rufous, 

 with dark brown feathers edged with red brown towards the 

 outer part of the wing ; under tail-coverts plain rufous white ; 

 under surface of the tail-feathers greyish white, with the dark 

 bars of the upper surface showing through : the tarsi and 

 toes yellow ; the claws black. 



The females of this species are rather larger than the males; 

 but there is no very observable difference in the plumage : 

 females have the head more inclined to grey, with a more 

 decided red colour on the under surface of the body. 



