JER-FALCON. 65 
difference, but ‘me judice’ it is by no meaus an unfailing mark, 
being worn down by attrition, and varying in different indi- 
vidals; cere, dull yellow; iris, dull reddish brown. 
The female resembles the male, except in size, being rather 
larger, and the spots are broader, especially on the breast and 
sides. In the young bird the bill is dark blue, tipped with 
black; cere, bluish; iris, dark brown. All the upper parts 
are of a brown ash-colour; the feathers being edged with 
white: a dark streak descends from the corner of the bil 
down the side of the throat: all the feathers are margined 
with paler colour. The wings, nearly as long as the tail; the 
under parts brown, gradually becoming white, with large 
longitudinal brown spots; tail, barred with light brown; legs, 
greyish blue, or blue tinged with yellow; claws, dusky. 
In birds of less mature age, and which are by far the 
most ordinarily met with, the head, crown, and neck are pure 
white, or white with a few brownish black spots or streaks; 
the latter is rather short and thick, at least in its plumage, 
in some degree in this respect resembling the Owls. The 
nape, chin, and throat, pure white; breast, white, or slightly 
spotted or lined as the other parts; back, more or less spotted 
and mottled with blackish brown. ‘The wings are rather 
long, being, when closed, about four inches shorter than the 
tail; the second and third, and the first and fourth quills 
are respectively of nearly equal length; primaries, white, their 
tips dark and narrowly edged with white; larger and_ lesser 
under wing coverts, pure white. The tail, long, and slightly 
rounded at the end. In some specimens it is white, and in 
others barred alternately with blackish brown and white, or 
greyish white; the outer feathers are about half an inch 
shorter than those in the centre; tail coverts, white. The 
legs, bright yellow, or bluish grey, according to age; (Montagu 
says bluish ash-colour, and Bewick pale blue, but this is in 
the young bird;) they are short and robust, feathered more 
than half way down, and covered in front transversely with 
oblong scales, and behind with small round scales; toes, 
yellow, and covered with small scales; the second and fourth 
are nearly equal in length; the third the longest; the hind 
one the shortest: underneath they are very rough. ‘The 
claws, black and strong; the hind one being the longest. 
Montagu describes a bird, which he says appears to be a 
variety of this species, as follows:—‘It is white, with a few 
vol, I. sl 
— 
