MERLIN. §9 
to about two feet four inches, have the primaries black, or 
blackish or bluish brown, tinged with grey—the outer margin 
of the first spotted with white, the inner webs spotted trans- 
versely with white; underneath they are of a paler colour, 
barred with white: the third feather is the longest, but the 
second is nearly as long; the fourth a little longer than the 
first; the fifth an inch shorter; secondaries, deep greyish blue, 
and curved inwards—the shafts black; tertiaries also greyish 
blue. Greater and lesser wing coverts, bluish grey—the shafts 
of the feathers black; greater and lesser under wing coverts, 
yellowish white, with dusky spots and streaks. The tail bluish 
grey; it generally has, but is sometimes without, from even 
only one, but commonly from three or five to six, and, ac- 
cording to Pennant, eight, and even thirteen dark bands; 
viz:—in the proportion of six on the middle feathers, to eight 
(probably age is the cause of the gradual difference in their 
number,) on the side ones, but which merge apparently into 
the smaller-named number—the last being the largest and 
darkest. The tail is five inches long; the feathers are twelve 
in number, being of nearly equal length, broad, and rounded: 
the tip is white, underneath it is barred with darker and 
lighter shades of grey, with the broad band and white tip. 
Legs, yellow, feathered in front more than one third down, 
and reticulated. The feathers are rufous, with dusky streaks; 
toes, yellow; the first the shortest; the third the longest; the 
fourth a little longer than the second: the front ones are 
connected at the base by a short membrane; claws, black. 
The female differs considerably from the male; upper parts 
dark bluish grey, tinged with brown—the feathers streaked with 
black; under parts yellowish white, with large brown spots. 
Weight, about nine ounces; length, about twelve inches and 
a half, occasionally as much as thirteen and a half or fourteen 
inches; bill, light blue, tipped with black. From the angle 
of the mouth extends a band of brown, formed by the markings 
on the middle of the feathers; cere, yellow; iris, as in the 
male; forehead, yellowish white; a yellowish line edged on the 
under side with blackish brown, extends over the eye; head, 
dark rufous brown, the feathers edged at the tip with red; 
crown, reddish brown, with dusky black streaks down the 
shafts of the feathers; neck, behind yellowish white, the feathers 
tipped with brown: there is a ring round it of yellowish white, 
streaked and spotted with dusky brown. The nape, inclining 
to rufous, and as the crown; chin and throat, white or yel- 
