90 MERLIN. 
lowish white, the feathers on the side being tipped with brown; 
breast, pale reddish yellow, or brownish or yellowish white, 
marked with many oblong spots of dark brown, larger than 
those of the male; back and wings, brown mixed with rufous, 
the shaft and centre of each feather being darker, and the 
edge tipped with red; greater wing coverts, brown, edged with 
dull yellowish white or light rufous, the centre of the feathers 
being grey; lesser wing coverts, greyish brown, bordered with 
rufous, the shafts being black. Primaries, secondaries, and 
tertiaries, brownish black, spotted with light red spots on both 
the webs, and edged with red, the tips the same colour of 
a paler shade. Greater and lesser under wing coverts, brownish 
red, spotted and edged with yellowish white; tail coverts the 
same, edged the same. ‘he tail, which is greyish brown, or 
dusky, has five bars of very pale reddish brown or yellowish 
white spots, and the tip banded with greyish white; the side 
feathers have two light bars at the base; upper tail coverts, 
brown, edged with dull yellowish white; under tail coverts, 
white, with the exception of the feathers on the sides, which 
have each a line of brown. Legs, yellow, the long feathers 
streaked with brown; the shorter ones nearly white; toes, 
yellow; claws, black. 
The young birds when fully fledged, most resemble the adult 
female, but are lighter in colour; the males however less so 
than the females, and tinged with blue on the back. The 
former gradually assume more blue, but the latter change 
less. The centre of the feathers in the immature birds is 
dark brown edged with rufous, instead of being marked in the 
centre with grey. Bill, as in the adults; cere, dull yellow. A 
yellowish line extends over the eye; iris, brown, but subject 
to variations of shade, according to Selby; forehead, yellowish 
white; head streaked on the sides, which are yellowish red, 
with brown, and a band of the latter colour descends from 
the angle of the mouth; neck, yellowish behind, the feathers 
tipped with brown; chin, yellowish white; throat, yellowish 
white, the shafts of the feathers brown; breast, pale reddish 
yellow, streaked longitudinally with brown; back, dark brown, 
slightly tinged with blue, the feathers edged and marked with 
pale yellowish red in obscure spots, and streaked in the centre 
with dark brown or black; greater wing coverts, spotted with 
light reddish spots, and tipped with the same; primaries, very 
dark brown, indistinctly spotted on the outer webs with pale 
yellowish red, and tipped with the same, but paler; secondaries, 
