100 KESTRED. 
of young ones. Last year they did the same; but some 
mischievous boys took the young ones when just ready to 
fly. Though in every respect a wild bird as to his habits 
in the fields, he comes every day to the nursery window, and 
when it is opened, will come into the room and perch upon 
the chairs or table, and sometimes upon the heads of the little 
ones, who always save a piece of meat for him. His mate 
will sometimes venture to come within a yard or two of the 
house, to watch for him when he comes out of the room with 
his meat: she will then give chase, and try to make him 
drop it, both of them squealing and chattering to our great 
amusement. The male never leaves us; indeed he is so 
attached to the children, that if we leave home for a time 
he is seldom seen; but as soon as we return, and he hears 
the voices of his little friends calling him by name, he comes 
flying over the fields, squealing with joy to see them again. 
He is now so well known amongst the feathered tribes of the 
neighbourhood, that they take no notice of him, but will sit 
upon the same tree with him: even the Rooks appear quite 
friendly.’ 
Male; weight, about six ounces and a half; length, thirteen 
inches and a half, to even fifteen inches; Dill, pale blue, or 
bluish grey, the tip black, and the base close to the cere 
tinged with yellow; cere, pale orange, or yellow; iris, dark 
brown, approaching to black; the eyelids are furnished with 
short bristles; forehead, yellowish; head on the crown, ash 
grey, each feather being streaked m the centre with a dusky 
line; on the sides, the same colour tinged with yellow: there 
is a blackish grey mark near the angle of the mouth pointing 
downwards, and a line of the same along the inner and upper 
edge of the eye; neck and nape behind and on the sides, 
lead-colour, faintly streaked with black, with a purplish tinge, 
as is the case with the other black feathers; chin and throat, 
yellowish white, without spots; breast, pale yellowish red, 
each feather streaked with dark brown, and a spot near the 
end of the same; back, bright cinnamon red, the shafts of 
each feather being blackish grey, with a spot of the same 
colour near the end. 
The wings, which are rather long and broad, but narrow 
towards the ends, expand to the width of two feet three 
inches, and reach to within about an inch and a half from 
the tip of the tail: when closed they reach to within about 
two inches of it; greater wing coverts, brownish black, tinged 
