FALCO SUBBDTEO 141 



FALCO SUBBUTEO, Linn»us. 

 HOBBY. 



Falco subbuteo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 127 (1766) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds 

 Brit. Mus. i, p. 395 ; Malherbe, Cat. Rais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 6 (1846) ; 

 Whitakcr, Ibis, 1895, p. 104. 



Hypotriorchis subbuteo, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 62 (1867). 



Falco subbuteo gracilis, Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1898, p. 461. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Bou-Chebka, Central Tunisia. 



Forehead and superciliaries pale buff ; crown and nape dark brown ; 

 ear-coverts and moustachial stripes blackish-brown ; two nuchal patches, 

 almost joining each other, pale buff, mingled with rufous ; rest of the upper 

 parts dark slate-grey, palest on the rump and tail, and darkest on the quills, 

 which are banded on the inner webs with rufous, as are also all the tail- 

 feathers, with the exception of the central pair ; chin, throat, and cheeks 

 creamy-white, breast, abdomen and sides of the body creamy-white, with 

 conspicuous longitudinal blackish markings ; crissum, under tail-coverts and 

 thighs rufous. 



Iris brown ; bill slate, darker at tip and yellowish at base, bare skin 

 round the eyes, cere and feet yellow. 



Total length 13 inches, wing 10-80, culmen 80, tarsus 1-20. 



The adult female resembles the male in colouring, but is rather larger, 

 the wing generally measuring about 11 inches. 



The young are very much darker on the upper parts, being dark brown, 

 with slight buff margins to the feathers ; crissum and thighs pale rufous. 



The Hobby is not uncommon in Tunisia, particularly during the 

 spring migration, and apparently occurs in the Regency throughout 

 the yeai', being most often met with in the more wooded localities 

 of the northern and central districts, where it nests. According to 

 Blanc, the bird is to be found in the neighbourhood of the town of 

 Tunis in winter, and examples of it occasionally are exposed for sale 

 in the Tunis game-market. 



In the southern districts of the Regency the species is more rarely 

 met with, this being no doubt due to the arid nature of the country, 

 and the absence of woodlands. 



In Algeria the Hobby appears to be common, and resident in the 

 more wooded districts. In Marocco it also occurs, although, accord- 

 ing to Favier, in the neighbourhood of Tangier it is only to be met 

 with on passage. From Tripoli I have no note of its occurrence. 



In its habits the Hobby is a true Falcon, being bold, courageous. 



