FALCONIN. 17 
nous; cheek-stripe darker, beneath whitish, with a rusty tinge, 
and all the feathers with broad blackish-brown spots or streaks ; 
the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts ferrugi- 
nous, with a few brown streaks. 
The European Hobby is a somewhat rare winter visitant to the 
greater part of the region ; at Aboo it is not uncorhmon, but has 
not as yet been recorded from Central India, 
Falco xsalon, Tunst. 
15.—Hypotriorchis wsalon, Gm.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. I, 
p- 35; Murray’s Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 7; Hume’s 
Scrap Book, p. 89. 
THE MERLIN. 
6. Length, 11:25 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 5. 
2. Length, 13°5; wing, 9 ; tail, 5:5. 
Above, fine blackish-grey, darkest on the crown, and reddish, 
mixed with white, on the nape ; ear-coverts yellowish-grey ; quills 
blackish-brown ; tail grey, with a broad black band, white-tipped 
at the end; chin and throat white, the same tinged with ochrey on 
the breast and with reddish-orange on the abdomen, with dark 
brown spots. The female is browner than the male, with the 
markings more rufous, and the lower parts ochrey-white, tinged 
with rufous on the breast, and the spots larger and more numer- 
ous. 
The young bird has the head rufous, with dark streaks; and 
the rest of the plumage above brown, tinged grey, with dark 
shafts, and pale rufous edges; quills dark brown ; tail ashy-brown, 
barred with rufous; the chin is white, the rest of the plumage 
beneath pale ochrey-white, with broad brown marks reduced to 
lines on the thighs and under tail-coverts. 
The Merlin is another very rare visitant to Sind. 
Falco chiquera, Daud. 
16.—Hypotriorchis chiquera, Daud.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. 
I, p. 36; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. III, p. 444; 
Deccan and South Mahratta country, Stray Feathers,Vol. IX, 
p. 370; Murray’s Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 70 ; Swinhoe 
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 55; Hume’s Scrap 
Book, p. 91. 
THE RED-HEADED MERLIN. 
Turumti, Hin. 
$, Length, 11 to 12; expanse, 26; wing, 8 to 8:25; tail, 4°75 
to 6; tarsus, 1°5. 
?. Length, 18 to 14; wing, 85 to 9; tail, 5°5 to 6; tarsus, 
15. 
Cere, orbitar skin, and legs, bright yellow. 
Adult : head, nape, and cheek-stripe bright rufous; the rest of 
the plumage above fine pale grey ; quills dark slaty ; tail light grey, 
2 
