FALCO. 239 
Tris brown; bill and nails black; legs dark blue. Length of a male from 
Mindoro, 160; wing, 110; tail, 68; culmen from cere, 11; tarsus, 20. A 
male from Bohol measures: Wing, 110; tail, 63; culmen from cere, 13. 
A female from Luzon: Wing, 110; tail, 66 ; culmen from cere, 12. 
Young.—The immature male resembles the adult but the inner webs 
of primaries are barred or mottled with white. 
“Extremely local in its habits. Often found perching on a dead limb 
at the top of some tree, and may be met with in exactly the same place 
day after day. It feeds on insects and often leaves its perch on short 
flights in pursuit of its prey, promptly returning, however. When shot 
at but not killed it usually takes but a short flight, and returns at once 
to its favorite perch. Small flocks frequently found together. 
“Tris brown; legs and feet black; bill black. Nine specimens average, 
179 in length; wing, 108; tail, 62; culmen, 13; tarsus, 22; middle toe 
with claw, 21.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 
197. MICROHIERAX MERIDIONALIS Grant. 
GRANT’S FALCONET. 
Microhierax meridionalis GRANT, Ibis (1897), 220; SHARPE, Hand-List 
(1899), 1, 273; McGrecor and WorcEsTER, Hand-List (1906), 44. 
Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester) ; Mindanao (Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, 
Steere Exp., Celestino, Goodfellow) ; Samar (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester). 
“Adult male.—Similar to the male of MW. erythrogenys, but consider- 
ably larger; the under wing-coverts and inner webs of the primaries 
uniform black; and belly, vent, and under tail-coverts washed with pale 
fulvous. Length, 165; wing, 113; tail, 66; culmen (from cere to tip), 
13; tarsus, 22. The type of the male is from Zamboanga, southern 
Mindanao. 
“Adult female.—Similar to the male, but larger. Length, 183; wing, 
117; tail, 70; culmen (from cere to tip), 13; tarsus, 22. The type of 
the female is from the Island of Samar.” (Grant.) 
Grant’s falconet is a species of doubtful validity, but the name may 
be retained until more specimens have been examined. In M. erythro- 
genys the white bars on the primaries are due to immaturity and are 
not characteristic of the typical adult male. 
Genus FALCO Linneus, 1758. 
Bill stout, culmen strongly curved from front of. cere to tip; a well- 
marked tooth in edge of upper mandible; wings long and pointed, second 
primary longest, the first and third but little shorter; first primary with 
a deep notch near its tip; legs, feet, and claws strong, middle toe long; 
tarsus covered on all sides with small hexagonal scales. The falcons are 
powerful birds, strong and rapid in flight, and easily recognized by the 
rapid motion of the wings. 
