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large blotches of colour. Mr. R. Thompson sends me the fol- 
lowing note on this species, “In October, on the highlands, 
immediately below the snow, both young and adult birds are 
met with in abundance. Of the young, several that I killed, 
appeared not to have long left the nest; they were hawking 
about for insects, and often swept past close to where I was stand- 
ing. I think they are strictly migratory, only appearing as a 
rule within our territories early in October, though I have seen 
a few adults at Nynee Tal as early as 15th September. 
“T have been a close observer of these birds for some years now, 
yet I cannot say, I ever saw one take a bird in the wild state. 
Hundreds I have seen hawking about, but taking nothing but 
insects. Those shot under the snows on the high bare boogiais, 
had nothing but insects in their stomachs. Many, are taken in 
the cold weather, in the plains, and trained to fly at the Hoopoe, 
Upupa Nigripennis, affording wonderful sport; also at Dicrurus 
Macrocercus which, from their undulatory flight, are very diffi- 
cult for the little Falcon to strike. The Hobby is a courageous 
bird, especially in self-defence. I have seen them, after being 
bullied by Crows, turn on these, and strike them almost to the 
ground, with repeated blows.” 
This bird seems to have a very wide range. It is found 
throughout Europe, in north and south Africa, (including 
Egypt), Palestine, and northern China. 
A male in Col. Tytler’s collection, answers Jerdon’s descrip- 
tion of the adult bird well enough, but the whole upper surface 
is a black brown, of much the same colour as the cheek stripe; 
there appears to be a broad half collar of buffy white, the feathers 
only narrowly tipped with the brown. The chin and throat are 
pure white, the breast and abdomen, deep brown, the feathers, 
edged with rusty white. The primaries, with a few spots, or 
obsolete bars, of greyish white, very slightly tinged in some with 
rufous. The tail, a warm, clove brown, the inner webs of the 
laterals, with obsolete rufous bars. What is noticeable about 
this bird, is, that it is neither slaty, as all adult true Hobbies 
are described, nor have the feathers, the pale or ferruginous 
edgings of the young; it is, I suppose, in an intermediate stage. 
A very fine female that I procured at Kotegurh, which was 
only 14°5 inches long, had the wing no less than 11:5, she had 
the lores, narrow frontal band, and well marked supercillium, 
white; the cheek stripe, (which was very broad) and a broad 
patch behind, and below the eye, including the ear coverts, were 
blackish brown, and the upper portion of the head and nape, 
dusky slaty, each feather, rather narrowly centred with blacktsh 
brown, and some few of the feathers, with a trace of excessively 
