100 
The fifth ege has been known to weigh several grains less than 
either of those previously deposited and it has also less colouring 
matter spread over the shell than the others; both effects 
probably occasioned by the constitutional exhaustion the bird 
has sustained in her previous efforts. The young are hatched 
about the end of April, or the beginning of May, and are 
covered for some time with a yellowish white down.” 
In Scotland where the physical contour of the country more 
nearly resembles that of the tract within which in India our 
Kestrels breed, Macgillivray (I quote from Hewitson) says that 
“ twenty nests of this species might be pointed out on rocks, for 
one in a tree.’’ Hewitson adds that he is inclined to believe 
that the true Falcons very rarely make a nest for themselves, 
and I have no doubt that if observation be directed to this 
matter, it will be found that in the Himalayas, as elsewhere, 
the Kestrel often borrows or steals a nest originally belonging 
to some other bird. 
Mr. Blyth (Ibis, 1866) has the following remarks—“ There 
is a Tenasserim (Siamese province) Kestrel to which attention 
should be directed—Z. Saturatus, Blyth (J. A. 8. B. XXX VIL. 
p- 277) an adult female received from Yé is noticed in my 
catalogue of the birds in the Calcutta Museum (No. 69) as 
perhaps the female of a distinct race, remarkable for the 
great development of the black markings of its plumage. <A 
young female of the same race was subsequently obtained in 
which the cap is fuscous, with scarcely any indication of rufous 
margining the feathers. The fuscous colour also predominating 
over the rufous upon the whole upper plumage, and on the tail 
the rufous bands are narrower than the black bands. An adult 
male Kestrel, from the vicinity of Moulmain (though rather 
deeper coloured than usual) differed in no respect from the 
common J’. Alaudarius, or perhaps, though less probably, the 
adult male of JZ. Saturatus may prove to be less strongly 
distinguished, as indeed is exemplified by 7. Japonicus (Faun. 
Japon. Tab. 1 and 1b.) 7. Satwratus is quite distinct from 
T. Molliccensis (Hombr. et Jacq. voyage au Péle Sud ; Ois. tab. 
1 and 2).” 
With reference to the deeper coloured example from Moul- 
main I may remark, that the Southern Indian specimens in my 
museum, are markedly of a far deeper hue than any of the large 
series obtained by me in various parts of upper India. I cannot 
learn that the bird breeds in Southern India, but the intensity 
of the rufous colouring, recalling that of 7. Rupicolus or even 
the American Pecilornis Sparverius would from analogy lead us 
to suspect, a local southern race, and this should be carefully 
investigated by observers in Southern India. 
