Birds of the Philipjjine Islands. 529 



It will be seen from these tables of measurements that 

 northern examples of S. holospUus from Luzon, &c., are 

 considerably larger than birds from Mindanao and Basilan, 

 but even the latter are larger than Panay, Guimaras, and 

 Negros birds, and, taking into consideration the much paler 

 colour of the plumage in the birds from the latter islands, I 

 think that S. panayensis may fairly be recognized, as a distinct 

 form. 



In an adult female of S. liolospilus from Leyte the white 

 spots on the wing-coverts and scapulars are unusually 

 developed, each feather being ornamented with two or more 

 pairs of ocelli, the subterminal pair (which are not concealed) 

 being as clearly marked as the basal pair or pairs. This 

 gives the wings the appearance of being strongly spotted 

 with white, but is no doubt merely an individual character. 



2. Falco severus (Horsf.) ; Grant, Ibis, 1895, p. 439. 



A fine adult female of the Indian Hobby was obtained on 

 the 23rd of March. 



3. Falco ernesti, Sharpe ; Grant, Ibis, 1895, p. 438. 

 Falco atriceps, Eagle Clarke, Ibis, 1895, p. 476 [specimen 



examined] . 



Although Mr. Whitehead did not send home an example 

 of this very dark-coloured insular form of the Peregrine 

 Falcon, he met with the species breeding high up on the 

 Canloon volcano and managed to shoot one of the old birds, 

 but was unfortunately unable to secure it. He gives the 

 following interesting account : — " 1 have had one great 

 misfortune. I found the eyry of the Peregrine, and after 

 much trouble succeeded in reaching the top of the cliff above 

 the nest, but it was in such an impossible place — about 1000 

 feet straight drop — that I did not think it advisable to send 

 my men down by the miserably thin baggage-ropes to the 

 youngsters we could plainly hear squealing in the nest. 

 Both the old birds settled quite close, but always over the 

 edge of the precipice, and wlien at last I did shoot one it fell 

 and lodged on a ledge about halfway down the cliff. This 



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