of Central Bulgaria. 41 1 



myself in readiness for the other bird. On coming to the foot 

 of the tree, we stationed ourselves one on either side of it, 

 shouted and made a great noise, but all to no purpose ; no seeond 

 bird appeared, nor could I distinguish anything like a bird on 

 the nest. I began to think that the birds had been too wise to 

 trust again to their former device ; however, to make quite sure 

 of the fact before ascending the tree, my friend fired, when to 

 our no little surprise out flew a bird like an arrow ; and, as it 

 came my way, I had the satisfaction of bringing it down. On 

 ascending the tree I found that the nest contained two eggs, 

 which, with the female bird I had shot, I brought away with me, 

 being well satisfied with the result of my morning's walk. 



The eggs are of a slightly elongated oval form, and differ 

 from the generality of Falcon's eggs in being decidedly more 

 pointed at the smaller end. The two eggs taken by me from the 

 same nest, as before described, are similar in form, but they differ 

 much in markings ; of one the ground-colour is light red covered 

 all over with small spots and blotches of bright red, the blotches 

 being larger and darker at the larger end ; the other egg has a 

 ground-colour of dirty reddish-white, covered with small spots 

 and rather large blotches of a dirty red, the blotches being fewer, 

 larger, and more distinct than on the other egg^. 



Falco LANA.BIUS, Linn. Lanner. 



Out here the Lanner appears to be even less common than 

 the Saker ; but whereas the Saker seems to affect the wild wastes 

 of down and moorland, the Lanner is more equitably distri- 

 buted, and is occasionally to be seen in all parts of the country. 

 I have seen it near the lower lake of Devna, in the Pravidy 

 Valley, and in the neighbourhood of Shitangick — three localities 

 as dissimilar as possible. In April 1866 a pair bred among the 

 rocks in the Pravidy valley ; the nest contained four eggs, which 

 my friend ]\Ir. Bohenskil secured for me. They much resemble 

 those of the Peregrine Falcon, but are larger and more pointed 

 at the small end than any Peregrine's egg in my possession ; 

 the ground colour is light brown, and they are marked all over 

 with very small spots of a light reddish colour ; in some parts 

 the spots are so close together that they entirely hide the ground. 

 * [Cf. Ibi.s 18W, pp. 377, 378, pi. xii. fig-. 1.— Ed.] 



N. S. VOL. IV. 2 P 



