176 FALCONIFORMES 



CHAP. 



wandered to England, and ranges from the Pyrenees, Styria, and 

 the Orenburg district to Bokhara and North Africa. It some- 

 times occurs further north, and in winter reaches Cape Colony ; 

 the Indian and Chinese race, distinguished as T. pekinensis, having 

 strayed to the Transvaal. T. sparverius, the " Sparrow-Hawk " of 

 America from the Great Slave Lake to Colombia, which occasion- 

 ally feeds on snakes, and breeds in Woodpeckers' holes, has two 

 sub-species, T. cinnamoviinus of Central and South America and 

 T. carihhaearum of the Antilles. T. dominicensis (sparverioides) 

 inhabits Cuba and St. Domingo, and occurs in Florida ; T. iscibel- 

 linus ranges from Georgia to northern South America ; T. alopex 

 from Nubia to Bogos-Land ; T. rupicolus and the more northern 

 T. rupicolo'ides occupy South Africa ; T. gracilis the Seychelles ; 

 T. ptmctatus Mauritius ; T. neivtoni Madagascar ; T. tnolvxcensis 

 the Moluccas and the Sunda Islands ; T. cenchro'ides Australia and 

 Tasmania. It is remarkable that no Kestrel inhabits Jamaica or 

 Bourbon, though Cuba and Mauritius are respectively so near them. 



Erythropus vespertinus, the Eed-footed Falcon, which wanders 

 to Britain, but breeds from Eastern Europe and Algeria to Kras- 

 noiarsk, where it meets the Eastern Asiatic E. amurensis, is 

 lead-grey in the male, with browner tail, chestnut thighs and 

 vent region ; the female being barred with blackish above, and 

 having the head, nape, and imder surface rufous. The cere, orbits, 

 and feet are red. Both forms migrate to South Africa, keeping 

 more to the west and east respectively ; the latter, which crosses 

 India and Burma, being distinguished in the male by white under 

 wing-coverts, and in the female by the absence of rufous on the 

 head, neck, and brown-spotted breast. In general habits like 

 Kestrels, these birds are more gregarious, and breed in company. 



Hypotriorchis suhhuteo, the Hobby, nests sporadically in Eng- 

 land, and extends thence to North Africa and Japan, occurring 

 in the Canaries and migrating to South Africa, North India, and 

 China. Both sexes are slate-coloured, having buff lower parts 

 with black streaks, reddish vent, white throat and sides of the 

 neck, and a black stripe down the latter. This bold and dashing 

 little Ealcon, easily recognisable by the extremely long wings, 

 which give it a Swift-like appearance, is usually seen poised aloft, 

 or rapidly pursuing the insects and birds which form its food. 

 The note is shrill ; the three to five eggs resemble closely 

 freckled pinkish specimens of those of the Kestrel, and are 



