178 . FALCONIFORMES chap. 



bars. In the very similar Ae. coluinbarius, the " Pigeon Hawk " 

 of North America, extending to Venezuela and Ecuador, the tail- 

 bars in the respective sexes are four and six. This species and 

 the following usually build in trees, using twigs, roots, grass, and 

 moss for their nests. Ae. (Chicquera) ty^ms, the Indian " Turumti," 

 is a larger bird, both male and female being grey above and white 

 below, with red head and dark barring nearly throughout, while 

 Ethiopian Ae. (C) riificollis is slightly less striped. 



The most typical member of the Family is Falco peregrinus 

 the almost cosmopolitan Peregrine Ealcon, of which the sub-species 

 F. melanogenys and F. ernesti, the commonest forms from the Sunda 

 Islands to China and Fiji, are more closely barred below, though 

 not so broadly as F. cassini of the extreme south of America. 

 The colour is slaty -grey- above with darker transverse markings, 

 the head and a stripe down each side of tlie neck being blackish, 

 and the under parts ruddy-white banded with black. Young 

 birds are browner, and are streaked instead of barred. Barely 

 separable is the smaller and darker F. minor of South Africa, the 

 Comoro Islands, and Madagascar, with its larger race F. j^unicus, 

 found from Morocco along both sides of the Mediterranean to 

 Asia Minor. F. harharus, also of the Mediterranean region, 

 but chiefly confined to Africa north of the Niger, and the 

 Soudan, is distinguished by its red nape, brightest in the larger 

 sub-species, F. Ixihylonicus, which occurs from Babylonia to 

 North India. The Peregrine Falcon, often erroneously called 

 " Goshawk " in Scotland a fact accounting for many British 

 records of the latter is for its size the most powerful of the 

 Family ; and, being one of the " noble " or long-winged forms, 

 is much used in Falconry, wlierein the male is termed " Tiercel " 

 and the female " Falcon," as in many other species ; while 

 " Hunting Hawk," " Blue Hawk," and, for the young, " Eed 

 Hawk," are names common to both sexes. 



Far the most daring of our Birds of prey, the fierceness and 

 courage are especially shew^n in defence of its nestlings, both 

 parents dashing angrily at an intruder, and, though rarely touch- 

 ing him, swooping down in unpleasant proximity, as he clambers 

 along some narrow ledge or swings upon his rope. Should, however, 

 the hen-bird, wdiich sits very closely, have fresh eggs, she dis- 

 appears on leaving them, though her consort flies wildly to and fro 

 at some little distance, reiterating his shrill cry. Exceptionally 



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