MICROHIEEAX. 183 



Subfamily FALCONING. 



MicroMerax caerulescens (Linn.). The Red-leyged Falconet. 



Ilierax eutolmos, Hodys., Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 42. 

 Microhierax caerulescens (Linn.}, Hume, Cat. no. 20. 



Major C. T. Bingham found a nest of this small Falcon in 

 Tenasserim. He writes : " On the 14th April I found a nest of 

 this little Falconet in a hole on the underside of a decayed bough 

 of a mighty pymma-tree (Lagerstrcemia flos regince). 



" I had noticed the bird about the neighbouring trees for t\vo 

 or three days successively, and on the date above mentioned saw 

 her entering the hole in question. 



" On my sending up a servant who was with me, she flew out 

 and perched on a low tree some thirty yards off ; keeping my eye on 

 her, I desired the man to enlarge the entrance of the hole and 

 ascertain whether there were any eggs. In about ten minutes he 

 announced that there were four. I then shot the bird, which 

 proved to be a female. The eggs are broad ovals, dirty whitish 

 yellow, and stained by resting on the broken leaves, wings of 

 dragon-flies, and bits of wood which composed the nest. I don't 

 think the hole was made by the little Falcon, but was probably an 

 old nest belonging to a Barbet. The branch in which it was ex- 

 cavated was about 30 feet from the ground/' 



The eggs are regular, moderately elongated ovals. The shell is 

 very thin and fairly close in texture, but has no appreciable 

 gloss. The original colour, as I ascertained by carefully washing 

 a part of one egg, is a dead white, but the eggs as found were all 

 suffused with a dirty yellow tint, such as is often the case with 

 the very similar eggs of Centrococcyx and Taccocua. Held up 

 against the light, the shell appears a very slightly yellowish 

 white. 



The eggs vary from I'l to 1'3 in length, and from 0'85 to 0'88 

 in breadth. They are equally unlike eggs of Falco, Asfur, and 

 Circus. I know no Eaptorial bird that lays at all similar eggs. 

 As to size and shape, I can match them exactly with large eggs of 

 Ct/anops franJclini, or small ones of J/. marshallorum, but the 

 texture is different ; as regards texture and tint of discoloration, 

 I can match them exactly with some eggs of Taccocua affinis. 



Microhierax fringillarius (Drap.). The Black-legged Falconet. 

 Microhierax fringillarius (Drap.), Hume, Cat. no. 20 ter. 



In regard to this Falconet I quote a note of Mr. Davison'g : 

 " On the 10th or llth of March, while passing through an old 

 tounyah (clearing) I saw a Falconet of the above species fly into 



