1954 THE DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY 



ground. They are generally hatched late in April, or early in the following 

 month. 



The lesser kestrel (F. cenchris) is an inhabitant of Southern and Southeastern 

 Europe, migrating in winter to South Africa, and while scarcely smaller than the 

 common species, has shorter wings. In the adult male the head, hinder neck, 

 rump, upper tail coverts, and tail are bluish gray, the latter having a broad subter- 

 minal dark band and a white tip, while the whole of the back is cinnamon rufous, 

 without any black spots. The throat is yellowish white, and most of the other 

 under parts are cinnamon colored with small black spots, becoming larger on the 

 sides of the body, but disappearing on the thighs, which are uniform pale rufous. 

 Although the cere and limbs resemble those of the common species in color, the 

 claws are generally white. The female is very similar to the hen of the common 

 species, although lighter in color, and with white claws. Spain, Malta, Southern 

 Italy, and especially Greece, are some of the countries where the lesser kestrel is 

 most common, but it also ranges into Syria, Turkey, Asia Minor, and Persia, and has 

 been obtained from the steppes of Western Siberia. It may be seen on the Acropo- 

 lis of Athens, the churches of Madrid, and the Moorish temples of Granada. In 

 Greece and Spain it nests late in April or early in May, selecting either buildings, 

 locks, or hollow trees for its breeding place, and being often found in company with, 

 the ordinary kestrel. In Malta it may be seen in flocks, where, according to L,eith- 

 Adams, its prey is chiefly small birds. L,eith Adams says that both kinds of kestrel 

 were held in high veneration by the ancient Egyptians, their function being sup- 

 posed to be to investigate, in conjunction with Anubis, the actions of the soul. 

 Their destruction involved the penalty of death, and " no trouble was spared in pre- 

 serving them, so that, besides the sacred birds in captivity, it was customary to place 

 food in the way of wild individuals. The kestrel, therefore, must have enjoyed un- 

 bounded freedom and protection, and it is a remarkable circumstance nowadays, that, 

 being one of the most common rapacious birds of Egypt, it is far more familiar 

 than any of the others, allowing man to approach it within a few yards." 



As there are pygmy parrots and pygmy owls, so there exist diminu- 

 ygmy t - ye re p resen t a tives of the falcons, which, although not larger than 



larks, are as bold and dauntless as their larger relatives. These pygmy 

 falcons range from the Eastern Himalayas, through Tenasserim and Burma to the 

 Malayan islands, and thence to the Philippines, and are also represented by an out- 

 lying species in the Nicobar islands; and since they differ from the true falcons by 

 their oval nostrils, which have neither a central tubercle, nor an overhanging flap of 

 skin, they are referred to a distinct genus. The beak is short, with a sharp tooth, 

 and a notch on each side, often described as a double tooth. The wings are short, 

 and the tail is of no great length, while the third toe is not much longer than 

 the others. 



The black-legged falconet (Hierax fringillarius) represented on p. 1955 in- 

 habits Tenasserim, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, and meas- 

 ures six and one-tenth inches in length. The upper parts, together with the quills 

 and tail feathers, are deep bluish black, with the inner webs of the two latter barred 

 with white. The forehead, together with a stripe running from the eye down the 



