FALCO. 239 



Iris brown ; bill and nails black ; legs dark blue. Length of a male from 

 Mindoro, 160; wing, 110; tail, 6.8; culmen from cere, 11; tarsus, 20. A 

 male from Bohol measures: Wing, 110; tail, 63; culmen from cere, 13. 

 A female from Luzon : "Wing, 110 ; tail, 66 ; culmen from cere, 12. 



Young. The immature male resembles the adult but the inner webs 

 of primaries are barred or mottled with white. 



"Extremely local in its habits. Often found perching on a dead limb 

 at the top of some tree, and may be met with in exactly the same place 

 day after day. It feeds on insects and often leaves its perch on short 

 flights in pursuit of its prey, promptly returning, however. When shot 

 at but not killed it usually takes but a short flight, and returns at once 

 to its favorite perch. Small. flocks frequently found together. 



"Iris brown ; legs and feet black ; bill black. Nine specimens average, 

 179 in length; wing, 108; tail, 62; culmen, 13; tarsus, 22; middle toe 

 with claw, 21." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



197. MICROHIERAX M ERI DION AL1S Grant. 

 GRANT'S FALCONET. 



Microhierax meridionalis GRANT, Ibis (1897), 220; SHARPE, Hand-List 

 (1899), 1, 273; MCGREGOR and WORCESTER, Hand-List (1906), 44. 



Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester) ; Mindanao (Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, 

 Steere Exp., Celestino, Goodfellow) ; Samar (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester). 



"Adult male. Similar to the male of N. erytlirogenys, but consider- 

 ably larger; the under wing-coverts and inner webs of the primaries 

 uniform black; and belly, vent, and under tail-coverts washed with pale 

 fulvous. Length, 165; wing, 113; tail, 66; culmen (from cere to tip), 

 13; tarsus, 22. The type of the male is from Zamboanga, southern 

 Mindanao. 



"Adult female. Similar to the male, but larger. Length, 183 ; wing, 

 117; tail, 70; culmen (from cere to tip), 13; tarsus, 22. The type of 

 the female is from the Island of Samar." (Grant.) 



Grant's falconet is a species of doubtful validity, but the name may 

 be retained until more specimens have been examined. In M. erytliro- 

 genys the white bars on the primaries are due to immaturity and are 

 not characteristic of the typical adult male. 



Genus FALCO Linnaeus, 1758. 



Bill stout, culmen strongly curved from front of cere to tip; a well- 

 marked tooth in edge of upper mandible ; wings long and pointed, second 

 primary longest, the first and third but little slforter; first primary with 

 a deep notch near its tip; legs, feet, and claws strong, middle toe long; 

 tarsus covered on all sides with small hexagonal scales. The falcons are 

 powerful birds, strong and rapid in flight, and easily recognized by the 

 rapid motion of the wings. 



