104 FALCONID^E. 



resemblance between those of different species is 

 sometimes so close that they can scarcely be with 

 certainty distinguished. Figs. 1 and 2 on plate II. 

 will illustrate the form and colouring of those of 

 the true Falcons. 



The true Falcons amount in Britain to six 

 species. Their geographical distribution is va- 

 rious. The Jer Falcon is only a straggler here ; 

 Northern Europe with North America, are its 

 strongholds. The Peregrine Falcon is pretty 

 generally distributed over the temperate districts 

 of Europe, where the country is alpine or the 

 *ea coast precipitous, and it extends also to the 

 American continent.* The Merlin is European, 

 perhaps also North American.^ The Hobby is 

 European, and visits us as a migratory bird in 

 summer, keeping, however, to the southern dis- 

 tricts. The Kestrel is one of the most abundant 

 species in temperate Europe, but diminishes in 

 numbers as the south is approached, becoming 

 there represented by another species, which, on 

 the African shores, is again represented by a 

 third. This bird was noted by Mr Carruthers 



* We are not satisfied that the bird described in the 

 Linnaean Society's transactions from their museum, as 

 the Peregrine, is identical with the bird of Europe. We 

 possess a New Holland Falcon, closely allied, but quite 

 distinct. 



t See description for our opinion of the distribution of 

 this species. 



