MERLIN. 133 



the back of the neck ; the centre of the feathers 

 are here also dark ; the quills are black, first with 

 a pale edge, the inside webs marked thickly with 

 irregular pale bars ; third quill largest, first and 

 second much notched, the tail has the tip white, 

 then a broad black band which runs through 

 the white along the shafts ; above this, in the 

 specimen before us, there are two indistinct bars 

 of black upon the uniform grey of the base of 

 the tail ; the last of these is hardly perceptible, 

 and the first is most indistinct on the centre 

 feathers ; the chin and throat are nearly white, 

 delicately marked along the shafts of the feathers ; 

 the remaining under parts have a general colour- 

 ing of reddish orange, palest on the centre of the 

 belly, and on the breast approaching to ochraceous ; 

 the centre of each feather is marked longitudinally 

 with deep umber brown along the shafts, which on 

 the sides and flanks assumes a triangular form ; 

 the under tail coverts are ochraceous, tinted with 

 grey, and having the shafts black ; bill bluish 

 black, yellowish white at the base of the maxilla ; 

 legs gamboge yellow. Length about eleven inches ; 

 that of wing, from shoulder to third quill, eight 

 inches. 



A male in the plumage of the first year has the 

 head of a clear rufous, broadly streaked with 

 blackish grey ; the upper parts are brown, tinged 

 with grey ; each feather dark along the shaft, and 



