138 ORANGE LEGGED FALCON. 



almost entirely insectivorous. Reptiles may also 

 form a part, for we have generally seen the two 

 kinds of sustenance preyed on, while small birds 

 or animals were less hunted. 



Mr Gould's figure of an adult male, from a speci- 

 men in the collection of Mr Yarrell, is represented 

 of a uniform blackish grey, without streak or spot ; 

 the thighs and vent reddish brown, or chestnut ; 

 the legs and feet of a clear reddish orange, and 

 this also agrees with most of our descriptions. 

 The adult female, according to specimens exa- 

 mined by the same author, has the head and 

 nape of a dark reddish brown, without streaks, 

 changing, on the back and wing coverts, to bluish 

 black, edged with paler blue ; underneath the 

 plumage is nearly white, tinted with chestnut on 

 the belly, flanks and tail coverts, and on the 

 breast and sides, dashed along the quills, with a 

 narrow line of brown ; the insides of the wings 

 somewhat resemble those of the Merlin of the 

 first year, and the feathers of the tail are crossed 

 on their inner webs, with from six to eight bars 

 of blackish brown on a pale ground. Young 

 birds somewhat resemble the female, but we still 

 want a detailed description of the different 

 changes of plumage. We have not seen correct 

 dimensions given of this bird : it is a longer 

 shaped bird, but is not much larger than the 

 Merlin. 



