KESTREL. 145 



lesser coverts, and shoulders, are hyacinth red, with 

 a tint of pink or pale reddish purple, which perhaps 

 will be more generally understood by " vinace- 

 ous," each feather having a triangular mark of 

 brownish black at the tip. The quills and secon- 

 daries are brownish black, the inner webs with dull 

 white oval spots ; tail ana upper coverts bluish- 

 grey, the former tipped with white, which is 

 followed by a broad black bar incompleted on 

 the outer web of the exterior feathers ; shafts of the 

 centre feathers also black ; the under parts are 

 pale buff-orange, more rufous on the belly and 

 thighs ; feathers on the throat and neck of a paler 

 tint and spotless, on the breast and belly with 

 a dark streak in the centre, on the flanks antf 

 lower part of the belly with a triangular spot at 

 the tip, and with a second oval spot on the centre 

 of the feathers ; under parts of the wings pure 

 white, with a few oval dark spots at the tips of 

 the feathers. 



The female differs in having the whole upper 

 parts hyacinth red, but of a paler and more 

 yellow tint ; the head and back of the neck 

 broadly streaked, and each feather of the back, 

 shoulders, and coverts, barred and broadly tipped 

 with blackish-brown ; the tail of the same tint, 

 but slightly paler than the upper parts, is nar- 

 rowly barred for its whole length, and is furnished 

 with the broad terminal band and the white tip ; 

 K 



