FALCO. 09 



The young bird is brown, all the feathers edged with pale buff shading 

 into whitish ; under surface of the body whitish, the throat unspotted, all the 

 rest of the feathers dark brown in the centre, lower flanks barred ; head more 

 edged with whitish ; cheek stripe brown. Wings darker than the back; the 

 inner webs spotted or barred with rufous. Tail feathers brown, broadly tipped 

 with white ; the outer web spotted and the inner one barred with pale rufous 

 more or less distinct. 



Very widely distributed species, A winter visitant to India Occurs in Sind, 

 Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Rajpootana, Kutch, Central and 

 South India, Guzerat, Concans and Deccan, also Beloochistan, Persia, and S. 

 Afghanistan. Rare in Pegu and Tennaserim. Has been found in Nepaul, 

 and also in Ceylon. 



The peregrine is believed to breed below Ferozepoor along the banks of the 

 Indus, but nothing certain is known. Mr. Hume, in his "Rough Notes" men- 

 tions having a nestling shot by a shikaree in the interior of the Himalayas, 

 not far from Kotegarh. In Europe it builds on rocks and cliffs. Eggs 

 2,3 or 4, of a light russet red colour marbled over with darker shades, patches, 

 and streaks of the same. Nest composed of sticks, seaweed, hair, and other 

 such materials. The flight of the peregrine is extremely rapid and by re- 

 peated beatings of its wings. 150 miles an hour has been calculated as 

 its rate of flight. It is much prized for its value in falconry on account of its 

 courageous spirit and fearlessness. The food of the species consists principally 

 of birds, such as seagulls, partridges, plovers, grouse and ducks ; but it also feeds 

 on hares, rats, &c. It has frequently been known to stoop upon and carry 

 off game from before the sportsman. 



65. PalCO peregrinator, Sundev. Phys. Tidskr. Lund. 1837, p. 177, '^ 

 pi. 4; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 19; id. Cat. Mam. and B. Nepal Hodgs. p. 44 ; 

 Blyth, J.A. S. B. xix. p. 321 ; Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 25 ; Hume, Rough Notes, S 

 i. p. -555Z; Jerd. Ibis, 1878^.237; Sharpe, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. xi. 

 p. 223, 1873 ; id. Cat. Ace. B. M. p. 382; Sir. F. V. 500; id. vii. 423. ^ 

 Falco Shaheen, Jerd. Madr, Journ. x. p. 81 ; id. III. Ind. Orn. pis. xii. and 

 xxvii. The SHAHEEN FALCON. 



Adult. Head, nape, neck, interscapulary region, cheek stripe and wing 

 coverts deep black, the latter shaded with bluish grey ; lower back, rump, and 

 upper tail coverts slaty or bright bluish grey, the latter with remains of or 

 without obsolete blackish cross markings. Quills black, externally washed with 

 greyish, the inner web with a few nearly obsolete rufous bars ; secondaries 

 tipped with fulvous. Tail bluish grey, the tips tawny, the blackish bars nowhere 

 distinct; chin, throat and upper breast white ; rest of under surface rufous, or 

 tawny ferruginous ; flanks, thighs and under tail coverts with a few spots or 

 bars. Under wing coverts rufous with black bars. Cere yellow ; bill slaty, 

 blue black at tip ; feet yellow ; iris deep brown. 



