FALCO. 75 



ffa&.Smd, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Bengal, Nepaul, Kutch, Kattiawar, 

 Jodhpore, N. Guzerat, and throughout the Indian Peninsula; also Beloochis- 

 tan, Persia and Afghanistan. 



Affects open country in the vicinity of cultivation. It is said to be easily 

 reclaimed and flown at partridges and quails, which it pursues very persever- 

 ingly. Like the European sparrow-hawk, it is a very courageous bird, and 

 the propensity of attacking larger birds of prey than itself seems to be more 

 developed. Jerdon says it even drives away the Wokhab (Aquila fulvescens) 

 from the vicinity of its nest or perch. Breeds in February, March, April and 

 May, nearly everywhere on trees ; nest fixed in a fork near the top. Eggs 3 4 

 in number, variable in shape ; in color, they are pale yellowish brown, with 

 from, a few reddish brown specks to a nearly uniform dark brownish red 

 obscurely mottled and blotched with a somewhat purer and darker. Size r6 

 to r/5 in length, and 1*25 to 1*32 in breadth. 



72. FalcO reglllus, Pall Rets. Russ. Reichs II. Anhang, p. 707 : Gmel. 

 Syst. Nat i. p. 285 ; Sharpe, Cat. Ace. Br. Mus., p. 406. Falco aesalon, 

 Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 284; Heugl. Orn. N. 0. Africa. Hypotriorchis aesalon, 

 Gray, Gen. B. i. p 20, Jerd. B. of Ind. vol. i. p. 35, No. 15. Lkhofalco 

 aesalon, Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 89; Jerd. Ibis. 1871, p. 242; Murray ', 

 Hdbk. t ZooL, 8fc., Sind, p. 108. The MERLIN. 



Adult. Above clear slaty blue, paler on the rump and upper tail coverts, 

 the black shafts on all the feathers distinctly indicated. Head dark slaty, 

 with broad shaft-stripes ; forehead, lores and sides of the face whitish, the 

 feathers with dark mesial streaks. Eyebrow and nape strongly mixed with 

 rufous. Ear coverts tinged with grey on the hinder part ; chin and throat pure 

 white. Sides of the neck and entire under parts white, washed with rufous, 

 the feathers dark shafted ; under wing coverts white, spotted and barred with 

 black. Quills black, the inner web barred with greyish white and the outer 

 washed with bluish grey near the base. Inner secondaries concolorous with 

 the back, dark shafted. Tail slaty blue, tipped with white, with a broad sub- 

 terminal black band. .Cere yellow ; bill bluish horn colour, darker at the tips; 

 feet yellow ; iris dark brown. 



Length. Male, 10 to 11-25 inches; wings 7-75 to 8 ; tail 4-5 to 5; tarsus 

 1-45. Female browner in color, under surface less rufous. Length. 12 to 13 

 inches. 



The young bird is like the adult female in colour, but tinged grey, with dark 

 shafts and rufous edges to the feathers ; the head rufous, with dark streaks, 

 the tail ashy brown, barred with rufous and with a white tip. 



Hab. Sind, Kutch, Punjab, Beloochistan, and Afghanistan. The whole of 

 Europe and Northern Asia, extending into India and China. 



