PEREGRINE FALCON. 51 



ish white; legs and toes yellow, the claws black. The 

 figure here given was taken from a very fine female of 

 large size, in its second year, but still retaining one outer 

 tail-feather of the first year on each side. The wing and 

 tail-feathers are not changed in the Falconidce in their first 

 autumn. 



Young Peregrines have the head and upper surface of 

 the body and wing-coverts of a brownish ash-colour, the 

 edge of each feather rufous ; the dark longitudinal streaks 

 on the white under side of the body more conspicuous, but 

 gradually shortening and spreading laterally, ultimately 

 change their direction, and become transverse. This change 

 is first observed on the feathers of the belly and flanks. 



W. G. Johnstone of Dumfries sent an interesting 

 communication to the Naturalist in 1853, to the following 

 effect. " In the summer of 1852, a pair of Peregrine 

 Falcons in confinement, and where they had been kept 

 for some years, not only produced eggs, but continued 

 to sit on them for twelve days, the male taking his share 

 of duty. The cause of their giving up sitting was on 

 account of being disturbed by strangers ; after this they 

 would not again sit. It would have been most interesting 

 to have had a pair of young Peregrines produced under 

 such circumstances. There is every reason to believe this 

 would have been the case from the assiduity displayed 

 by the parent birds while they sat. The eggs were two 

 in number, and fertile, as proved on examination by 

 breaking them." 



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