HOBBY. 55 



Dr. Andrew Smith considers it as an inhabitant also of 

 South Africa in the vicinity of the Cape. From the 

 eastern part of Europe the Hobby is traced to Astrakhan 

 and to India. Mr. Selby mentions having received spe- 

 cimens from that country in every respect similar to our 

 own ; and a collection of birds exhibited at the Zoological 

 Society in 1831, which was formed by Major James Frank- 

 lin on the Ganges between Calcutta and Benares, also 

 contained specimens of the Hobby. 



The food of this species appears to consist of small birds 

 and large coleopterous insects. My friend Mr. Henry 

 Doubleday sent me word that the stomachs of two speci- 

 mens examined by him were filled with the common dung- 

 chaffer, Geotrupes stercorarius. 



Specimens of the Hobby measure from twelve to four- 

 teen inches, depending on age or sex. The male bird 

 from which the figure was taken had the beak bluish horn 

 colour, darkest at the tip ; the cere greenish yellow, the 

 irides dark brown ; the top of the head, nape, back, and 

 upper wing-coverts, greyish black ; the edges of the fea- 

 thers buify white ; the wing -primaries and secondaries 

 nearly black, edged with dull white ; the two middle tail- 

 feathers uniform greyish black ; the others slightly barred 

 with a lighter colour. The tips also lighter ; the chin and 

 side of the neck white ; the cheek and moustache black ; 

 the breast, belly, and thighs, yellowish white, with longi- 

 tudinal patches of brownish black ; under tail coverts dull 

 white ; under surface of the tail-feathers barred with dull 

 white and greyish black; the legs and toes yellow; the 

 claws black. 



Old birds have the upper surface of the body bluish 

 grey ; in young birds the plumage is tinged with rufous. 



