inhabiting the South of Africa. 235 



cere dusky greenish yellow ; eyes dark brown ; legs and toes 

 yellowish white ; claws a dark horn color. 



Specimens of this hawk are not unfrequently found along 

 the western coast, and I have also met with some about the 

 Langekloof, at least three hundred miles to the eastward of 

 Cape Town. In those situations it is often seen resorting, in 

 the evenings, to the poplar and other trees in the vicinity of 

 farm-houses, and upon such also it often builds its nest. The 

 latter is constructed externally of dry twigs, and within of 

 hair and feathers, and in it are deposited from three to four 

 eggs, during the months of August or September. It preys 

 on small birds, young hares, &c., and, when in search of such, 

 or in defence of its young, it evinces a most amazing degree 

 of ferocity and courage. 



FALCO PEREGEJNOLDES. 



F. capite saturate cceseo, dorso subgriseo fasciis trans- 

 versis nigris notato ; macula nigra sub oculum ; gula alba ; 

 pectore albo striis longitudinalibus nigris variegato ; abdomine 

 griseo maculis striis et fasciis transversis nigris variegato ; 

 tarsis et digitis flavis. 



Male. Bill blackish at tip, orange yellow at base of lower 

 mandible, and bluish green elsewhere ; cere yellow ; eyes 

 dark brown ; front, crown, and nape dark grayish blue, with 

 each feather marked by a narrow longitudinal black streak 

 towards its centre ; back of neck blackish, with the feathers 

 tipt by dark bluish gray; interscapulars dark bluish gray, 

 with transverse narrow dusky black bands ; black light gray, 

 with black bands ; upper tail coverts the same ; shoulders 

 bluish gray, with more or less distinct dusky bands ; under 

 each eye, and commencing at base of bill a black irregular 

 blotch; side of the neck, chin, and throat white; breast 

 white, or slightly tinted with tawny, and variegated by fine 

 black longitudinal streaks ; belly pale bluish gray, with small 

 black spots, streaks, or transverse short bands ; under tail 

 coverts tawny white, with narrow black transverse bands. 

 Primary and secondary wing coverts a deep tawny slate color, 

 with narrow white tips ; primary wing feathers blackish, 

 with a tinge of hoary, which is most distinct upon the outer 

 vanes ; inner vanes with many transverse oviform white 

 blotches ; tips white ; secondaries blackish, with the inner 

 vanes mottled or distinctly banded with white ; tips, and a 

 little of edges of outer vanes, white : scapulars grayish, each 

 with a narrow longitudinal black streak towards the middle, 

 and with several blackish transverse bands crossing it. Tail 

 bluish gray, with about ten transverse narrow black bands, 

 and all the feathers broadly tipt with white ; the spaces be- 



[37] 



