184 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



light rufous, with cloudings of darker chestnut irregularly dis- 

 tributed over the whole of the egg, accompanied by dots and 

 small or large spots. Occasionally the eggs have a buffy-white 

 ground-colour with reddish-brown blotches. Axis, 1-95-2-2; 

 diam., 1-55-1 -6. 



II. THE HOBBY. FALCO SUBBUTEO. 



Fako subbuteoy Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 127 (1766); Macg. Brit. 

 B. iii. p. 309 (1840); Newton, ed. Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 65 

 (1871) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 69, pis. 378, 379 (1871); 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 395 (1874); B. O. U. 

 List Brit B. p. 102 (1883); Seebohm, Brit. B. i. p. 31 

 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. parts ii. iii. (1886); 

 Saunders, Man. p. 337 (1889). 



Adult Male. General colour above dark slaty-grey, inclining 

 to blackish on the head, much clearer on the lower back and 

 rump ; wing-coverts like the back ; quills blackish, with rufous 

 bars on the inner web ; tail slaty-grey, also barred with rufous 

 on the inner web; forehead and eyebrow whitish, the nape 

 tinged with rufous ; cheek-stripe, feathers below the eye and 

 along the upper margin of the ear coverts, black ; hinder part 

 of cheeks, sides of neck, throat, and entire breast creamy- 

 white, with a rufous tinge, the latter broadly streaked with 

 black down each feather, with a greyish shade on the flanks 

 and vent; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts rich rusty-red ; 

 under wing-coverts buffy-white, with blackish cross-markings ; 

 cere, orbits, and feet yellow ; bill bluish-black, yellow at base ; 

 iris dark brown. Total length, 11-5 inches; culmen, 07; 

 wing, 9-6 ; tail, 5*5; tarsus, 1-25. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, but larger. Total length, 

 13-6 inches; culmen, 07; wing, io'6; tail, 6'5 ; tarsus, 1-4. 



Young. Blackish, with buff edges to the feathers, broader 

 and more distinct on the secondaries, rump, and especially on 

 the crown ; forehead and eyebrow buffy-white ; cheek-stripe 

 and line under the eye black ; sides of neck, nape, and throat 

 rich creamy-buff; under surface of body creamy-buff, the thighs 

 and under tail-coverts more rufous; the breast broadly streaked 

 with black, the thighs more narrowly, the under tail-coverts 



