THE FALCONS. 



185 



streaked with a line of black; under wing-coverts rufous 

 numerously barred with black ; quills and tail black, banded 

 with rufous on the inner web, the tail-feathers tipped with 

 rufous. 



Characters. The Hobby in its adult stage is very easily re- 

 cognised by its uniform rufous thighs, white throat and breast, 

 the latter being striped with black. The young Hobby is more 

 like a young Peregrine, but can, of course, be distinguished by 

 its smaller size. 



Range in Great Britain. A summer visitor to England, where 

 it breeds, when permitted to do so in peace. It has been 

 known to nest in most of the southern and eastern counties, 

 as well as in the midlands, and on rare occasions in Yorkshire. 

 In Scotland it is chiefly known as a rare migrant, but Sir 

 Edward Newton has recorded an instance of the nesting of the 

 species near Dunkeld in 1887. It has never been known to 

 breed in Ireland, though some half-a-dozen occurrences in 

 that island have been chronicled. 



Range outside the British Islands. The Hobby is found from 

 Northern Europe across Siberia to Kamtchatka. It breeds in 

 the forests of Central Europe and Scandinavia, and occasion- 

 ally in the countries of Southern Europe, but it is principally 

 known in the latter as a spring and autumn migrant. In 

 Northern Europe it extends to the Arctic Circle in Lapland, 

 and in Russia up to 65 N. lat. In winter the species visits 

 China, the Indian Peninsula, and migrates through Eastern 

 Africa as far as the Cape. 



I Habits. The Hobby has much the appearance of a diminu- 

 tive Peregrine, but does not possess the strength or courage of 

 the larger Falcon, though it equals it in fierceness and agility 

 of flight. It feeds largely on insects, especially cockchafers 

 and dragon-flies, and when these are plentiful, it gives up the 

 chase of small birds in a great measure, and lives on insects, 

 which it catches with great dexterity on the wing, devouring 

 them in the air and allowing the wings and wing-cases to fall 

 to the earth. In some of these flights, Taczanowski says that 

 it will occasionally seize a Bat in its career, but drops the 

 latter without touching it further. 



