THE NANKEEN KESTREL. 155 



CHAPTER XCIV. 



THE NANKEEN KESTREL. 

 ( Tinnunculus cenchroides, Vigors and Horsfield. ) 



This beautiful bird, which is found over nearly the 

 whole of Australia, is a most valuable aid to the grazier, 

 especially as it will destroy both grasshoppers and 

 crickets, as well as many other pests, in a wholesale 

 manner. The description which we cannot do better 

 than take from the writings of the great ornithologist, 

 the late Mr. Gould is as follows : "The male has the 

 forehead white (our plate shows the color somewhat 

 darker than it should be) ; head and back of neck 

 reddish-grey, with the shaft of each feather black ; 

 back, scapularies, and wing coverts, cinnamon-red, with 

 a small oblong patch of black near the extremity of each 

 feather ; primaries, secondaries, and great coverts, dark 

 brown, slightly fringed with white; the base of the 

 minor webs of these feathers white, upon which the 

 dark coloring encroaches in a series of points resembling 

 the teeth of a large saw; face white, with a slight 

 moustache of dark brown from each angle of the mouth ; 

 chest and flanks buffy white, with a shaft of each feather 

 dark brown ; abdome'n and the under tail coverts white ; 

 upper tail coverts and tail feathers, for two- thirds of 

 their length from the base, grey; remaining, all but 

 the two centre feathers, white, crossed near the tip by a 

 broad distinct band of deep black, the band being only 

 on the inner web of the external feather ; cere and orbits 

 yellowish-orange ; legs orange. The female has all the 

 upper surface, wings, and tail, cinnamon-red, each 

 feather of the former, with a dark patch of brown in the 

 centre, assuming the shape of arrow-heads on the wing 



