212 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



The Red-legged Falconet probably occurs over the whole of British 

 Burmah as far south as 16 north latitude, below which point Mr. Davison 

 did not observe it. Personally I have only procured it in the northern 

 portion of Pegu ; but Mr. Blanford met with it near Bassein. 



It extends through the Indo-Burmese countries into India, where it is 

 found along the Himalayas as far as Sikhim ; and it occurs in Siam and 

 Cambodia. 



This beautiful little Falconet is generally observed on the summit of a 

 dead tree, whence it launches out in pursuit of passing insects ; it also at 

 times captures small birds. Capt. Bingham found the eggs in Tenasserim 

 in April; they were four in number, white, and deposited in the hole of 

 a tree. 



584. MICROHIERAX FRINGILLARIUS. 

 THE BLACK-LEGGED FALCONET. 



Falco fringillarius, Drap. Diet. Class. (THist. Nat. vi. p. 412, pi. v. Hierax 

 caerulescens (L.),apud Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 3. Microhierax fringillarius, 

 Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 367 ; Hume, S. F. v. p. 80 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. 

 vi. p. 5 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 81 ; Gur-ney, Ibis, 1881, p. 274 ; Relham, Ibis, 

 1881, p. 364. Hierax fringillarius, Bl. B. Burm. p. 60. 



Description. Adults have a narrow frontal band, a streak from a little 

 above the posterior angle of the eye, backwards over the ear-coverts, chin, 

 throat, sides of the neck behind the ear-coverts, cheeks immediately under 

 the eye, breast, wing-lining, and numerous bars on the inner webs of all 

 the wing- and lateral tail-feathers white. 



The upper portion of the forehead, crown, occiput, nape and a portion 

 of the sides of the neck behind the white streaks, ear-coverts and posterior 

 portion of cheeks, the entire mantle, upper tail-coverts, central tail-feathers 

 and outer webs of lateral tail-feathers glossy black with greenish reflec- 

 tions ; secondaries, primaries and their greater coverts and winglet blackish 

 hair-brown ; sides of the body, flanks and hinder tibial plumes, and tips of 

 longest lower tail-coverts also more or less glossy black ; abdomen, vent, 

 front of tibial plumes, shorter lower tail-coverts buffy white or pale ferru- 

 ginous, or even in the oldest birds rather deep ferruginous. 



When these parts become the latter colour, the chin and the greater part 

 of the throat are generally suffused with pale ferruginous. 



In the quite young bird the bill is yellow ; the frontal band and the 

 streak behind the eye are pale ferruginous ; the patch below the eye and 

 a margin round the black ear-patch rather paler ferruginous buff; margin 

 of the wing tinged with the same colour ; no black tip to the lower tail- 



