412 FALCONIDjE. 



This bird is closely allied to B. jerdoni, and appears to be dis- 

 tinguished only by having the upper breast and sides of the throat 

 in adults rufescent grey instead o rufous, and by smaller size. 



Young birds (nestlings) have pale rufous imperfect bands on the 

 lower breast and abdomen. 



Bill blackish leaden, cere brownish black ; irides orange ; legs 

 and feet dull dirty white (BligTi). 



Length 16'5 inches ; tail 8 ; wing 12. 



Distribution. The forests of the Central Province, Ceylon. A 

 single young specimen was obtained by Mr. Darling in the 

 Wynaad in October. 



This also is a very rare species. When more specimens are 

 available for comparison, it is highly probable that the present 

 will prove to be only a small variety of B. jerdoni. 



Habits, $c. Mr. Bligh in Ceylon found a large lizard in the 

 stomach of one bird, and he observed two others evidently pairing 

 in April, but they went away without nesting. 



Genus PALCO, Linn., 1766. 



This genus comprises the typical Falcons,' birds that have, from 

 time immemorial, been trained to hunt and capture various kinds 

 of winged game and even mammals. They have great powers of 

 flight, and are very courageous, most of them readily attacking 

 and overcoming birds of size superior to their own. Their method 

 of attack is to gain a higher position by superior powers of flight, 

 and then to descend, or swoop, on their prey with great rapidity. 

 The blow is always given with the hind claw, never, as represented 

 by some painters, with the bill, and a mallard has been found 

 with its back ripped from end to end by the force of a Peregrine's 

 blow. The attack of a Falcon, which swoops from above, is quite 

 different from that of a Goshawk or Sparrow-Hawk, which attacks 

 from below or by surprise. 



The wing in the Peregrine, Shahin, and Barbary Ealcons is 

 pointed, the second quill longest, the first exceeding the third ; but 

 in F. jugger and F. feldeggi (the Lanner) the first and third quills 

 are subequal, and in F. cherrug and F. milvipes the third is longer 

 than the first. In the Peregrine and its allies the first primary 

 alone has a notch on the inner web, but the second primary is 

 occasionally notched in F. jugger and almost always in F. cherrug. 

 Tn these characters of the wing the Hobbies resemble the 

 Peregrine. 



The bill is stout and strongly toothed inside the hooked tip, 

 often with a blunt festoon behind the tooth ; the nostril is circular 

 with a central tubercle. Tarsus about equal to the middle toe 

 without claw, or a little shorter, the upper part plumed in 

 front, the naked portion covered with small hexagonal scales : the 

 toes very long, covered with transverse scales above ; claws curved 

 and sharp. The tail is of moderate length, well rounded at the 

 end. 



