FALCO. 



migrating to Africa and India in the winter. The Hobby probably 

 breeds in the Himalayas, where it is commonly found, and it is a 

 summer visitor to Gilgit ; in the plains of India it has only been 

 met with occasionally, chiefly to the northward, the most southern 

 reported localities being Jama (Jerdon), Belgaum (Butler), and 

 Kaipur. It has been obtained in Cachar (Inglis) and Manipur 

 (Hume), but not in Burma nor in Ceylon. 



Habits, 6fc. The Hobby feeds much on insects, especially dragon- 

 flies, and is often crepuscular in its movements ; it is very swift, 

 and was formerly a favourite with Falconers for hawking small birds, 

 such as quails, larks, &c., and, in India, hoopoes and king-crows. 

 The nest has not been taken in India ; it is placed on a tree, and 

 the eggs are of the usual Falcon type, reddish, speckled darker ; 

 they are usually 3 or 4 in number, and measure about 1*7 by 1'3. 



1261. Falco severus. The Indian Hobby. 



Falco severus, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 135 (1821) ; Delme 



Radcl. Ibis, 1871, p. 366 ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 397 ; Hume fy 



Dav. S. F. vi, p. 2 ; Hume, Cat. no. 14 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 110 ; 



Reid, S. F. x, p. 4 ; Davison, ibid. p. 333 ; Butler, ibid. p. 624 ; 



Gates, B. B. \i, p. 216 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 3. 

 Falco rufipedoides, Hodys. Gale. Jour. N. H. iv, p. 283 (1844). 

 Hypotriorchis severus, Blyth, Cat. p. 15 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 22 ; 



Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 34 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 237 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 



xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 13 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 87 ; Blyth, Birds 



Burm. p. 59 ; Hume Sf Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 354. 



Dhutar J , Dhuti $ , II. 



Coloration. Crown and sides of head, including cheeks to below 

 the gape, and the hind-neck black, which passes on the upper 

 back into the dark slaty grey with black shafts of the upper parts 

 generally ; quills and larger coverts black, the inner webs of 

 the quits with oval transverse rufous spots or bars on basal 

 two-thirds of the primaries and almost throughout the secondaries ; 

 tail slaty grey above in old birds with one black subterminal cross- 

 band, in younger birds blackish above with grey cross-bands, 

 brown beneath with paler bands, which become light rufous on 

 the inner webs of the outer rectrices ; chin, throat, and sides of 

 neck white tinged with rufous; rest of lower parts, including the 

 under wing-coverts, deep ferruginous red. 



Young birds are brownish black above, with light rufous edges, 

 broadest on the secondaries, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers ; 

 a few rufous feathers scattered over the nape ; breast, abdomen, 

 and under wing-coverts deep rufous with black spots. 



Bill plumbeous; irides deep brown; cere, gape, and orbital 

 skin lemon-yellow ; legs and feet deep yellow (Cripps). 



Length of a female about 11-5 ; tail 4'75 ; wing 9'S ; tarsus 1' 

 mid-toe without claw 1-35 ; bill from gape '9 : length of a male 

 10-5 ; tail 4-25 ; wing 9. 



Distribution. The Himalayas as far west as Kulu, at mode 

 elevations, also Travancore and probably the Nilgiris, and Ceylon, 



