FAL CONETSJER-FALCONS. 



319 



closely, and as the two birds are often seen together the Kite looks like a 

 miniature of the other." 



A curious little genus of true Falcons is Microhierax, the members of which 

 are little larger than sparrows. They inhabit the Indian region, especially 

 the Indo-Malayan islands. An allied genus, Poliohierax, 

 is found in the Burmese Provinces and in the desert The Falconets. 

 regions of Africa, and the two species known present this Genus Microhierax. 

 unique peculiarity among the true Falcons, that the sexes 

 differ remarkably in colour, the males being grey, while the females have a 

 maroon-coloured beak. One of the chief characteristics of the Falcons is 

 that the males and females are alike in colour, but the latter differ markedly 

 in their superior size. 



The true Falcons (Falco) are typified in our Peregrine Falcon (F. peregrinus), 

 and various races of this type are distributed over the Old and New Worlds, 

 whilst the Lanner (F, feldeggii), and the Juggur Falcon are well-known 

 representatives of the same type. 



These birds are really gigantic Kestrels, the form and habit of the birds 

 being those of the true Falcons, while the formation of the foot is that of a 

 Kestrel, the outer and inner toe being about equal in 

 length, whereas in the genus Falco the outer toe is much The Noble Falcons, 

 longer than the inner one. Hence the latter birds with Genus H ierofako. 

 their powerful foot are the Falcons par excellence. It is 

 the Peregrine and its allies which are the chosen bird of the falconer, while 

 the noble Falcons are not thought much of by them. 



As I have said before, the members of the genus Hierofalco ought to be 

 considered as gigantic Kestrels. They have the same proportions of the 

 toes, but they are very much larger than any 

 Kestrel. They are principally inhabitants of the 

 Arctic regions, the Greenland Jer-Falcon being,- 

 like the Snowy Owl and other inhabitants of the 

 snow-clad regions of the high north, almost 

 entirely white, like their snowy surroundings. 

 Thus the Greenland Jer-Falcon is an inhabitant 

 of Labrador and Greenland, occasional stragglers, 

 mostly young birds, finding their way to Great 

 Britain and various countries of Europe. The 

 Iceland Jer-Falcon (Hierofalco islandus) inhabits 

 Iceland, and also occasionally wanders to parts 

 of the European Continent, while in Southern 

 Greenland its place is taken by Holboell's Jer- 

 Falcon (H. holboelli). In Scandinavia, and 

 thence across Siberia to North America, occurs 

 the Norwegian Jer-Falcon (H. gyrfalco). Two 

 other species complete the genus one the Saker 

 Jer-Falcon (H. saker} inhabiting South-Eastern 

 Europe and Central Asia to North-Western India, 

 while Henderson's Jer-Falcon (H. hendersoni) is 

 found in Thibet. The plumage of these last two 



species is rufous, rather than grey or white, and they look like largo 

 Kestrels. 



Besides the Peregrine Falcon, we find in the genus Falco a large 

 assemblage of smaller Falcons, such as the Hobby (F. subbuteo) and its 



Fig. 64. TBK GREENLAND JER- 

 FALCON 

 (Hierofalco candicans). 



