FALCONING. 17 



nous; cheek-stripe darker, beneath whitish, with a rusty tinge, 

 and all the feathers with broad blackish-brown spots or streaks ; 

 the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts ferrugi- 

 nous, with a few brown streaks. 



The European Hobby is a somewhat rare winter visitant to the 

 greater part of the region ; at Aboo it is not uncommon, but has 

 not as yet been recorded from Central India, 



Falco sesalon, Tunst. 



15. Hypotriorchis cesalon, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, 

 p. 35 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 7 ; Hume's 

 Scrap Book, p. 89. 



THE MERLIN. 



J. Length, 11-25 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 5. 

 ? . Length, 13'5 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 5*5. 



Above, fine blackish-grey, darkest on the crown, and reddish, 

 mixed with white, on the nape ; ear-coverts yellowish-grey ; quills 

 blackish-brown ; tail grey, with a broad black band, white-tipped 

 at the end; chin and throat white, the same tinged with ochrey on 

 the breast and with reddish-orange on the abdomen, with dark 

 brown spots. The female is browner than the male, with the 

 markings more rufous, and the lower parts ochrey-white, tinged 

 with rufous on the breast, and the spots larger and more numer- 

 ous. 



The young bird has the head rufous, with dark streaks ; and 

 the rest of the plumage above brown, tinged grey, with dark 

 shafts, and pale rufous edges ; quills dark brown ; tail ashy-brown, 

 barred with rufous ; the chin is white, the rest of the plumage 

 beneath pale ochrey-white, with broad brown marks reduced to 

 lines on the thighs and under tail-coverts. 



The Merlin is another very rare visitant to Sind, 



Falco chiquera, Daud. 



16. Hypotriorchis chiquera,DdMid. Jerdon's Birds of India, 



I, p. 36; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 444; I/ 

 Deccan and South Mahratta country, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, 

 p. 370 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 70 ; Swinhoe 

 and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 55 ; Hume's Scrap 

 Book, p. 91. 



THE KED-HEADED MERLIN. 



Turumti, Hin. 

 <?. Length, 11 to 12 ; expanse, 26 ; wing, 8 to 8'25 ; tail, 475 



to 6 ; tarsus, 1*5. 



?. Length, 13 to 14 ; wing, 8'5 to 9 ; tail, 5'5 to 6 ; tarsus, 



1-5. 



Cere, orbitar skin, and legs, bright yellow. 



Adult : head, nape, and cheek-stripe bright rufous ; the rest of 



the plumage above fine pale grey ; quills dark slaty ; tail light grey, 



2 



