RED-FOOTED FALCON. .-,1 



goes through several interesting changes of plumage ; and 

 as the species is somewhat new to us, these different ap- 

 pearances are here described in detail. 



The upper figure in the wood-engraving represents a 

 young female ; the lower figure is that of an adult male. 



After their first change, the plumage of the males is 

 much more uniform than that of the females. In the 

 adult male, the base of the beak is yellowish white, the 

 other part dark horn colour ; the cere and eyelids reddish 

 orange, the irides dark brown ; the head, neck, back, 

 upper surface of the wings and tail, the throat, breast, and 

 belly, of a uniform dark lead colour ; the thighs, vent, and 

 under tail-coverts, deep ferruginous ; the legs and toes 

 reddish flesh colour ; the claws yellowish white, with 

 dusky tips. The whole length of the bird eleven inches. 



The plumage of the young males before their first change 

 is similar to that of young females, which will hereafter be 

 -described. At their first change, they become of a uniform 

 pearl grey ; the thighs and flanks ferruginous ; beak, cere, 

 eyes, legs, toes, and claws, as in the old male. The repre- 

 sentation used as a vignette is taken from a young male 

 bird that has nearly completed his first change, but still 

 retains a portion of the barred appearance of his first 

 livery on the outer or distal part of the wing, on the lower 

 part of the back, and the tail-feathers, the central pair 

 only of which are as yet moulted. 



The adult female has the beak, cere, irides, legs, &c. as 

 in the male ; the head and back of the neck reddish 

 brown; the eye surrounded with dusky feathers almost 

 black ; the whole of the back, wing-coverts, and tail-fea- 

 thers, blackish grey, barred transversely with bluish black ; 

 upper surface of the wing -primaries uniform dusky black. 

 The chin and throat nearly white ; the breast and all the 

 under surface of the body pale rufous, with dark reddish 



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