JER-FALCON. 65 



difference, but 'me judice' it is by no means an unfailing- mark, 

 being worn down by attrition, and varying in different indi- 

 vidals; cere, dull yellow; iris, dull reddish brown. 



The female resembles the male, except in size, being rather 

 larger, and the spots are broader, especially on the breast and 

 sides. In the young bird the bill is dark blue, tipped with 

 black; cere, bluish; iris, dark brown. All the upper parts 

 are of a brown ash-colour; the feathers being edged with 

 white: a dark streak descends from the corner of the bill 

 down the side of the throat: all the feathers are margined 

 with paler colour. The wings, nearly as long as the tail; the 

 under parts brown, gradually becoming white, with large 

 longitudinal brown spots; tail, barred with light brown; legs, 

 LjTeyish blue, or blue tinged with yellow; claws, dusky. 



In birds of less mature age, and which are by far the 

 most ordinarily met with, the head, crown, and neck are pure 

 white, or white with a few brownish black spots or streaks; 

 the latter is rather short and thick, at least in its plumage, 

 in some degree in this respect resembling the Owls. The 

 nape, chin, and throat, pure white; breast, white, or slightly 

 spotted or lined as the other parts; back, more or less spotted 

 and mottled with blackish brown. The wings are rather 

 long, being, when closed, about four inches shorter than the 

 tail; the second and third, and the first and fourth quills 

 are respectively of nearly equal length ; primaries, white, their 

 tips dark and narrowly edged with white; larger and lesser 

 under wing coverts, pure white. The tail, long, and slightly 

 rounded at the end. In some specimens it is white, and in 

 others barred alternately with blackish brown and white, or 

 greyish white; the outer feathers are about half an inch 

 shorter than those in the centre; tail coverts, white. The 

 legs, bright yellow, or bluish grey, according to age; (Montagu 

 says bluish ash-colour, and Bewick pale blue, but this is in 

 the young bird;) they are short and robust, feathered more 

 than half way down, and covered in front transversely with 

 oblong scales, and behind with small round scales; toes, 

 yellow, and covered with small scales; the second and fourth 

 are nearly equal in length; the third the longest; the hind 

 one the shortest: underneath they are very rough. The 

 claws, black and strong; the hind one being the longest. 



Montagu describes a bird, which he says appears to be a 

 variety of this species, as follows: 'It is white, with a few 



