ORANGE-LEGGED HOBBY. 83 



yellowish white at the base, the rest horn colour, inclining to 

 yellowish brown towards the tip; cere, reddish orange; iris, dark 

 brown; head, crown, neck, nape, chin, throat, breast, and back, 

 dull lead colour. The wings, which reach all but to the end 

 of the tail, are of a dull lead colour, the quills lighter with 

 brownish black shafts; the second feather is the longest in 

 the wing, being about half an inch longer than the first 

 and third, which are of an equal length. Greater and lesser 

 wing coverts, primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, of the same 

 dull leaden hue; tail, dull lead colour; tail coverts the same; 

 under tail coverts, deep ferruginous; legs, which are feathered 

 in front more than one third down with deep orange ferruginous, 

 and the toes, light reddish. The claws, yellowish white with 

 dusky tips. It seems possible that the white colour may be 

 the result of age". 



The female, on the upper parts of the body is of a general 

 greyish blue barred with black; the head and back of 

 the neck, yellowish red; the lower parts light yellowish red 

 with longitudinal brown spots. AVhen old, the plumage is 

 said to become lighter in colour, and the black bars narrower. 

 Length, about twelve inches; bill and iris, yellow; forehead, 

 whitish; crown, pale rufous; neck, on the back part, and nape, 

 dark reddish brown or yellowish red, as is also the moustache, 

 sometimes approaching to black. The neck behind is barred 

 with greyish black. The chin and throat nearly white, having 

 a slight reddish or yellowish tint; breast, pale rufous brown, 

 tinged with cinereous, with dark reddish brown longitudinal 

 streaks; the shafts of the feathers and a spot near the tip, 

 dark brown. These marks are said to disappear with age. 

 The back, greater and lesser wing coverts, blackish grey or 

 bluish grey, transversely barred on each feather with bluish or 

 greyish black; the quills blackish grey on the outer webs 

 and tips, and transversely barred with white on the inner; 

 under wing coverts, rufous with transverse bars of dark brown; 

 primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, dusky black. The tail 

 on the upper surface, as also the tail coverts, blackish grey 

 or bluish grey, transversely barred with bluish black; on the 

 lower surface it is bluish grey, with nine or ten bars of bluish 

 black, shewn through from above, the bars gradually wider 

 in the direction of the tip; under tail coverts, light yellowish 

 orange, (Meyer says white,) as are the feathers on the legs. 

 The legs and toes deep orange yellow; claws, as in the male. 



The young male is at first similar in plumage to the young 



