KESTEEL. 101 



with grey; primaries, brownish black, tinged with grey, 

 margined with a paler shade, and the inner webs thickly 

 marked with white or reddish white; the second is the 

 longest, the third almost the same length, the fourth a 

 little longer than the first, which is nearly an inch shorter 

 than the second; underneath barred with darker and paler 

 ash colour; secondaries, as the back on the inner side, namely, 

 on the outer web, the inner being dusky with reddish white 

 markings; and on the outer side as the primaries; greater 

 and lesser under wing coverts, white, the latter beautifully 

 spotted with brown. The tail, which consists of twelve long 

 rounded feathers, the middle ones being an inch and a half 

 longer than the outer ones, is ash grey, or bluish grey; the 

 shafts, and a bar, which shews through near the end, of an 

 inch in breadth, blackish brown, or purple black, the tip 

 greyish white; upper tail coverts, ash grey, or light bluish 

 grey, as the tail. The legs, which are feathered in front more 

 than a third down, and covered all round with angular scales, 

 and the toes, bright yellow or orange: the third and fourth 

 are connected at the base by a very short web. Claws, black, 

 tino-ed with grey at the base. 



The female differs but little in size from the male, at least 

 in comparison with others of the Hawks. Length, from fourteen 

 inches and a half to fifteen inches and a half; bill, cere, and 

 iris, as in the male. Head, reddish, slightly shaded with 

 bluish grey; neck, chin, throat, and breast, pale yellowish 

 red streaked with dark brown those on the sides forming 

 transverse bands; back, dull rust-colour, barred with dark 

 brown, each feather having four bands of brown and three of 

 red, and tipped with the latter, the shafts dark brown. The 

 wings expand to the width of two feet four inches, or even 

 to two feet and a half; the spots are less distinct than in 

 the male. Greater and lesser wing coverts, darker than in 

 the male; primaries, brown, with transverse spots of pale red; 

 secondaries, marked as the back. Greater and lesser under 

 wing coverts, reddish white or yellowish white, with oblong 

 brown spots. The tail and upper tail coverts, as the head, 

 and the former barred with about ten narrow bars of blackish 

 brown, the end one nearly an inch in breadth, the tip reddish 

 white. The under surface is more uniform in colour, and less 

 distinctly barred than in the male. Under tail coverts, un- 

 spotted, as in the male. The feathers on the legs streaked 

 with small dark markings. 



