MERLIN. 77 



grey, with dark lines passing backward ; the cheeks, and 

 thence round the back of the neck, pale reddish-brown, also 

 marked with dark streaks, forming a collar ; the whole of 

 the back and wing-coverts fine blue-grey, the shaft of each 

 feather forming a dark median line ; primaries pitch-black ; 

 upper surface of the tail-feathers bluish-grey over two-thirds 

 of their length, with slight indications of three dark bands, 

 the distal third nearly uniform black, the tips of all the 

 feathers white ; the chin and throat white ; breast, belly, 

 thighs, and under tail-coverts, rufous, with brown median 

 patches, and darker brown streaks ; under surface of the 

 tail-feathers barred with two shades of grey, a broad dark 

 terminal band, and white tips ; legs and toes yellow ; claws 

 black. 



In the female, the top of the head, back, wing-coverts, 

 and secondaries are dark liver-brown, the shaft of each 

 feather darker, the edge tipped with red ; the tail-feathers 

 brown, with five narrow transverse bars of wood-brown ; 

 under surface of the body pale brownish-white, with darker 

 brown longitudinal patches ; the beak, cere, eyes, legs, toes, 

 and claws as in the male. Young males resemble the 

 females ; and in birds of the year, the wings do not reach so 

 far towards the end of the tail as in those that are adult. 



