FALCONIDJE. 13 



streak over each eye; nape reddish rust} 7 , with a 

 black streak in the centre of each feather ; all the 

 rest of the upper parts bluish grey, with a narrow 

 black streak in the centre of each feather; quills 

 dusky, very slightly tipped with dirty white ; tail 

 bluish grey, slightly barred with a darker shade, a 

 broad black band at the end, tips whitish ; throat 

 white, with a few narrow dark streaks ; under parts 

 orange rusty, streaked and spotted with brown and 

 white ; elongated feathers on the thighs the same, 

 narrowly streaked with brown. 



The female is very different in appearance, as 

 will appear by the following description, which 

 I have taken from Meyer's * British Birds : ' 

 " The grey colour, which is so prevalent in the plu- 

 mage of the male, is only perceptible in that of the 

 female upon the scapulars and wing-coverts, where 

 it occupies the centre of each feather : these feathers 

 are bordered with rufous and have black shafts. 

 The greater coverts of the wing and the upper 

 coverts of the tail are brown, bordered with dirty 

 yellowish white. The tail is greyish brown, tipped 

 with yellowish white and crossed with fine yellow- 

 white bars. The throat is plain white; the ring 

 round the neck, the breast and under parts are yel- 

 lowish white, streaked and spotted with dusky ; nape 

 of the neck and thighs tinged with rufous. The 

 crown of the head and nape are rich reddish brown, 

 with dusky streaks down the shafts of the feathers ; 



c 



