FALCO 545 



greyish black narrowly tipped with white, and with oblong greyish white 

 spots or bars on the inner web ; tail blackish with slate-blue bars, becoming 

 darker towards the end and narrowly tipped with brownish white ; under 

 parts warm buffy white, the throat and upper breast striped, the rest of the 

 under parts boldly barred with blackish ; bill bluish horn, bluer at the 

 base ; cere and legs yellow ; iris brown. Culmen I'l, wing ]2'2, tail 6'4. 

 tarsus 2*2 inch. Female similar but larger. In the young bird the black on 

 the head and neck is tinged with brown ; crown and nape marked with 

 dull white and rufous white; upper parts dark brown with paler 

 margins ; tail dark greyish brown, tipped with white and irregularly 

 barred with rufous buff ; under parts white, tinged with rufous buff and 

 broadly striped with blackish brown ; cere and feet bluish. 



Hob. Europe generally, from Lapland to the Mediterranean, 

 Greenland, the Faroes ; Great Britain ; Canaries ; Africa 

 south to Natal ; Asia generally, from Kamchatka to China, 

 Manilla, India, Borneo, Java, and Sumatra, east to Japan ; 

 America from the high north to Argentina ; the West Indies. 



This, one of our most active and powerful falcons, frequents 

 rocks, woods, and mountainous localities, and will occasionally 

 visit cities and villages in pursuit of pigeons. As a rule it 

 prefers the vicinity of water and is often to be met with on the 

 sea-coast. It preys on pigeons, game-birds, water-fowl of 

 various kinds, small mammals, &c. Its call is a loud clear 

 kaak, kaak, kaak, but is not often heard except in the breeding 

 season. It nests on the ledge of a rock, on a tree, or even on 

 the ground, making a scanty nest or utilizing that of some 

 other bird, and in March or April 4, sometimes only 3, eggs are 

 deposited. These are usually dull brick-red in ground-colour 

 closely spotted or dotted with reddish brown or dark red, but 

 some are blotched with rich rufous on a reddish or yellowish 

 or even on a nearly pure white ground. In size they average 

 about 2'03 by T61, but American eggs, as a rule, are rather 

 larger. The Peregrine exhibits great attachment to its nesting 

 place, and will occupy the same site for many years in 

 succession. 



765. LESSER PEREGRINE. 

 FALCO PUNICUS. 



Falco punicus, Levaill. junr. Expl. Alger. Atlas, Ois. pi. I (1850) ; Irby, 

 Orn. Str. Gibr. p. 191, pi. 9 ; F. minor, Dresser, vi. p. 43, pi. 373 

 (nee. Bp.) ; F. brookei, Sharpe, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. xi. p. 20 



(1873). 



$ ad. (Morocco). Differs from F. peregrinus in being smaller, the 

 under parts more ruddy in colour, and in having the legs and feet much 



