FALCO 551 



blue-grey ; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts rich chestnut ; under wing- 

 coverts greyish black ; bill horn-colour, blackish at tip ; cere, bare space 

 round the eye, and legs bright brownish red ; iris bright brown. Cul- 

 men 0'75, wing 9*7, tail 5'8, tarsus I'O inch. The female has the head, 

 neck, and sides of neck rufous ; upper parts and tail ashy grey, barred 

 with darker grey ; quills ashy grey, barred with reddish white on the 

 inner web ; throat and cheeks white, tinged with rufous ; moustache and 

 rest of under parts, with the under wing-coverts rufous like the head ; soft 

 parts duller than in the male. The young bird resembles the female, but 

 is paler, the head and under parts considerably paler, the forehead hoary 

 white, and the crown dark striped. 



Hob. Europe generally, up to Sweden and Archangel, rarer 

 in the west; a somewhat rare visitor to Great Britain, has 

 once occurred in Ireland, and has strayed to the Canaries; 

 Africa south to Damaraland in winter ;* Asia Minor, western 

 and central Asia, becoming rare further east, but has occurred 

 as far east as the Baikal district. 



In habits it resembles the Kestrel more than the Hobby. 

 It affects groves and the open country rather than the forest, 

 and feeds chiefly on insects of various kinds, occasionally 

 however capturing small birds. Its note is a clear, shrill hi, 

 uttered several times in succession. It breeds in trees, 

 frequently taking possession of deserted nests of Crows and 

 Magpies, and in June deposits 3 to 4 eggs, which resemble 

 those of F. subbuteo, but are smaller and darker, more approach- 

 ing those of the Kestrel. In size they average T45 by 1*16. 



772. EASTERN RED-LEGGED FALCON. 

 FALCO AMURENSIS. 



Falco amurensts, Kadde, Keis. Ost. Sib. Vogel, p. 102, Taf. i. fig. a, b 

 (1863) ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 445 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. Ind. 

 Birds, iii. p. 424 ; (Tacz.), F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 93 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, 

 p. 41, pi. ii. 



J ad. (Siberia). Eesembles F. vespertinus, but has the wing lining 

 and axillaries pure white. Culmen 0'75, wing 9'0, tail 5'0, tarsus I'l inch. 

 The female differs from that of F. vespertinus in having the head browner, 

 the under parts paler, the breast spotted, and the flanks barred with 

 blackish ; the wing-lining white with brown spots, and the axillaries barred 

 white and dark brown. 



Hob. South-eastern Siberia ; Mongolia ; Northern China ; 

 wintering in India, Burma, and East Africa; has occurred in 



