FALCO 553 



hovering in the air in search of its prey. It feeds on mice, 

 insects, and reptiles, but seldom on small birds. Its cry is 

 a shrill kee, kee, kee, uttered several times in succession. It 

 breeds in old ruins, church towers, cliffs, &c., and sometimes in 

 trees, taking possession of deserted nests of other birds, and 

 in April 4 to 5 eggs are laid, which in ground-colour vary 

 from white and reddish white to dull reddish, and are closely 

 marked and blotched with fox-red, dull chestnut, and purplish 

 chestnut. In shape they are roundish oval, and in size average 

 about 1-61 by T29. 



In tone of plumage the Kestrel varies considerably, birds 

 from Madeira, the Canaries, East Africa, and Japan being very 

 dark in colouration, and have indeed been described as speci- 

 fically separable, but I cannot see that this vie^ is correct. 



774 LESSER KESTREL. 

 FALCO CENCHRIS. 



Falco cenchris, Naum. Vog. Deutschl. i. p. 318, Taf. 29 (1822) ; Dresser, 

 vi. p. 125, pi. 385 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 430 ; Saunders, 

 p. 357 ; Lilford, i. p. 55 ; pi. 27 ; F. tinnunculoides, Temm. Man 

 d'Orn. i. p. 31 (1822) ; Gould, B. of E. i. pi. 27 ; F. peldnensis 

 (Swinhoe), P.Z.S. 1871, p. 341 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 437 ; 

 " F. naumanni, Fleisch" ; Sharpe, torn. cit. p. 435 (1874). 



Faucon cresserellettc, French ; Primilla, Primita, Span. ; 

 Eotelfalke, Germ. ; G-rillajo, Ital. ; Krasnaya Pustclga, Russ. 



ad. (Styria). Differs from F. tinnunculus in being smaller, in having 

 the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts rich cinnamon, or vinous brick-red, 

 unspotted, some of the inner secondaries slate-grey instead of rufous, and 

 the claws white, not blackish. Culmen 0*75, wing 9'0, tail 6'0, tarsus 1'2 inch. 

 The female resembles that of F. tinnunculus^ but is smaller and has white 

 claws. 



Hal. Southern Europe ; a doubtful straggler to the British 

 Isles; Africa as far south as Damaraland, and occasionally 

 to the Cape Colony in winter ; Asia Minor and Southern Asia 

 east to China, and India in the winter. 



In general habits it resembles F. tinnunculus, but is more 

 gregarious, and feeds more generally on insects. It nests also 

 frequently in large colonies, in old ruins, buildings such as 

 church towers, &c., hollow trees, and sometimes in cliffs, making 

 a very scanty nest, and in May deposits 4 to 5 or 6 eggs, which 

 vary considerably but resemble those of F. tinnunculus, though 

 they are more fox-red and lighter in colour, and smaller in size, 

 averaging 1/44 by I'll. 



