THE KESTREL. 55 



irrespective of species. This is accompanied with an in- 

 cessant reproachful chatter as if telling of past fears, 

 and appears to greatly incense the Kestrel, until a sudden 

 exhibition of its latent powers disperses the little would- 

 be assailants, and the bird continues its flight to some 

 congenial spot where it may digest its meal in peace. 



The' plumage of the Kestrel changes with age : the 

 young, though handsome, being much plainer than the 

 adult bird. The general ground colour is a pretty reddish - 

 brown fawn colour, the feathers being striped with 

 black down the quill to the tip, upon the breast, and 

 transversely upon the back, these latter feathers being 

 slightly edged with greyish-brown ; the tail is barred 

 with black and the extremities edged with white. After 

 the second year the male bird becomes greyish blue upon 

 the head and neck down to the shoulders, and also be- 

 comes possessed of a tail of rather deeper blue, barred with 

 black, and tipped with white, and at the same time loses 

 the spots upon the breast and back. There is little doubt 

 but that the male bird becomes handsomer with age, the 

 plumage at successive moults becoming more brilliant 

 and generally richer in tone, whilst the female becomes 

 darker. The length of an adult male is about thirteen 

 inches, whilst the female attains to about fifteen inches. 



The nest of the Kestrel is placed in as peculiar positions 

 as the bird is erratic in its building; in fact, oftentimes 

 it is nothing but the deserted nest of a Magpie, or any 

 other large nest perched in the top of a tree, and even 

 at times it will appropriate the deserted home of a 

 Squirrel ; at other times it will build in the crevices of 

 chalk cliffs and chalk pits. The eggs are usually from 

 four to five in number, having a ground colour of dirty 



