124 



FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



to the male, but the markings on the breast and sides are 

 broader. 



In young birds all the upper parts are of a brown ash 

 colour, the feathers being edged with white ; a dark 

 streak runs down each side of the throat from the corners 

 of the beak ; the under parts are brown, gradually becom- 

 ing white, with large brown spots ; the tail is barred 

 with light brown. When the Gyr Falcon attains its full 

 age, the whole plumage is white, or nearly so. 



The young birds soon after they are hatched are covered 

 with down of a dirty white colour, which does not come off, 

 but their feathers grow through it. 



Although the places before enumerated are the ordinary 

 resorts of this handsome bird, it has been shot in various 

 parts of Great Britain and Ireland, but these instances 

 are rare in the extreme. 



