FALCO PUNICUS. 191 



the remainder are migratory, going to Europe in' February and 

 March, returning in November and December. They nest from 

 March to May on rocks and on trees, laying four eggs, eleven of 

 which have passed through my hands for sale." Famer. 



The Peregrine Falcon is common in Andalucia in winter ; 

 those Falcons which are resident belong to the subspecies or 

 small race called F. punicus, as no doubt do those which Favier 

 mentioned as nesting on the African side of the Straits. 



Adult. Above bluish grey, paler on rump, barred with a darker tint. 

 Crown, cheeks, ear-coverts, and short moustachial band blackish ; below 

 white, with a buffy tinge on the breast, spotted on the throat and upper 

 breast, and barred on the lower breast with blackish ; cere, eyelids, and 

 legs yellow. 



Young. Above brown, with buff margins to feathers ; below whitish, 

 with dark brown streaks ; tail irregularly barred, tipped with whitish buff; 

 cere, eyelids, and legs blue. 



Length 15-20 inches. 



201. Falco punicus, Levaillant, jun. The Mediterranean Falcon. 



This small race of the Peregrine is resident about the Straits ; 

 one pair nest on the Rock near O'Hara's Tower, occasionally 

 coming into the town and carrying oif tame pigeons. A pair 

 used to breed close to Cape Spartel, in the middle of a colony of 

 Rock-Doves ; but I did not observe that they molested their 

 neighbours. 



Lord Lilford kindly writes to me as follows : " There is no 

 specific difference between F. punicus and F. peregrinus ; but the 

 former is generally, if not always, the smaller bird, and never in 

 my experience gets the white breast and black bars of the adults 

 of the typical European race especially noticed in winter- 

 killed specimens from Egypt, Italy, Algeria, and Spain. As a 

 rule, the adult F. punicus has the breast more or less tawny, and 

 the barring closer than in F. peregrinus, but this is not invariable. 

 jP. punicus, in my opinion, is a good local race, like F. anatum 

 and F. melanogenys of America and Australia." 



