216 The Falcon-like Birds 



i 



of the head, cheeks, and the back of the neck. This species, according to Gould, 

 has the same courage and activity of its relatives in other parts of the world, being 

 able to capture the White-eyed Duck, a bird twice its own weight. It nests in 

 steep, rocky cliffs, laying but two eggs. The Hobby (F. subbuteo) of northern 

 Europe and Asia is a bird which appears like a Lesser Peregrine, but has a softer 

 plumage. It feeds largely upon dragon-flies and other insects, as well as the 

 smaller birds. 



Merlin. As typical of another subgenus (Msalori) of Falcons we may select 

 the Merlin ( F. regulus} of Europe and northern Asia, a bird one third less than 

 the size of the Peregrine. The members of this group have the two outer quills 

 with the inner webs emarginated near the tips, the tarsus not much longer than 

 the middle toe, and the thighs longitudinally streaked, while the remainder of 

 the plumage is mostly bluish gray above, the feathers with blackish central streaks, 

 and whitish, buffy, or light rusty, striped with brownish, below. 



The true Merlin is only about twelve or fourteen inches long, and may be 

 known by the closed tail in the male showing but one black band, while the 

 female shows about eight narrow pale bands. The upper parts are grayish blue, 

 and the under parts reddish yellow, with longitudinal dark brown spots. It 

 frequents the moors and mountains, feeding upon small birds, although it not 



infrequently kills Quail more than twice its own 



weight. The nest is a slight affair, usually placed 

 on the ground among tall heather, and the eggs are 

 four or live in number. Where it nests in trees, as 

 ijjj$IIJJE*j it occasionally does, it makes use of the old nests 



of other birds, such as that of the Carrion Crow. 

 It is capable of being trained for "hawking" and 

 was formerly used to pursue Snipe, Larks, Black- 

 birds, etc. 



Pigeon-Hawk. The nearest relative of the 

 Merlin is the well-known Pigeon-Hawk (F. colum- 

 barius) of North America, which takes its name 

 from its resemblance to the Wild Pigeon, this re- 

 FIG. 73. Merlin, Falco regulus. semblance extending not only to the shape and 



poise, but to the rapid flight of this now rare bird. 



It is slaty blue above, with a broken collar of buffy on the neck, and creamy 

 buff or ochraceous below, where, except on the throat, it is streaked with 

 blackish. The closed tail is crossed by more than one black band. The 

 Pigeon-Hawk is found throughout the whole of North America from the Arctic 

 Ocean southward to the West Indies, Central America, and northern South 

 America, breeding mainly to the northward of the United States except in the 

 Rocky Mountain area, where it is a not uncommon summer resident. Its food 

 consists mainly of small or medium-sized birds, insects, and occasionally small 

 mammals. "Among insects the dragon-flies are favorite morsels for this 

 Hawk, and the apparent ease with which it captures these nimble-winged in- 

 sects demonstrates better than anything else its remarkable power of flight. 



