62 Among the Birds in Northern Shires. 



experience is that it is invariably upon the ground, 

 and generally on a rather bare spot amongst the 

 heather or ling, often on an eminence of some kind. 

 Here in a slight hollow, with no lining as likely as 

 not, the four or five pretty red eggs of the Merlin 

 are laid. They are absolutely indistinguishable from 

 those of the much commoner Kestrel, but their 

 terrestrial resting-place should prevent the novice 

 confusing them in situ. In autumn the Merlins 

 quit the moors. It is difficult to say how far these 

 birds indigenous to our own moorlands migrate; 

 there is evidence to suggest that the movement is 

 limited to a trip to the lowlands, extending even to 

 the coast. On the other hand, the bird is certainly 

 a species with a strongly marked and regular passage 

 in most parts of its extra British range. A word as 

 to the plumage of this interesting Falcon. The 

 cock bird, with his slate -gray upper parts, rufous 

 nape, more or less distinctly barred tail, dark wings, 

 and rufous under parts streaked with dark brown, is 

 possibly familiar to most readers. The hen bird, so 

 far as we can determine, is not only slightly bigger 

 than her mate, but much less handsome in colour. 

 She is dark rufous-brown on the upper parts, each 

 feather with a paler margin, the buff nape patch is 

 paler and much less distinctly defined, the tail is 

 browner, and the under parts are dirty white streaked 

 with brown. This plumage closely resembles that 



