G26 Lieut. C. G. Fiuch-Davies on [Ibis, 



61. Falco peregriiius minor (Bon.). South African Pere- 

 grine Falcon. 



In my experience this is a rather scarce species everywhere. 

 Shortridge in his notes on the birds of Port St. Johns in 

 eastern Pondoland^ in ' The Ibis/ stated that it was common 

 in that district, but although he procured a specimen, I am 

 of the opinion that he must have confused this species with 

 F. biarmicus, as I spent some eight years collecting in 

 eastern Pondoland^ while I only secured a single specimen 

 and saw one other. I never met with it in East Griqua- 

 land, but saw a few in the South -West Protectorate, 

 one of which I secured. It is a most beautifully shaped 

 little Falcon, and I should think if trained would prove a 

 fine game-hawk. Nearly all I have seen have been in 

 pursuit of some bird or other. A fine adult male which I 

 shot in Pondoland had just stooped and picked up a Quail, 

 which I had missed ; another I saw make a most determined 

 stoop at a Hadadah Ibis, which only just escaped, shrieking 

 with fear and dropping like a stone into a reed-bed. On the 

 border of the Etosha Pass in Ovamboland I saw one pursuing 

 a flock of Ruffs. Another I saw make a dash at a flock of 

 Doves, which escaped into some trees. Again, near Windhuk, 

 a friend of mine made a very lucky right and left, killing 

 with the right barrel a Rock Pigeon, and with the left a 

 beautiful male of this species, which was in pursuit of the 

 pigeon. 



I have not been able to examine a large enough number 

 of specimens to state anything definitely, but it has seemed 

 to me from the examination of a fair number of both sexes 

 that there is a distinct difference in this respect : this is 

 principally noticeable in the colouring of the under parts, 

 which, in females, always resembled the plate of this species 

 in Sharpe's Catalogue. That is, the under parts were always 

 rufous and buff'y-white, barred with black or dark brown, 

 without any trace of grey. All males have had the under 

 parts, especially the flanks and tibial plumes, more or less 

 grey, barred with black. With one exception, all the males 

 I have seen have had the throat and breast creamy-white, 

 the latter with small spots of black. The one exception 



