The Hobby.- 



-BIRDS- 



-The Kestrel. 



257 



THE HOBBY [Falco suhhuted) is a small British 

 species of falcon, closely resembling the Peregrine. 

 It usually measures from twelve to fourteen inches in 

 length; the plumage of the upper parts is greyish-black, 

 or bluish-grey ; the quill featliers of the wings are black, 

 and those of the tail greyish-black, mdistinctly barred 

 with a lighter tint. The lower part of the body is 

 yellowish- white, ^vith dark brown patches; the beak is 

 bluish, the cere greenish-yellow, the feet yellow, and 

 the claws black. The Hobby has been met with in 

 many parts of this country, to which it is a summer 

 visitor, but is by no means an abundant British bird. 

 It is found in all parts of the continent of Europe, 

 and also occurs in Northern Africa, and probably in 

 most parts of Asia, as specimens have been obtained 

 from Siberia, India, and even from China. It usually 

 mhabits wooded districts, where it builds its nest in a 

 high tree. Its powers of flight are very great, its 

 wings being so long as to reach beyond the end of the 

 tail when closed. In a state of nature its favourite 

 prey appears to consist of skylarks, in pursuit of which 

 it manifests gi'eat perseverance, whilst tlie unfortunate 

 lark exhibits wonderful dexterity m avoiding the fatal 

 stoop of its pursuer. The Hobby is also sometimes 

 trained to fly at larks, quails, and snipes. Besides 

 smaU birds, it feeds upon small beetles; and Mr. 

 Henry Doubleday found the stomachs of two speci- 

 mens examined by him, fiUed with the common dung 

 beetle {Gcotrnpes stercoi'ariits). 



THE MEELm {Falco cesalon), the smallest of the 

 Falcons inhabiting Britain, is usually regarded as a 

 winter visitor to this country, although several instances 

 are on record of its remaining here through the summer 

 and breeding. It is, however, more abundant in the 

 northern than in the southern parts of the British isles. 

 On the continent of Europe it appears to be generally 

 distributed ; it extends its range in Asia as far as Nepaul ; 

 and specimens have been obtained in the fur countries 

 of North America. According to Dr. Andrew Smith, 

 it is also met with at the Cape of Good Hope. It 

 measures only eleven or twelve inches in length ; the 

 plumage of the back is of a fine bluish-grey colour ; 

 the wing primaries are quite black ; the lower parts are 

 reddish, with browni patches and streaks. In the female 

 the back is liver-bro'uii, and the lower parts brownish- 

 white. Notwithstanding his smaU size the Merlin is so 

 courageous and poweri'ul that he has been known to 

 strike and kill partridges at least twice his own weight; 

 blackbirds and thrushes, and other small birds, are his 

 common prey ; and he was formerly traijied to pursue 

 these for the amusement of his owners. In the palmy 

 days of falconry the Merlin was the Lady's Hawk. 

 Its nest, which is rude and scanty, is built upon the 

 ground in rocky places, or amongst heath ; the eggs 

 are four or five in number, and of a mottled reddish- 

 brown colour. 



THE KESTREL {Falco tinnunculus), called the Wind- 

 hover in some localities, is the most abLmdant of the 

 British species of this famUy, occuning in aU parts of 

 the country in considerable numbers. It is also gene- 

 rally distributed on the continent of Europe, and extends 

 in Asia as far as China, Japan and Java, and in Africa 

 to the Cape of Good Hope. The length of this beautiful 

 Vol. I. 



httle Falcon is from thirteen to fifteen inches ; the cohjur 

 of the plumage of the back is a bright reddish fawn in 

 the male, reddish-brown in the female, marked in the 

 former with small triaugiflar black spots, and in the 

 latter with transverse black bars. The lower surface 

 in both sexes is of a pale reddish fawn colour, with 

 dark longitudinal streaks and spots ; tlie tail-feathers 

 are greyish, more or less distinctly barred, and exhibit- 

 ing a broad transverse black band near the tips, leaving 

 the tips themselves white ; the beak is blue, the cere and 

 feet are yellow, and the claws black. 



The appearance of tliis pretty httle Falcon must be 

 familiar to most of us, as it is commonly sold in our 

 markets, and may be seen almost everj^vhcre hovering 

 over the fields in search of its prey. When thus en- 

 gaged, it may always be recognized by its movements. 

 After advancing for a short distance, it suddenly 

 remains perfectly stationary, suspended in the air by 

 very short but rapid motions of the wmgs ; and during 

 this halt its shaip eye is carefully mspecting the ground 

 beneath it in search of the small game which constitutes 

 its favourite food. Should there be nothing stirring 

 in one place, the bird moves on to another, and there 

 resumes his inspection; but should a mouse or any other 

 small animal make its appearance, the Kestrel closes his 

 wings, and dashes down upon it instantly. It is from this 

 habit that the bird has received the name of Wind- 

 hover. His favourite food, for the capture of which 

 the manoeuvres above described are indeed specially 

 adapted, consists of field-mice and other small Mammalia, 

 amongst which he causes a gi'eat destruction, so that he 

 is certainly to be regarded as a farmer's friend, and 

 should be encouraged rather than persecuted; but unfor- 

 tunately this bird is very commonly confounded with the 

 Sparrow-hawk, and often suflers the punishment which 

 the latter may perhaps deserve for his depredations in 

 the poulti-y yard. 'The Kestrel does not, however, 

 confine himself exclusively to quadruped game, but 

 occasionally kills and devours small birds ; insects and 

 earthworms also form a part of his diet. Rlr. Selby 

 mentions, on the authority of an eye-witness, that a 

 Kestrel has been seen late in the evening hawking 

 after cockchafers. His informant says — " I watched 

 him with a glass, and saw him dart through a swarm 

 of the insects, seize one in each claw, and eat them 

 while flying. He retm'ned to the charge again and 

 again." The nest is built among rocks, or on old 

 towers and other ruins, and in some places in trees. 

 Sometimes the Kestrel takes possession of the nest of a 

 crow or a magpie, and adapts them to its own purposes. 

 The eggs are four or five in number, of a reddish-white 

 colour, mottled or blotched with reddish-brown. 



THE CREAM-BELLIED FALCON {Falco Beritjora— 

 Plate 2, fig. 5). — This species is generally distributed 

 over Van Diemen's Land and Australia, where it is 

 kno'ivn to the colonists by the name of the Broivn HavJc. 

 It measures from fourteen to sixteen inches in length ; 

 its plumage is generally of a brown colour, but the 

 throat and a large patch on the belly are pale bulT. 

 The bUl and feet are of a fight lead-blue colour, and 

 the claws black. This bird, which is more sluggish m 

 its habits than the majority of the true Falcons, is 

 exceeduigly abundant in the districts which it fi-equents, 



2 K 



