2746 The Zoologist — September, 1871. 



nest of another bird ; but Mr. Gurney, in a notice published in the 

 ' Zoologist,' mentions a nest of the kestrel which was placed in the hollow 

 trunk of a pollard tree, and Lord Lilford tells us that he has also several 

 times found it nesting thus on his own estate at Lilford. In Finland and 

 Northern Scandinavia, Dresser almost invariably found the bird appro- 

 priating the nest of a crow or magpie. These were but slightly repaired, 

 and the bird appeared to have used but little trouble in preparing the nest 

 for its own progeny. When in holes of rocks or buildings, the eggs are 

 deposited with scarcely anything in the way of a nest, though sometimes a 

 little grass, moss, &c., is collected together under them. 



" The eggs of this bird, four or five in number, are generally reddish 

 grey, covered so closely with bright fox-red markings that the eggs appear 

 to be almost uniform dark red. They are, however, subject to considerable 

 variation, and we may give the following varieties, from a series in Dresser's 

 collection, as instances of this tendency to variation : — 



" a. Ground colour pure white, with minute reddish dots scattered all 

 over the egg. 



" b. White, with bright red markings collected chiefly at one end. 

 " c. The ground colour of half the egg white, and that of the other half 

 dull chestnut, and the markings bright chestnut. 



" d. Ground colour dull reddish white, with purplish chestnut markings, 

 collected chiefly at one end. 



" In shape they are roundish oval, and in size vary from H hy l^jV to 

 144 ty lA inch. 



" The kestrel is a great wanderer, and is often found far out at sea. 

 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman informs us that he has often observed them ; and 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney has also written to us to say that the bisd has occurred 

 in the Seychelles. It is probable that this specimen had been blown out to 

 sea in the course of its southward migration, and had touched at the above- 

 mentioned islands as its first resting-place. Some idea of the migrations of 

 the kestrel in the Central Palrearctic Region will be gatliered from the 

 following note published by Thompson : — 



" ' The first which was seen, on our proceeding in H.M.S. Beacon from 

 Malta to the Morea, at the end of April, 1841, was a single individual, 

 which flew close past the vessel when sixty miles west of the Morea, and 

 forty-five distant from Zante, the nearest land. We saw the kestrel about 

 Navarino at the period just mentioned, and in the month of June met with 

 it at the cliffs of an islet north-east of Port Naussa, in Pares, where it was 

 believed to have an eyry. When Dr. J. L. Drummond was, many years 

 ago, in the Renown (74-guu ship), ofl" Toulon, some hundreds of male 

 kestrels, on their way south, alighted, quite exhausted, on the rigging ; and 

 so many were caught by the sailors, that for some time there was hardly a 

 berth without its kestrel. The weather was moderate at the time. My 



i 



