FALCONS. i8i 



the saker is trained for the chase of gazelles ; while in India, where it is termed 

 the cheruo;, it is flown not only at cranes, bustards, hares, etc., but likewise at 

 kites. The chase of the latter is described as being exciting in the extreme, the 

 two birds doing all they know to obtain the higher position, and often flying far 

 from the hawking party. On one such occasion, Mr. R. Thompson, writing to Mr. 

 Hume, says that " after going a considerable distance from his (juarry, and thereby 

 acquiring ^diat he wanted — superior height — the saker resumed the chase, returning 

 downwards like a thunderbolt on the kite. Blow after blow was struck, and the 

 helpless kite, with his merciless enemy, descended, clutched fast together, their wings 

 expanded, in wheeling circles to the earth, where the kite, already half dead, was 

 soon despatched." Curiously enough, kites seem to recognise the saker as their 

 enemy, as, immediately one was unhooded, all the kites in the vicinity flew ofl', 

 although they took not the least notice of other falcons. 



Lannerand The falcon known as the lanner {F. feldeggii), although a 



Lag-gar Falcons, mnch smaller bird, has been frequently confounded with the 

 preceding species ; but, together with the laggar, it belongs to a group agreeing 

 with the under-mentioned peregrine in the relative length of the toes and wings, 

 although resembling the saker in the absence of the distinct dark barring 

 on the thighs in the ordinary dress. The lanner is chiefl}' characteristic of 

 the countries bordering the Mediterranean, and attains a length of 17 inches 

 in the male. It has the back barred, the forehead blackish, and the hinder 

 part of the head and nape rufous, with a narrow line of black on the 

 forehead, and a thin black cheek-stripe ; the general colour of the upper-parts 

 being ashy brown, and the tail-feathers distinctly barred with pale rufous. The 

 laggar {F. jiifjf/er), which is confined to Peninsular India, is a still smaller species, 

 measuring only loh inches in the male, and having the thighs with scarcely any 

 or no dark markings, and the middle tail-feathers not barred ; the crown of the 

 head being dull rufous, with lines of ashy black on the back. Other well-known 

 species of this group are the Barbary falcon (F. horbarus), ranging from West 

 and North-East Africa to North-Western India and the Himalaj-a ; and the 

 red-capped falcon (F. hahylonicus), with a nearh' similar range, but extending 

 into Turkestan, and unknown in West Africa. The former is next in size to 

 the saker, the female reaching a length of 22h inches ; and may be distin- 

 guished from the lanner by the rufous forehead and nape, and the bluish grey 

 of the hinder part of the crow^n. The latter is much smaller, and has the under- 

 parts uniform sandy rufous, instead of with wavy dark bars. 



Peregrine In common with the group just noticed, the peregrine falcon 



Falcons. (^p peregrinus) — so named from the migratory habits of the 3'oung 

 birds — differs from the gerfalcons and saker by its longer toes, especiallj' the 

 fourth, which (exclusive of the claw) exceeds the second in length ; and also by 

 the elongation of the wings, in \vhich tlie interval between the primary and 

 secondary quills is greater than half the length of the tail. The peregrine, which 

 attains a length of 15 inches in the male and 17 in the female, is easily 

 recognised by the distinct narrow black transverse bars on the thighs, the 

 blackish colour of the crown of the liead, and the expansion of the cheek- 

 stripe into a large black patcli. In the adult the whole of the crown of the head. 



