NORWEGIAN JEB-FALCON. 25 
take the form of bands more or less complete, and are often pointed 
with brown in the centre. The clear tint of which we have spoken 
is paler and more dirty upon the upper tail coverts, and it there 
becomes uppermost, so that the darker tint appears under the form of 
crescentic-transverse bands. Upon the sides of the rump the clear 
tint approaches to whitish, and the transverse bands are of a dark 
grey approaching to violet blue. The ground colour of the primaries 
approaches strongly to blackish brown; the brownish grey spots of 
the external barbs of these feathers is lost towards their extremity, 
which is of a fine glossy white; the spots, on the contrary, which are 
on the inner barbs of the quill feathers, are as pale on the inferior 
surface of the wings, while on the upper surface they approach to 
reddish brown, which again changes to white on the anterior feathers. 
The bright bands of the tail, of which there are from fourteen to 
fifteen, are of a dirtier tint than the spots above the body, and they 
are covered distinctly towards the centre with numerous confluent spots 
of a pale brown. These bands being rather large the dark tints appear 
upon the tail in the form of narrow streaks, sometimes continuous, 
sometimes opposite, sometimes in an arch or crescent, and are darker 
towards the extremity of the tail, which is of a more or less dirty 
white. 
The under surface of the tail is generally paler than the upper. 
The lesser wing coverts are ornamented with clear spots, sometimes of 
an orbicular or oval form, and those spots are transverse on the 
greater wing coverts. The ground colour of the superior parts of the 
bird is of a more or less pure white, ornamented with spots of a 
dark slate-colour, approaching to brown, which form longitudinal 
streaks on the chin and throat, and narrow spots in front of the 
neck and region of the crop, increasing in size towards the extremity 
of the feathers, where they appear like tears or drops; they are of a 
deeper tint, and cordate towards the tips of the feathers of the flank, 
and lozenge-shaped towards the base, approaching the form of the 
transverse bands more or less perfectly; on the feathers of the legs 
are transverse spots or bands, closer together. The markings of the 
under tail coverts are of a greater extent, less numerous, lozenge- 
shaped, and often extended along the quill shafts in the form of fine 
deep streaks. 
The figure of this bird's egg is from a specimen taken at Kantokaino, 
near Quickiock, Lapland, and sent to me by Dr. Meves of Stockholm. 
It was taken in 1869, and is now in my collection,, 
VOL. I. 
