BIRDS OF PREY. 



309 



six inches broad; the wing measures ten inches and the tail five and a half. The body of the female is 

 somewhat larger than that of her mate, being thirteen inches long, and twenty-eight across the span of 

 the wings. The plumage of the male bird is of a blueish grey upon the head, large wing-covers, 

 posterior quills, and tail ; the back is brick red, the feathers upon the breast yellowish red, marked 

 with very small, often scarcely perceptible, spots ; the tail is tipped with black. The eyes are dark 

 brown, the beak light brown, and the feet lemon colour ; the claws are yellowish white. The female 



THE RED-FOOTED OR EVENING FALCON {Erythroplts vcspcrtinus). 



closely resembles the female Lark Kestrel in appearance, but is paler in colour, and, moreover, 

 recognisable by its whitish-blue tail and white claws. The young are like the mother. 



Spain and the neighbouring islands, Malta, South Italy, and particularly Greece, together with 

 some of the countries lying still farther east, form the habitat of these birds ; they are also very 

 common upon some of the Russian steppes, but are rarely met with in mountainous districts. Such 

 lowland regions as are in the immediate neighbourhood of water afford them the retreats they prefer, 

 as there they find that unfailing supply of insect nourishment upon which they almost entirely rely. 

 This species appears in Greece at the end of March, and migrates about the end of September. 

 The eggs are usually laid at the bottom of some old wall or in the roofs of houses, whether the latter 



