FALCOXID^. 16' 



Red-footed Falcon. Thmunciihis vesjiertmns (Liiiii.). 



An accidental visitor, of estremeh' rare occurrence. 



The adult male of this small species presents a singular contrast of 

 ccdours, the whole of the head, breast, back, and wings being of a blue- 

 black ; while the lower part of the body and the iinder tail-coverts are a 

 rich chestnut-red, as are also the feathers covering the thighs, and the legs 

 also are a rich red, giving the bird its English name. The female, too, is 

 prettily marked, having the head and the whole of the neck and breast of 

 a yellowish rufoas, with an ash-grejback ; and the young male resembles 

 her for the first year. Thus, the birds in all stages of plumage are so 

 distinct, that there is little likelihood of their being confounded with any 

 of our smaller English Hawks. .Besides, as this little Ealcon is only a 

 summer visitor to South and (South-eastern Europe from Africa, it is not 

 likely to be often met with in this kingdom, and its reported occurrences in 

 Devonshire are not without suspicion. In the countries which it visits for 

 nesting-purjTOses it is said sometimes to breed in small communities, and to 

 be remarkably tame and fearless. It is almost exclusively insectivorous. 

 AVhcn the}' first arrive at their summer-quarters, and again in October, 

 before leaving for the south, these little Ealcons are said to soar high in 

 the air, numbers together, when they wheel round and round like Swifts, 

 and, " tixing an imaginary point in the air, they will fly straight towards 

 it, then return, and follow continually nearly the same route, never passing 

 certain limits in their flight to and fro." These aerial performances are 

 commenced in the afternoon and are continued through the night. (Dresser, 

 ' iJirds of Europe,' vol. vi. p. [)b.) 



Dr. E. Moore says "a fresh specimen was brought to Pincombe (a bird-stufTer at 

 Devoii[)()rt ) by a sailor, and might have been caught in the Channel " (Alag. Nat. lii,-it., 

 I\larch 1837). This sijecimen is probibly the one referi-ed to by Et^lliuny (Nat. Hist. 

 S. Devon, p. 19U) as having been obtained in the Channel. Mr. J. Erooking liowe 

 ears : — " There is a fine old male in Mr. Piucoinbe's collection, said to liave bi'en 

 killed near Wembury ; tlie female was observed, but not killed " (Trans. Pjyui. Inst. 

 18i;2-(>.j, p. .^)1). Mr. E. II. Rodd states tliat, " when visiting JJevonpurt in June ISli;}, 

 I saw an adult male bird of diis s])ecics iu tlie liatids of Mf. I'inroiuhe, uaturiLli>l, of 

 that town, wliich had been shot some time previously at Wembury Clilf, wliich is 

 situated on the Devonsliire side of PJynioutli Sound. . . . Tliis is the specimen i-eferred 

 to by Varrell as having been in a mu.seimi at Devonport, and killed ncjt far olf. It is 

 now in my collection" (Zool. I8(i.'}, p. 8t)78 ; 'Birds of Cornwall,' p. 'J). It is more 

 likely that Yarrell referred to the first of the birds mentioned above than to tiiat killed at 

 Wi-mbuiy. Tiiese two males are ]»robably those slated by Pev. F. O. Morris, oi\ the 

 aulhoiily of Rev. K. A. Julian, t(; have becm procured near Plymouth (' J'ritish i'irds, 

 i. 1). IDS). A female recordcfl as having been killed near ICiiigsJjridge between lS4l( 

 and 1.S47 by Mr. Jl. .NiehoUs (Z .ol. 1847, p. K')'.),')) was a ll.)bl)y ! ( R. P. N., /// ////.). One 

 of I hes(^ Falcons ,•>(/(>/ lo have been kdlcd in Devon was in Mr. liyiK^'s ei)llci'tion, which 

 passed into the hands (W Mr. Marsh-Dunn, (;f Tcignmouth, \vlici-e we saw it in l.'~i8J. 



Curiously enough, some of the examples of this Hpecics which have been 

 ebtained in this country have occurred in the winter. 



Two recorded by Dr. JJulluiore as having been met with in W.Cornwall 

 were shot, one of them on Eobruury (Jth, iboi, and the other in the autumn 



