116 CEECHNEIS TINNUNCULUS. 



freely to Ceylon, remaining in the island until the usual time of departure, the coming-in of the following 

 south-west monsoon, when it takes wing for its breeding-haunts in more northern climes. It spreads over the 

 whole island, without respect to locality or elevation, frequenting the entire seaboard, the low country of the 

 interior, and the elevated plateau of the main range, while the intermediate coffee-districts come in for an 

 ecpial share of its patronage. It is commonly met with about Colombo, frecpienting the cinnamon-gardens and 

 cocoanut-groves along the Galle road ; at the southern port it always takes up its quarters in the huge 

 ramparts fronting the esplanade ; and at Trincomalie it is numerous in the season, dwelbng in the lofty 

 precipices and mural rocks encircling the Fort, and sallying out to the extensive esplanade in search of food. 

 In the Jaffna peninsula and round the north coast of the island generally it is plentiful, and it is likewise 

 common on all the adjacent islands of Palk's Straits. Although abundant in Ceylon, it never occurs there in 

 flocks similar to those that have been seen by Blyth near Calcutta, or by Captain Shelley in Egypt. 



The permanent habitat of the Common Kestrel is the entire continent of Europe and Northern Asia, 

 whence it migrates in the winter into Northern Africa, the Indian peninsula, and North China, and it 

 occasionally wanders into South Africa and even into the Seychelles. Although it leaves India for the most 

 part in the breeding-season, it remains in the Himalayas in considerable numbers, and on the other side of 

 the chain it is, according to Dr. Scully, a permanent resident in Turkestan. It appears to be only a winter 

 visitor to Burmah, as neither Capt. Feilden nor Mr. Oates record it as remaining there in the hot season. The 

 latter gentleman says that it is common in the Pegu plains ; but it does not continue its migration as far south 

 as Tenasserim, for I do not find any mention of it in either the first or second list of birds from that province 

 contained in ' Stray Feathers.' Blyth found it very common in Lower Bengal, where it was seen by him in 

 parties of twenty or thirty together. In Chota Nagpur Mr. Ball says that it is tolerably abundant in most 

 parts ; the same remark applies to nearly all parts of the Indian peninsula, for this little Hawk is dispersed 

 throughout the whole of it, irrespective of elevation ; there are, however, some districts in which it is not so 

 numerous, for Mr. Hume found it numerically scarce in the plains of Sindh. Mr. Bourdillon remarks that it 

 is a winter visitor to the Travancore hills, and that it breeds there ; on Mount Neboo, 7000 feet high, in the 

 Palani Hills, which form an eastern offshoot of the same range, Mr. Fairbank observed it until June, and 

 remarks that he thinks it resides permanently there. It has also been found to be a permanent resident in 

 some parts of the Nilghiris ; but Mr. Hume says these southern birds belong to a "smaller and markedly 

 deeper-coloured race," which is perhaps peculiar to the south of the peninsula, and may merit entire specific 

 separation from its ally, which is migratory to the whole country as well as to Ceylon, the latter place forming 

 the southernmost limit of its wanderings. It is certainly remarkable that while a vast stream of Kestrels 

 overruns annually the whole of the region in question, there should exist a certain quantum which, in addition 

 to a different character of plumage, should possess the peculiar habit of remaining stationary and breeding in 

 the hills of the extreme south of the peninsula. This peculiarity in the Kestrel's economy is not, however, 

 confined to South India ; the same occurs in Madeira and in Abyssinia ; and Mr. Sharpe solves the difficulty 

 by pointing out that there is undoubtedly a dark resident form of this species to be found in certain localities 

 along the southern limit of its habitat. As regards South India, I imagine that the Kestrels found in the low 

 country of this region belong to the migratory class, as they certainly do in the island of Ramisserum, where 

 they are very numerous during the north-east monsoon. Mr. Hume remarks that the Kestrel is the commonest 

 Raptor in the cold season at the Laccadive group, and that the specimens he obtained " were all of the 

 European type," which is, of course, the case with those in Ceylon. 



In the northern part of the sister continent of Africa, the Kestrel locates itself in great numbers during 

 the winter. Captain Shelley found it swarming in Egypt, and once saw as many as one hundred together in 

 a clump of palm trees, attracted there by the clouds of locusts which were passing them. In Tangier and 

 Eastern Morocco, Mr. T. Drake found it common ; and beyond this, towards the Atlantic, it wanders some- 

 times into Western Africa. Mr. Godman found it, however, common in the Canaries and in Madeira, the birds 

 in the latter place being resident and belonging to the dark race. With regard to Europe and Northern 

 Asia, the permanent habitat of the species, my limited space compels me to pass over its distribution there ; 

 and I would merely remark that Canon Tristram found it especially abundant in Palestine, inhabiting every 

 variety of locality, and breeding gregariously in the ruins characteristic of that country. Mr. Sharpe remarks 

 that the Japan Kestrels are the largest and darkest of any of the races of this species. 



