44 



and in the former locality it seems to take the place of the common Peregrine Falcon. Mr. Layard 

 says (B. of S. Afr. p. 19) that it " seems to have a pretty general range over the colony, several 

 specimens having reached me from different localities. I have likewise seen it on the wing 

 several times near Capetown, and purchased one in the flesh, which was being carried through 

 the town by a shooter. Mr. Atmore writes from Swellendam, ' it is not rare about here, but 

 very difficult to get, except in the breeding-time, when they come after the poultry.' " On the 

 west side of the continent I find it recorded from Damara Land by Mr. Andersson, who states 

 (B. of Damara Land, p. 12) that he never observed but one individual, a young female, which he 

 obtained at Objinere, about two days' journey from Objimbinque; and Mr. Gurney adds that in 

 Mr. Andersson's last collection there was an adult male of this species, obtained at Ondonga on 

 the 30th January, 1867. Between here and Mogador I do not find it recorded, except that a 

 specimen, in immature plumage, from the river Gambia, now in the British Museum, catalogued 

 by Mr. Sharpe as Falco barbarus, in my opinion decidedly belongs to the present species ; but it 

 is, so far as I can ascertain, almost impossible to distinguish Falco barbarus and Falco minor in 

 immature dress. I possess two, and have examined several more, examples of this Falcon from 

 Tangier, all collected by M. Olcese. When I first obtained an immature bird from there I 

 believed it to be Falco barbarus ; and Colonel Irby, partly misled by me, included F. barbarus in 

 his ' Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar ' as occurring near Tangier. Mr. J. H. Gurney 

 informs me that it is found at Mogador, and he was inclined to regard specimens from there 

 and from Tangier as belonging to a dark-headed form of Falco barbarus lacking the rufous nape ; 

 but a critical examination of four examples from Tangier (two adult and two immature), with 

 specimens from other localities, clearly demonstrates that they are referable to the present 

 species. Falco minor may possibly occur in several of the countries bordering the north side of 

 the Mediterranean ; for it has been obtained near Milan, whence M. Jules Vian obtained a 

 specimen shot late in the month of April. 



I possess an example from Rhodes which is just assuming the mature dress; and there is 

 one in the Norwich Museum, from near Smyrna, in very full plumage. The various authors 

 who have written on the ornithology of North-east Africa do not record it : but it certainly 

 occurs there ; for a specimen obtained in Abyssinia by Mr. Blanford is in the British Museum. 

 On the east side of Africa it has been obtained on the Zambesi and the Joanna Islands 

 whence specimens are in the Norwich Museum, as also from Natal, where it was procured by 

 Mr. Ayres. 



Respecting the habits of the Lesser Peregrine I find nothing of any importance on record ; 

 but it appears to assimilate tolerably closely to its larger ally, Falco peregrinus, and doubtless 

 its breeding-habits and eggs are similar to those of that species ; but the eggs will doubtless run 

 smaller. Colonel Irby obtained the eggs with one of the specimens I have examined ; but I have 

 not had an opportunity of examining them. 



The specimens figured are the adult male and young bird above described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



