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" Early in October, sometimes rather later, they quit the south of Russia. A short time 

 before this the flocks reunite, and if the evenings are fine they again perform their evolutions. 



" When one of these birds is wounded, and one goes to pick it up, it throws itself on its 

 back, and spreading its wings and tail defends itself with its claws. Its cry resembles that of 

 the Kestrel, but is uttered less often than that of the latter bird." 



Radde (J. f. O. 1854, p. 54) says, in Southern Russia it " passes later than Falco 

 tinnwnculus, appearing about the end of April in small bands, but does not breed in the Crimea. 

 On the 20th April I saw between ten and twenty individuals on the Steppe, at Simferopol. 

 Insects of the Blaps and Pimelia families, which are so common here in the spring, form their 

 food. A month later I found them nesting on the Dnieper, for which purpose they appear to 

 prefer the high willows. A young male shot here had the dark grey dress of the adult male 

 mixed with reddish brown feathers like those in the plumage of the female. According to this 

 the bird does not assume the full plumage after the first moult ; but several years elapse before it 

 attains the fully adult attire." 



Lord Lilford (Ibis, 1860, p. 8) writes as follows respecting the present species: — 



"Arrives in Corfu occasionally in great numbers about the latter end of April. In the 

 spring of 1857 I did not hear of, or see, more than two specimens in the Corfu market; but in 

 April 1858 this species was very abundant in the Ionian Islands, particularly at Fano, a small 

 rocky island to the north of Corfu, celebrated as a favourite resting-place for immense flights of 

 Quails during their vernal migration. This Hawk appears to be very fearless of man. I have 

 watched a flock of five or six for upwards of an hour, during which time they often approached 

 within ten or fifteen yards of where I sat, though I was in no way concealed. As far as my 

 own observation goes, this species only remains for a few days in Corfu on its passage north- 

 wards. I have never heard of its occurrence in the island, except in April and May. The 

 stomach of a specimen which I skinned contained the remains of large night-flying moths. 

 Both this species and the Common Hobby are to be observed on the wing as late as 8 or 9 p.m. 

 The bird often alights on the ground, and runs with great ease and speed." 



Dr. Th. von Heuglin found this bird to be an irregular winter visitant to north-eastern 

 Africa. It generally appeared in September in Lower Egypt, in companies of from six to twelve 

 individuals ; during the daytime it frequented the fields, hovering and picking up grasshoppers, 

 which are there abundant, and which it often devours on the wing. They will settle on the 

 durrah grass, small bushes, hedges, or fences, and towards night they fly off to their resting- 

 places — tamarisk or nabag trees. Old males are generally more abundant than females and 

 young birds. We observed them singly along the whole of the Nile, nearly to Chartum, once 

 in Southern Nubia as early as the 11th of September, generally, however, not before October. 

 In the spring it is very rare in Egypt, but according to Riippell occurs also in Arabia. 



Naumann gives the accompanying particulars respecting the habits of the Red-legged 

 Falcon : — 



" Its flight is light, often for short distances, sailing and pretty, but it lacks the arrow-like 

 swiftness of that of the Merlin or Hobby. It resembles more that of the Kestrel; but the 

 difference is slight, and can only be noticed by a close observer, and one cannot describe it in 

 words. So also with the voice, which is closely like that of its three above-mentioned relatives. 



