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rocks, and in hollow trees, sometimes also in deserted nests of the Crow or Magpie. In England 

 it more frequently chooses the nest of another bird ; but Mr. Gurney, in a notice published in the 

 ' Zoologist,' mentions a nest of the Kestrel which was placed in the hollow trunk of a pollard 

 tree, and Lord Lilford tells us that he has also several times found it nesting thus on his own 

 estate at Lilford. In Finland and Northern Scandinavia Dresser almost invariably found the 

 bird appropriating the nest of a Crow or Magpie. These were but slightly repaired, and the 

 bird appeared to have used but little trouble in preparing the nest for its own progeny. When 

 in holes of rocks or buildings, the eggs are deposited with scarcely any thing in the way of a nest, 

 though sometimes a little grass, moss, &c. is collected together under them. 



The eggs of this bird, from four to five in number, are generally reddish grey, covered so 

 closely with bright fox-red markings that the eggs appear to be almost uniform dark red. They 

 are, however, subject to considerable variation, and we may give the following varieties, from a 

 series in Dresser's collection, as instances of this tendency to variation : — 



a. Ground-colour pure white, with minute reddish dots scattered all over the egg. 



b. White, with bright-red markings collected chiefly at one end. 



c. The ground-colour of half the egg white, and that of the other half dull chestnut, and 

 the markings bright chestnut. 



d. Ground-colour dull reddish-white with purplish-chestnut markings, collected chiefly at 

 one end. 



In shape they are roundish oval, and in size vary from 1^ by 1^- to l-^-§ by 1-^ inch. 



The Kestrel is a great wanderer, and is often found far out at sea. Mr. F. Du Cane Godman 

 informs us that he has often observed them ; and Mr. J. H. Gurney has also written to us to say 

 that the bird has occurred in the Seychelles. It is probable that this specimen had been blown 

 out to sea in the course of its southward migration, and had touched at the above-mentioned 

 islands as its first resting-place. Some idea of the migrations of the Kestrel in the Central 

 Palsearctic Region will be gathered from the following note published by Thompson : — 



" The first which was seen, on our proceeding in H.M.S. ' Beacon' from Malta to the Morea, 

 at the end of April 1841, was a single individual, which flew close past the vessel when sixty 

 miles west of the Morea, and forty-five distant from Zante, the nearest land. We saw the 

 Kestrel about Navarino at the period just mentioned, and in the month of June met with it at 

 the cliffs of an islet north-east of Port Naussa, in Paros, where it was believed to have an eyry. 

 When Dr. J. L. Drummond was, many years ago, in the ' Renown ' (74-gun ship), off Toulon, 

 some hundreds of male Kestrels, on their way south, alighted, quite exhausted, on the rigging ; 

 and so many were caught by the sailors, that for some time there was hardly a berth without its 

 Kestrel. The weather was moderate at the time. My friend kept one of them alive for several 

 weeks by feeding it on salt meat steeped for some time in fresh water. But none of the birds 

 lived long, in consequence of no fresh food being obtainable for them." 



Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., has very kindly taken the trouble to collect information for us 

 respecting the food of the present bird. 



" An instance is recorded in the ' Zoologist ' of a Kestrel eating a Hooded Crow at Favers- 

 ham : it was not seen to kill it. A keeper at Northrepps, near Cromer, shot one in the act of 

 pulling an earthworm out of the ground. The same keeper has satisfactorily ascertained that 



