126 



2 



rufa, pectore superiore sparsiin brunneo striato : pectore inferiore et corpore laterali maculis ovalibus 

 notato, vix fasciato : gula et abdomine imo immaeulatis, fulvescentibus : subalaribus albis brunneo 

 maculatis. 



Adult Male. Entire head, back, and sides of neck clear blue-grey, the lores fulvescent, and the cheeks 

 streaked with white ; upper part of the back and scapulars rich cinnamon ; lower part of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts grey; wing-coverts cinnamon like the back, a few of the outermost 

 greater coverts tinged with grey, and some of them altogether grey; quills blackish brown, with a 

 very narrow edging of rufous, the secondaries brown, the dorsal ones grey, very narrowly edged with 

 rufous ; tail blue-grey, with a broad black band across it just before the tip, which is white ; throat 

 fulvous white; breast pale cinnamon-red, with very tiny brown shaft-markings on the upper part of 

 the breast, which change into oval spots on the lower breast and flanks ; lower part of the belly paler, 

 shading into yellowish white on the vent and under tail- coverts ; thighs pale rufous, unspotted ; under 

 wing-coverts white, marked with oval black spots ; bill lightish blue, yellow at base and blackish at tip ; 

 cere and orbital region beautiful yellow ; legs beautiful yellow, occasionally with the slightest reddish 

 tinge; nails generally white, sometimes blackish ; iris dark brown. Total length 13 inches, culm. T75 

 wing 9'2, tail 6*4, tarsus 1. 



Adult Female. Tawny red, the crown longitudinally marked with narrow black shaft-stripes, becoming 

 broader on the back of the neck; lores and an indistinct eyebrow whitish; cheeks silvery white; 

 feathers round the eye black ; interscapulary region and scapulars barred transversely, as also on the 

 wing-coverts, which, however, are rather paler red; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts rather more narrowly barred, and somewhat tinged with grey ; quills brown, dirty white on the 

 inner web, which is irregularly notched and barred ; the secondaries rufous, barred with brown like the 

 back ; tail pale fawn, irregularly banded with brown, the last bar before the tip of the tail black ; 

 throat, abdomen, and thighs fulvous, unspotted ; breast yellowish fawn, the shafts of the feathers on 

 the upper part distinctly marked with longitudinal lines of brown, the lower part of the breast thickly 

 spotted, the flanks more largely spotted, and the shafts indicated by a broad black line, widening out 

 towards the apex of the feather; bill, feet, nails, and his as in the male. Total length 12 inches, 

 culm. 0"7, wing 8'4, tail 5 - 8, tarsus 1. 



Young Male. Above pale cinnamon, inclining to fulvous on the back of the neck ; the head marked with 

 narrow longitudinal black shaft-stripes ; lores and an indistinct eyebrow yellowish white ; cheeks dirty 

 white; feathers round the eye greyish black; back and scapulars fawn, with longitudinal shaft-stripes 

 rather plainly marked ; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts blue-grey ; wing-coverts 

 yellowish fawn, paler than the back, showing the remains of the female plumage in the shape of 

 irregular bars ; quills blackish brown, dirty white on the under web, irregularly notched with white, 

 tinged with fulvous, the outer ones irregularly mottled with fawn, the inner ones barred with fawn and 

 black like the wing-coverts ; tail pale yellowish fawn, barred with brown, the bars gradually disappearing 

 towards the base of the tail, where it is suffused with grey, the two middle feathers entirely grey, the 

 secondaries for the most part blackish, a broad black bar traversing the tail near the tip ; throat, abdo- 

 men, thighs, and under tail-coverts yellowish fawn ; the breast pale fawn ; the upper part of the breast 

 longitudinally striped with brown along the shaft, lower part of the breast thickly covered with spots, 

 which almost take the form of bars on the flanks. 



The Lesser Kestrel is spread generally over Southern Europe, migrating in winter into Africa. 

 It is only a rare and occasional visitant in Northern Europe. Its eastern range has been given as 

 India and China, but recently Mr. Swinhoe has shown that the species met with in these 



