13;] 



9 



late in April or early in May. Thus, in 1858, I found on the 29th of April a full clutch, and in 

 some nests only one egg; and in 1859 I found complete clutches in all nests on the 7th of May. 

 This year (1860) I found on the 9th of May all nests empty, as in April and May the weather 

 was unusually bad. The general number of eggs is four, sometimes five. I never found a clutch 

 of six, as did Mr. Seidensacher, at Krain. 



" The Lesser Kestrel makes no nest, but deposits its eggs, often without any thing placed 

 under them, in the hollow of a wall or roof; and in the hole are found remains of grasshoppers 

 and other insects. In many houses there are several nests, but most are found in old ruins. 

 The entrance to the nest is easy to find, being white with the excrement of the bird. This species 

 is so fond of its progeny that it will not leave its nest, and can be taken on it with the hand." 



The eggs of the Lesser Kestrel are subject to quite as much, if not more, variation than 

 those of the Common Kestrel. We have before us a large series from Dresser's collection, taken 

 chiefly in Styria, the general run of which are like the rusty-coloured eggs of the Common 

 Kestrel in colour ; but amongst them are the following varieties, viz. : — «, dirty white with a very 

 few faint red spots ; b, greyish white, covered at the smaller end with sparse reddish spots, and 

 at the larger end thickly blotched with dark red ; c, nearly pure white, half the egg being very 

 closely blotched with deep reddish brown, showing scarcely any of the ground-colour, and but 

 few reddish spots scattered over the other end ; d, light reddish clay-coloured, marked here and 

 there with a few small dark red spots ; e, light buff, spotted all over with scattered blackish- 

 brown spots ; f, ground-colour light buff, smudged closely all over with dull reddish brown. In 

 size the eggs vary from 1^-" by 1^" to l^j" by 1-g-", and in form are sometimes roundish, some- 

 times ovate, sometimes pure oval. 



Before dismissing the subject we wish to draw attention to the following statement published 

 by Mr. Howard Saunders in a recent number of 'The Ibis.' In writing about F. tinnunculus, 

 he observes: — 



" I fancy that there is either an intermediate race, or that this species and F. cenchris 

 interbreed, as I took a white-clawed bird off hard-set eggs in the Cathedral of Seville on 

 May 16th, when the latter had scarcely begun to lay its very distinct eggs ; in length of wing 

 this female is identical with specimens from other localities." Mr. Saunders has kindly lent us 

 this specimen, and, we must confess, it puzzles us greatly. From its white claw and general 

 appearance we should be inclined to refer it without hesitation to the Lesser Kestrel ; and we 

 believe it to belong really to this species, the only facts militating against this idea being the large 

 size of the eggs (which Mr. Saunders calls " of the boldest type of the Common Kestrel, one 

 being exceptionally large, like a small Peregrine's") and the slightly larger size and longer wing. 



We would remark that the white claw is not always a good character whereby to distinguish 

 this species ; for Dresser shot a fine male at Cilli, in Styria, which had the claws " light blue," as 

 noted at the time of death. Still most examples have white claws ; and Dr. Tristram tells us 

 that the Arabs distinguish between the two species by means of the claws. 



The synonymy of this species is in an unsatisfactory condition, and it is doubtful whether 

 the real name by which the bird should be known is not Falco naumanni ; but we have not been 

 able to discover the periodical in which this name is stated to have been published, nor does any 

 one else appear to have been more fortunate. Then, again, Natterer's names are apparently only 



