23 BRITISH BIRDS. 



times becoming confluent^ at others uniformly distributed over the entire 

 surface. Some specimens have the markings smoothly and evenly laid 

 over the entire surface, giving them the appearance of ground-colour 

 which is marbled and more intensified here and there. Another very 

 beautiful variety is mottled all over with pale rosy-pink shell-markings, 

 intermixed with pale reddish-brown blotches and spots on a creamy-white 

 ground ; whilst others have the spots and blotches mostly confined to the 

 larger end of the egg, leaving the white under surface exposed to view. 

 Jer- Falcons' eggs are slightly more elongated than Peregrines', have a 

 somewhat rougher shell, and possess little gloss. In size they vary from 

 2'4 to 2"2 inches in length, and in breadth from 1'9 to 1'8 inch. 



In the autamn many Jer-Falcons wander southwards ; bat these are 

 mostly birds of the year which may have lost their way, or been tempted 

 to follow in the wake of the retreating hordes of wild fowl that go south 

 at the approach of winter. 



The female Jer-Palcon (length of wing 16 to 15 inches) may always be 

 distinguished from the Peregrine (length of wing 14^ to 12 inches) by its 

 larger size, and the female Peregrine from either sex of the Jer-Palcon by 

 the structure of the feet. In the Peregrine the outer toe without the 

 claw is longer than the iimer toe without the claw ; whilst in the Jer- 

 Palcon the outer and inner toes are about equal in length. The tail of 

 the Jer-Falcons is also uniform in ground-colour, whilst in that of the 

 Peregrine the bars are obscurer towards the tip, making the general 

 colour darker at the tip than at the base. 



Sharpe's very ingenious theory, that the intermediate forms between the 

 White Jer-Palcon and the South-Greenland Jer-Falcon are an interme- 

 diate stage of plumage between the young in first plumage and the adult, 

 is entirely unsupported by evidence; indeed the existence of young in 

 first plumage of each form is strong proof to the contrary, to say nothing 

 of the fact that his supposed intermediate stage of plumage remains con- 

 stant for years in confinement. 



In the 'Zoologist' for 1867 (p. 597) Mr. W. Jeffery records the occur- 

 rence of a " Buzzard " which was brought into Chichester Harbour by a 

 coal- vessel. It was caught in the rigging of the ship when off Plamborough 

 Head. Mr. Gurney, in the 'Zoologist' for 1875 (p. 4721), alludes to this 

 capture, and corrects the statement. The bird in question was sent to the 

 Zoological Gardens, and was ascertained to be a Jugger Falcon {Falco 

 jugger). As this Falcon is very commonly used in India for hawking, 

 it was most probably an escaped bird, although the circumstance is 

 worth recording. 



