NORWEGIAN JER-FALCON. 29 



These markings, constantly of a transverse form, are 

 larger and more numerous upon the greater wing 

 coverts and secondaries, where they take the form of 

 bands more or less complete, and are often pointed 

 with brown in the centre. The clear tint of which 

 we have spoken is paler and more dirty upon the 

 upper tail coverts, and it there becomes uppermost, 

 so that the darker tint appears under the form of 

 crescentic-transverse bands. Upon the sides of the 

 rump the clear tint approaches to whitish, and the 

 transverse bands are of a dark grey approaching to 

 violet blue. The ground colour of the primaries 

 approaches strongly to blackish brown; the brownish 

 grey spots of the external barbs of these feathers is 

 lost towards their extremity, which is of a fine glossy 

 white; the spots, on the contrary, which are on the 

 inner barbs of the quill feathers, are as pale on the 

 inferior surface of the wings, while on the upper 

 surface they approach to reddish brown, which again 

 changes to white on the anterior feathers. The bright 

 bands of the tail, of which there are from fourteen to 

 fifteen, are of a dirtier tint than the spots above the 

 body, and they are covered distinctly towards the 

 centre with numerous confluent spots of a pale brown. 

 These bands being rather large the dark tints appear 

 upon the tail in the form of narrow streaks, sometimes 

 continuous, sometimes opposite, sometimes in an arch 

 or crescent, and are darker towards the extremity of 

 the tail, which is of a more less dirty white. 



The under surface of the tail is generally paler than 

 the upper. The lesser wing coverts are ornamented 

 with clear spots, sometimes of an orbicular or oval 

 form, and those spots are transverse on the greater 

 wing coverts. The ground colour of the superior parts 



