34 SAKER FALCON. 



birds have been brought thence to Austria, taken out 

 of their nests in the month of May, about sixty years 

 ago, and sent to the principal falconers in Europe. 

 Pallas, under the name of Lanner, speaks of two species, 

 one stronger than the other, from the Ural Mountains; 

 the weaker and smaller one more common from the 

 deserts of Grand Tartary. Pallas, whose remarks in 

 natural history are very exact, says, (and all his obser- 

 vations are evidently referable to the true Saker,) they 

 build their nests on trees or even shrubs, found in the 

 midst of the desert. The young birds, to the number 

 of two or three, often leave the nest before they are 

 full-grown, and follow their mother everywhere, scream- 

 ing lustily. They are then easily caught by the 

 inhabitants of the desert, and sold to the Kalmuc Tartars 

 as hunting birds. They are used sometimes for taking 

 the kite, but they are considered too small for this 

 purpose. 



The following is M. Schlegel's description of the 

 Saker Falcon, which, from the rarity of the species, 

 and the confusion of its diagnosis, we shall be excused 

 for quoting at length from his work upon falconry. 



"The Sacer of the falconers is a bird of a figure 

 rather less strong than the Lanner, and consequently it 

 is intermediate in this respect between this species and 

 the Gyr-Falcon. It is distinguished from these two 

 Falcons when young by a different modification of the 

 tints, and by the two intermediate quills of the tail not 

 being generally ornamented with bright bands. In adult 

 age it is different from all other Falcons. Its plumage, 

 like that of the young birds, is of more agreeable tints, 

 and has not transverse bands either on the upper part 

 of the body or on the other side. The tarsi are 

 feathered above half their length. The tail goes beyond 



