40 FALCONID.E. 



and feeding of these beautiful birds, and large sums ex- 

 pended for that purpose. They were used, and still are, 

 where this sport is exercised, for flying at herons, par- 

 tridges, &c. 



The birds represented in the plate, are an adult female in 

 the lead coloured plumage proper to maturity, and a young 

 male. 



The entire length of the male Peregrine Falcon is fifteen 

 inches ; of the female seventeen. The following dimensions 

 were taken from the female figured in the plate : — the length 

 of the wing from the carpus to the tip fourteen inches ; of 

 the tarsus two inches. The beak of the Peregrine Falcon 

 bears a strong resemblance to that of the Jer Falcon, except 

 that the prominent tooth of the beak is not so strongly 

 developed ; it measures from the forehead to the tip one 

 inch and a quarter in diameter, or an inch and a half follow- 

 ing the arc. The legs and feet also much resemble those 

 of the Jer Falcon in size, and in the number of the scales 

 upon the toes. The wings, when closed, reach nearly to the 

 end of the tail : the second quill a little exceeds the first 

 in length, and is the longest in the wing : the tail is nearly 

 square. 



The adult male and female are very much alike, except 

 in size. The older this bird becomes the paler are all the 

 under parts of his body, the transverse bars on the breast and 

 flanks become narrower, the reddish tint disappears, and the 

 white ground colour becomes tinged with pale bluish ash, 

 particularly on the sides and thighs ; the upper plumage 

 also acquires a darker shade. The young birds are quite 

 differently coloured from the adult, as may be seen in the 

 brown bird delineated in the plate, which represents a young 

 male of about a year old, before the autumnal moult. Its near 

 approach to maturity was indicated in this specimen by one 



