OKANGE-LEGGED HOBBY. 51 



and pointed, the second quill-feather the longest, the first 

 and third nearly of equal length. In the adult male the 

 feathers of the thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts, are 

 bright orange brown ; the rest of the plumage is uniform 

 slate colour, palest on the breast and sides. The legs and 

 feet, orbits and cere, are orange red ; the claws whitish flesh 

 red ; the iris dark brown ; the beak blue, tinged at the base 

 with yellow. 



The adult female differs very materially from the male ; 

 on the mantle, scapulars, wing-coverts, and tail, her plumage 

 has the same slate grey as in the male, but the feathers on 

 these parts are barred with black : the forehead is whitish ; 

 the crown of the head pale rufous, the back of the neck is 

 darker rufous barred with black ; the throat and sides of the 

 neck are yellowish white ; the breast, belly, and thighs, are 

 rufous brown, marked with a few longitudinal streaks down 

 the shafts of the feathers, which marks are said to disappear 

 with advanced age. The grey tail is crossed above with 

 seven or eight dusky bars, the last near the extremity of the 

 feathers the broadest, the tips are greyish white ; the tail- 

 feathers beneath are pearl white, showing the dusky bars 

 through them ; the under tail-coverts are white, clouded with 

 rufous ; the moustache and region of the eyes are blackish. 

 The legs, orbits, beak, and cere, as in the male. The very 

 old females are said to become paler on the under parts, the 

 upper parts lighter grey, and the black bars narrower. 



