128 FALCON. 



It varies in the places for building the nest, sometimes in 

 rocky situations, which it most fancies ; at other times in trees, or 

 even in an old crow, or magpie's nest. The female lays four or 

 five eggs, of a pale ferruginous colour, or dusky white, marked 

 with irregular spots of a deeper hue. 



This species is not uncommon in many parts of the Continent 

 of Europe. M. Bechstein observes, that it now and then will 

 truss doves, and partridges, and seize on small birds hanging in 

 cages, drawing them out bet^^een the bars. It is found on the 

 Rock of Gibraltar the whole year through, and breeds there, 

 feeding chiefly on locusts and lizards ; and is the most common 

 of any of the Hawk tribe. 



I suspect this bird to be what in India is called Chouee ; found 

 in Java, called there Allap-allap-.9«/>« ;* I have also seen it in 

 some Chinese drawings, where it was named Maw-iing, which 

 signifies speckled bird, or ravenous ; the word Maw means bracket 

 or broken, as the face after the small-pox. In the same collection 

 of drawings I observed another, called also Maw-ing, but this had 

 the breast crossed mth numerous bars, as in the Sparrow-hawk. 

 I find this also among some fine drawings done in India, in pos- 

 session of Sir J. Anstruther, Bart, where it is named Caronjia ; said 

 to inhabit Bengal ; a female in the same drawings called Kommooly, 

 said to be 13 in. long. 



According to Sloane, this inhabits Jamaica, but as no other 

 author mentions it, and as I have never seen it from that quarter, 

 the circumstance may be suspected, f 



* Lin. Trans, xviii. p. 135. 



t Probably mistaken for some other bird. Ray, in his Si/n. p. 180, quoting from 

 Sloane says, " Tiununculus sive Cenchris, eive valde similis accipiter." 



