178 



FALCON. 



102.— CHANTING FALCON. 



Falco musicus. Ind. Orn.Sup. p. ix. Daud. ii. 116. Shaw's Zool. vii. 143, 

 Faucon chanteur, Levail. Ois. i. 117, pi. vi. 

 Chanting Falcon, Gen. Syn. Sup. u, p. 40. 



SIZE of a common Falcon ; plumage in general pale lead, or 

 dove-colour ; but the top of the head and scapulars are much darker, 

 and incline to brown ; the under parts from the breast pearly grey, 

 crossed with numerous bluish grey markings ; quills black ; tail 

 greatly cuneiform, the outer feathers being shorter than the middle 

 ones by a third, the colour dusky, but the extreme tips of the 

 feathers are white, and all but the two middle ones crossed with 

 bands of white. The bill and claws are black; legs and cere orange ; 

 and the irides brown. 



The female is bigger by one-third, but does not differ from the 

 male materially, except in being paler. 



This species is not unlike the Hen-Harrier in colour, but inde- 

 pendent of other points, in which it differs, there is no appearance 

 of the ruff-like collar round the lower part of the head. It is found 

 in Caffraria and the neighbouring country, as Karrow and Camde- 

 boo. In breeding time the male is remarkable for its song, which, 

 like the Nightingale, it makes every morning and evening, and 

 commonly even the night through. It sings in a loud tone for more 

 than a minute, and after a time begins anew ; during its song it is so 

 regardless of itself, that any one may approach, but in the intervals 

 of quiet so wary, as to take flight on the least suspicion. Should 

 the marksman kill the male, the female will also soon fall under his 

 gun, as in her attachment to him, and calling eveiy where with the 

 most plaintive voice, she so continually passes within gun-shot, as to 

 make it no difficult matter to shoot her ; but in case the female 



