FALCONID.E. 41 



grey, without markings, the margins of the feathers being in some places merely a shade darker. 

 The inner webs of the secondaries are yellowish-grey, with a little white mottling towards their 

 bases. The primaries and their coverts have an umber-brown tinge, which, on the outer 

 webs, yields a greyish reflexion, but towards the ends of the inner webs is nearly pure : a few 

 bars are faintly indicated by lighter shadings, and there are some white markings towards their 

 bases. The tail is clove-brown, deepening gradually towards its tip into blackish-brown, with 

 two very obscure bars of the latter colour farther back ; it is edged at the tip with soiled- 

 white, and the inner webs are of a paler brown. The whole ventral aspect (including the 

 thigh feathers and wing linings) has nearly an uniform appearance, being closely covered with 

 short zig-zag lines of blackish-grey on a white ground. The long lateral under-tail coverts 

 are white, without markings ; but there are some greyish lines on the shorter central ones. 

 The under surfaces of the quill feathers are clouded and mottled with brownish-white ; and the 

 tail beneath is slate-coloured, with brown shadings. 



Form, &c. — Bill rather strong, curved from the base, but more compressed than the bills 

 of the true Falcons, which proceeds from the greater flatness of its sides, for the ridge is rather 

 obtusely rounded. Cutting margin of the upper mandible furnished with an obtuse lobe, the 

 centre of which is under the anterior margin of the nostrils. Under mandible strong, and 

 much rounded at the end. Cere moderately long, extending, on the ridge, to about one- 

 fourth the length of the bill. Nostrils large, broadly oval, or nearly round, opening rather 

 obliquely forwards. Lores clothed with short white feathers, on which black hairs are dis- 

 posed in a stelliform manner, their ends curving upwards over the nostrils. The plumage on 

 the dorsal aspect of the neck and between the shoulders is particularly full and close. The 

 tips of the folded ivinrjs fall five or six inches short of the end of the tail, scarcely passing the 

 longest tail coverts. The fourth quill feather is the longest ; the fifth is two lines, the third a 

 quarter of an inch, and the sixth an inch shorter ; the second is intermediate between the 

 sixth and seventh, which are an inch apart ; and the first and eighth are about equal, and 

 half an inch shorter than the seventh, or four inches shorter than the fourth. The outer webs 

 of the second to the sixth inclusive, and the inner webs of the first to the fifth, are sinuated. 

 The tail is rounded, the exterior feathers being three-quarters of an inch shorter than the 

 middle ones. The thigh feathers are long. The tarsi are robust, clothed with mottled-grey 

 feathers nearly half way down, and their lower portion protected by eleven transverse shield- 

 shaped scales both anteriorly and posteriorly, all the scales being thin and smooth, but parti- 

 cularly the posterior ones, which causes them to appear as if united into one large scale. The 

 foes are moderately strong, the middle one being more than half an inch longer than the 

 others, which are nearly equal among themselves : there is a short web between the middle 

 and outer ones. The hind toe is the most robust. The greater part of the outer toe, and 

 the first phalanx of each of the others, are reticulated with small roundish scales both on their 

 upper and under surfaces. The claws are very strong, much curved, acute, and grooved 

 beneath ; the hind one and inner fore one being much longer than the other two : the middle 

 one has an acute inner edge. 



