THE HOBBY. 113 



FALCO SUBBUTEO 



247. Falco subbuteo subbuteo L.— THE HOBBY. 



Falco Subbuteo Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 89 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Falco subbuteo Linnaeus, Yarrell, 1, p. 65 ; Saunders, p. 349. 



Description. — Adult male and 

 female. Summer and winter. 

 — Bases of feathers on fore- 

 head and narrow line over 

 eye huffish-white ; crown dark 

 slatish-brown to blackish- 

 brown, feathers very narrowly 

 edged greyish to rufous -buff ; 

 nuchal band white, feathers 

 with subterminal rufous -buff 



marks and dark brown tips, Juvenile Hobby (Falco s. subbuteo). 



latter often interrupting band 



especially on sides of nape ; rest of upper -parts dark brownish- 

 slate, feathers with fine black shaft-streaks ; bases of outer 

 upper tail-coverts and usually of longer scapulars with con- 

 cealed buff or rufous -buff bars (N.B. : when worn, plumage of 

 upper -parts becomes dark brown with little or no slate) ; under 

 eye, upper part of ear -coverts and well-marked moustachial stripe 

 brown -black ; rest of sides of neck, chin and throat white, often 

 tinged buff, especially when freshly moulted ; breast, flanks and. 

 upper part of belly white to buff and sometimes rather rufous -buff , 

 broadly and thickly streaked black-brown ; tibia, lower belly,, 

 vent and under tail-coverts rust-red, sometimes uniform but 

 usually with some blackish streaks, especially on tibia (females 

 generally have more and thicker streaks on tibia and under tail- 

 coverts than males) ; under wing-coverts and axillaries creamy- 

 white to buff with dark brown streaks and bars ; tail : central 

 pair brownish-slate, outer webs of rest same but tips with a spot of 

 buff and inner webs narrowly barred buff to rufous, usually not so 

 prominently at distal end of feathers as on basal half ; primaries 

 and secondaries black-brown (strongly tinged slate when freshly 

 moulted), inner webs except at tip with close tooth-like bars of 

 buff to rufous ; wing-coverts as mantle. This plumage is acquired 

 by a complete moult which is very gradual, commencing with 

 body-feathers in July and Aug., becoming more active in Sept. 

 or Oct. when wing-feathers commence to moult and usually not 

 complete until March or even April. 



Nestling. — Down (a) fairly long and plentiful covering whole 

 body except round eyes and small bare patch at base of sides 

 of neck ; upper-parts very pale creamy-buff, under -parts nearly 

 white. Only very young nestling in down examined, but judging 

 by partly feathered birds a longer and coarser nestling down (c) 

 of greyish colour grows as in Peregrine (see p. 108). 



VOL. II. I 



