252 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



have been on the ground earlier, as it was full 

 late — 9.0 p.m. when I arrived. — Yours truly, 

 (Dr.) John W. Ellis, ioi, Everton Road, 

 Liverpool. 



NOTES, CAPTURES, &C. 



-Captures at Cromlyn, Ireland. — I have 

 been unable to collect except in the evenings 

 in the garden, where we have taken a good 

 many V-aureum, only 1 Barctea, 2, Batis, 1 

 Conspersa, fine, and 4 Elpenor. These are the 

 only insects worth capturing, Rurea and 

 Gernina swarm, and I should fancy it rather a 

 good season for any one able to collect 

 regularly, though we have very uncertain 

 cold and wet weather. — Mrs. Battersby, 

 Cromlyn. June 24th. 1881. 



•Mushrooms have been coming up in our 

 fields for the last fortnight. We have never 

 before found them till the end of August or 

 beginning of September. Is their appearance 

 general this year ? — R. Prescott Ducie. 



BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR 

 NESTS AND EGGS. 



S. L. Mosley. 



io, MERLIN. 



Falcon asalon, Gmel. 



Stone Falcon (Devon &c.) 



Rochier (France), 



Steinfalke (Germany). 



Dvergfalk (Sweden). 



Tsitsaschfalle (Lapland). 



Ponta Haukka (Lapmark), 



Corwalch ) , , , „ . 

 Llymysten j ( Anct Bnt ^ 



JEsalon. — A species of Hawk mentioned 



by Aristotle, probably the Merlin or Sparrow 



hawk. 



Size. — Male, length 11 in, or 12 in., ex- 

 panse a little over 2 ft. Female, length 12 in. 

 to 14 in., expanse, about 2 ft. 4 in. 



Plumage.— The adult male has the 

 crown of the head, and the whole of the 



upper parts clear slaty blue, each feather 

 having a narrow black, or dark line down 

 the centre; tail bluish-slate, with three 

 darkish bands, the lowest one being the 

 broadest, and the tips white. The primaries 

 are nearly black. Over the eye is a pale 

 stripe. Throat white. Sides of neck and 

 belly tinged with reddish, the latter with 

 longitudinal stripes of dark brown. Bill 

 bluish-black ; cere and legs yeilow ; eyes 

 dark, but said to vary in colour. 



The adult female has the upper parts 

 ashy-brown, in very old birds sometimes 

 strongly washed with light slate-blue. The 

 general tone both above and below is lighter 

 than in the male. The tailh as fine narrow 

 bars. 



The lower figure is from a specimen in my 

 own collection, killed on the Yorkshire moors. 



When immature the males resemble the 

 females in colour only darker, the blue-back 

 not being fully attained till the third or 

 fourth moult. 



The young in down are similar to those 

 of the Hobby. 



Varieties of this species are very rare. A 

 Hawk is described and figured at page 193, 

 vol. V., of the old " Naturalist," by the late 

 Dr. Hobson, of Leeds, having the wings, 

 under parts, throat, and a patch behind the 

 head white, but the rest of the colouring so 

 abnormal as to render the identification of 

 the species difficult. Probably this is a 

 variety either of the Merlin or the Hobby. 



Note. — The voice of the Merlin is not 

 unlike that of the Kestrel, but weaker. 



Flight.— The flight of the Merlin is 

 generally low, coursing along hedgerows, or 

 bank sides. When crossing from one part 

 of the country to another, or when in pursuit 

 of its prey, it flies with exceeding rapidity, its 

 victim doubling and turning in vain en- 

 deavour to evade its pursuer. 



Migration. — No doubt the Merlin is 

 partially migratory, breeding in the north, 

 and moving south on the approach of winter. 



Food. — This daring little falcon is re- 



