268 THE TOUNG 



take an early specimen, but not one has even 

 been seen. The one that has emerged, off 

 currant, is scarcely as pale as most nettle 

 ones, so far as my memory serves, but I have 

 not one to compare with it. The currant 

 pupa shall be kept apart from the nettle 

 ones, and on my return I will send you a 

 specimen off both plants." 



(I have taken the liberty of extracting 

 the above notes from a private letter from 

 Mrs. Hutchinson, of Leominster, as they 

 tend to confirm still further, her former 

 evidence on the double broodedness of this 

 butterfly. If all doubtful points could be as 

 satisfactorily cleared up as this has been, it 

 would be something to the credit of our 

 British entomologists.— John E. Robson, 

 West Hartlepool.) 



BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR 

 NESTS AND EGGS. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



ii, KESTREL. 



Falco tinnunculus, Linn. 



Torn Falk (Sweden). 

 Cudyll Cock (Anct. Brit). 

 Tinnunculus.--'* Conjectured from Tinnio 

 — to chirp." — Morris. 



Size. — Male, length 13 m. to 14 m., ex- 

 panse, 2 ft. 3m. or 4 in. Female rather 

 larger. 



Plumage. — The adult male has the 

 bill bluish horn-colour, black at the tip and 

 lighter at the base. Top and sides of head 

 greyish slate colour, with a dark streak 

 down the centre of each feather. Back light 

 chestnut brown, each feather having a black 

 shaft and a dark triangular spot near the 

 tip. Primary and secondary wing-feathers | 

 greyish black with lighter edges. Tail, pale 

 slaty blue, with a black band about an inch 

 in width near the end, the tips of the 

 feathers being white. Chin white, with a 

 dark patch on each jaw. Throat creamy, 

 shading off to a purple tint on the breast 



NATURALIST. 



and belly, the breast having small longitu- 

 dinal streaks, and the belly, spots of darker 

 colour. Thighs buff, with a few small black 

 streaks, the feathers in front reaching below 

 the knee ; under tail coverts white ; legs 

 and cere yellow ; eyes dark hazel-brown. 



The female does not differ so much in 

 size from the male as is generally the case 

 with birds of prey. Both the back and the 

 under parts are more mottled with dark, 

 though the ground colour, especially of the 

 latter, is lighter. The tail has about seven 

 bars of dark colour, the ground being red- 

 dish brown ; occasionally the ground colour 

 in very old females is dingy slate blue. 



Immature birds resemble the female in 

 colour, the spots in the male becoming less 

 at every moult. The blue tail is not 

 attained until the third or fourth moult. 



The young are at first covered with 

 white down tinged with yellowish. 



Varieties are very rare. A pair of white 

 ones, however, were reported some time ago 

 in the Zoologist. 



Note. — The note of the Kestrel has 

 been described as resembling the words, 

 "pli, pli, pli," or "pri, pri, pri." 



Flight. — The regular flight of the Kes- 

 trel is generally a graceful sail, but it has a 

 peculiar habit of remaining poised in one 

 place for a considerable time while exami- 

 ning the ground below for prey. When 

 its keen eye catches sight of some object of 

 attraction, the hawk suddenly drops, then 

 poises again, repeating this at intervals, 

 until either the prey escapes, or the bird 

 swoops down and carries off its victim. 

 From this habit it is often called the Wind- 

 hover. 



Migration. — Harting states that the 

 Kestrel is migratory, moving northward in 

 spring, and returning south in the full of 

 the year ; but probably few, if any, leave 

 England. 



Food. — Although the Kestrel will some- 

 times attack small birds, and has even been 



