320 



MERLIN. 



Falco caesius, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 60. — Le Rochier, Buff. Ois. I. p. 

 286.— Ib. pi. Enl. 447.— Stone Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 93. 77.— Mont. App. 

 to Supp. of Orn. Diet.— Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 182 Selby, pi. 18. and 18*. p. 45. 



FEMALE ATS'D YOUNG. 



Falco ^Esalon, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 284. sp. 118.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 49. t. 119.— 



Rail, Syn. p. 15. 15.— Briss. 1. p. 382. 23.— Will. p. 50. t. 3 L'Emerillon, 



Buff. Ois. pi. Enl. 468. Young Male.— Merlin, Br. Zool. 1. No. 63.— Witt. 

 (Angl.) P . 85. t. 7.— Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 22.— Lath. Syn. 1 p. 106. 93.— 

 Ib. Supp. p. 27. — Mont. Orn. Diet. — Putt. Cat. Dorset, p. 3. — Low's Faun. 

 Oread, p. 39.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 22.— Don. Br. Birds, 4. t. 94.— Bewick's Br. 

 Birds, 1. t. 41.— Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 196.— Flem. Br. Anim. p. 50. 



The weight of the male of this species of falcon is about five 

 ounces ; length ten inches. Bill bluish lead-colour ; cere greenish 

 yellow ; irides dusky. The crown of the head is dusky brown, streaked 

 with black down the shafts of each feather : on the back of the 

 head the feathers are white at the base, tipped with ferruginous ; the 

 middle of each feather black at the point ; the back, scapulars, rump, 

 and wings, cinereous lead-colour, each feather marked with a long 

 slender line of black down the shaft ; greater quills black ; the inner 

 webs marked with many oblong white spots ; those next the body are 

 coloured like the back on the outer webs ; the inner webs spotted as the 

 others ; the two first feathers are much indented towards the point of 

 the inner web, as if cut with a pair of scissars ; the third feather rather 

 exceeds the second in length, and is the longest ; the throat is nearly 

 white ; breast, belly, sides, and thighs, ferruginous, streaked with 

 dusky, vent and under tail coverts pale ferruginous ; the under wing 

 coverts are rufous-brown, with round white spots on each web ; tail 

 like the back, crossed with six or seven bars of black ; the end black 

 for almost an inch, slightly tipped with white ; legs yellow ; claws 

 black. 



The above description is taken from the birds now before us ; but 

 these birds seem to vary a little in the markings. Mr. Pennant ob- 

 serves, the bars on the tail are generally from thirteen to fifteen in 

 number ; but remarks that in one specimen there were only eight. 



The male above described was recently taken alive in a trap-cage 

 hung in a passage of a house, in which there was a bullfinch ; and, what 

 was extraordinary, it had lost an eye. We kept it alive for some time, 

 and found it extremely docile ; and what was remarkable, it would drink 

 freely whenever water was offered it, and shewed signs of distress 

 when long kept without it. This remarkable thirst, so unusual in pre- 

 dacious birds, which we have kept for years without their ever attempt- 

 ing to drink, was certainly occasioned by fever, for it died of an inflam- 

 mation on its lungs. 



The Merlin is exceedingly rapid on the wing, and was used formerly 



