218 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 
surface rufous-fawn^ spotless about the vent and on the under tail- 
coverts_, streaked with black on the breast and spotted on the abdomen 
and sides. 
Adult female. Forehead yellowish; whole upper plumage and coverts 
deep rufous^ striped closely on the head^ barred elsewhere with black ; the 
upper tail-coverts with a bluish tinge ; tail dull rufous tinged with blue, 
barred narrowly with black_, tipped broadly with pale rufous-white, and 
with a broad black subterminal band ; chin and throat creamy white ; ear- 
coverts mixed white and brown ; a moustache and feathers under the eye 
dark brown ; underparts pale rufous -white, the tail-coverts spotless, the 
breast striped, and the abdomen and sides spotted with dark brown ; under 
wing-coverts spotted like the abdomen ; quills dark brown, notched on the 
inner webs with spots, which are rufous interiorly and white towards the 
outside. 
A nearly adult male is somewhat similar to the adult male; but the 
head and hind neck are strongly tinged with rufous, the ashy colour being 
less apparent; the underparts are much duller rufous. 
Young males are like the female, but paler and more striped on the 
breast. 
Legs orange-yellow ; claws black ; cere and eyelids yellow ; iris brown ; 
bill pale yellow at gape, changing to bluish black towards the tip ; mouth 
pale bluish fleshy. 
Length 14 inches, tail 7*2, wing 9*5, tarsus 1*6, bill from gape '85. 
The female is larger. 
The Kestril is a common winter visitor to Pegu, being especially 
abundant in the vast plains of the south, where it arrives about the end of 
October, departing again in March. Mr. Davison states that it is rare in 
Tenasserim, and he observed it only in the northern portion of the Divi- 
sion. My men, however, procured one specimen at Malewoon, in the 
extreme south ; and as they did not collect very vigorously, the acquisi- 
tion of one specimen proves it, I think, to be not uncommon in those 
parts of Tenasserim. Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay found it very abundant in 
Karennee, and I should judge from his remarks that it may possibly breed 
in that country. 
It has a wide range, being found, according to season, over the whole of 
Asia and Europe and a considerable portion of Africa. 
The Kestril is found in Burmah chiefly in the grass-plains of the south ; 
but I have also observed it flying about the numerous large ruined pagodas 
which adorn most parts of the Province. It feeds almost entirely on mice ; 
and its habit of hovering in the air at frequent intervals enables any one to 
identify it at a glance. 
It makes its nest both on trees and on clifi's, and frequently deposits its 
eggs in the old nests of Magpies and Crows. The eggs, usually six 
