66 
Falco Versicolor, Gme. 
Spotted Falcon, Pen. Lath. Mont. 
This species of the Falcon is considered 
as the boldest and most beautiful of the tribe. 
In size it is superior to the Goshawk, mea- 
suring nearly two feet in length. 
It is subject to considerable variety, either 
from age, sex, or climate* In the northern 
countries it is found quite white. Others are 
said to be brown above, white beneath spot- 
ted with brown, tail grey with transverse 
brown lines, &c. In these varieties it is also 
observed, that the beak and legs sometimes 
vary into pale yellow, though more com- 
monly pale blue. From these variations in the 
plumage of the Jerfalcon, seems to have 
arisen the wonderful discordance in the de- 
scriptions of authors ; which have amounted 
at length to so confused an assemblage of 
contradictory characters as almost to set at 
defiance all attempts to reconcile them. 
Not only in the plumage, but also in the 
form of its beak, authors are at variance; 
some asserting that it has but a very slight 
appearance of the tooth-like process on each 
side, while others assert that it is very con- 
spicuous. 
