3-20 
MERLIN. 
Falco caesius, Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 60. — Le Rochier, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 
286. — Ib. pi. Enl. 447. — Stone Falcon, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 93. 77. — Mont. App. 
to Supp. of Orn. Diet. — Shawls Zool. 7. p. 182 Selby, pi. 18. and 18*. p. 45. 
FEMALE AND YOUNG. 
Falco ^salon, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 284. sp. 118. — Lath. Ind. Orn, 1. 49. t. 119. — 
Bail, 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. — Will. 
(Angl.) p. 85. t. 7. — Lewins Br. Birds, 1. t. 22. — Lath. Syn. 1 p. 106. 93. — 
Ib. Supp. p. 27. — Mont. Orn. Diet. — Pult. 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 
