MERLIN. 
133 
the back of the neck ; the centre of the feathers 
are here also dark ; the quills are black, first with 
a pale edge, the inside webs marked thickly with 
irregular pale bars ; third quill largest, first and 
second much notched, the tail has the tip white, 
then a broad black band which runs through 
the white along the shafts ; above this, in the 
specimen before us, there are two indistinct bars 
of black upon the uniform grey of the base of 
the tail ; the last of these is hardly perceptible, 
and the first is most indistinct on the centre 
feathers ; the chin and throat are nearly white, 
delicately marked along the shafts of the feathers ; 
the remaining under parts have a general colour- 
ing of reddish orange, palest on the centre of the 
belly, and on the breast approaching to ochraceous ; 
the centre of each feather is marked longitudinally 
with deep umber brown along the shafts, which on 
tire sides and flanks assumes a triangular form ; 
the under tail coverts are ochraceous, tinted with 
grey, and having the shafts black ; bill bluish 
black, yellowish white at the base of the maxilla ; 
legs gamboge yellow. Length about eleven inches ; 
that of wing, from shoulder to third quill, eight 
inches. 
A male in the plumage of the first year has the 
head of a clear rufous, broadly streaked with 
blackish grey ; the upper parts are brown, tinged 
with grey j each feather dark along the shaft, and 
