134 
MERLIN. 
rufous on the edges ; the quills are deep clove 
brown, tipped with whitish, and barred on the 
inner webs with pale reddish orange ; the secon- 
daries are tipped with white, and the greater 
coverts have pale tips and irregular bars of pale 
rufous interruptedly crossing them ; the tail is pale 
at the tip, and afterwards alternately barred with 
clove-brown and rufous, the latter tint becoming 
ochraceous towards the base ; the chin is white, 
and the remaining lower parts pale ochraceous 
yellow, broadly marked along the shafts of each 
feather with umber brown, the thighs and under 
tail coverts only having the streaking linear. 
Length about ten inches and three quarters. 
The female has the upper parts clove brown, 
tinted with grey, particularly on the rump, the 
general colour darkest on the head, the shaft and 
centre of each feather darkest, and each edged 
with rufous, which is the predominant colour on 
the back of the neck ; the quills have the reddish 
marking we see in the young males on the inner 
webs, and the tail pale at the tip, is distinctly 
barred with umber brown and pale rufous, which 
towards the base becomes ochraceous ; the chin 
is white ; the remaining under parts ochraceous 
white, tinted with rufous on the breast, and 
thickly marked with umber brown, disposed in 
broad longitudinal streaks, the shaft of the feathers 
shewing darkly in each. Length about thirteen 
