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freely to Ceylon, remaining in the island until the usual time of departure, the coming-in of the following 
south-west monsoon, when it takes wing for its breeding-haunts in more northern climes. It spreads over the 
whole island, without respect to locality or elevation, frequenting the entire seaboard, the low country of the 
interior, and the elevated plateau of the main range, while the intermediate coffee-districts come in for an 
equal share of its patronage. It is commonly met with about Colombo, frequenting the cinnamon-gardens and 
cocoanut-groves along the Galle road ; at the southern port it always takes up its quarters in the huge 
ramparts fronting the esplanade; and at Trincomalie it is numerous in the season, dwelling in the lofty 
precipices and mural rocks encircling the Fort, and sallying out to the extensive esplanade in search of food. 
In the J affna peninsula and round the north coast of the island generally it is plentiful, and it is likewise 
common on all the adjacent islands of Palk’s Straits. Although abundant in Ceylon, it never occurs there in 
flocks similar to those that have been seen by Blyth near Calcutta, or by Captain Shelley in Egypt. 
The permanent habitat of the Common Kestrel is the entire continent of Europe and Northern Asia, 
whence it migrates in the winter into Northern Africa, the Indian peninsula, and North China, and it 
occasionally wanders into South Africa and even into the Seychelles. Although it leaves India for the most 
part in the breeding-season, it remains in the Himalayas in considerable numbers, and on the other side of 
the chain it is, according to Dr. Scully, a permanent resident in Turkestan. It appears to be only a winter 
visitor to Burmah, as neither Capt. Feilden nor Mr. Oates record it as remaining there in the hot season. The 
latter gentleman says that it is common in the Pegu plains ; but it does not continue its migration as far south 
as Tenasserim, for I do not find any mention of it in either the first or second list of birds from that province 
contained in ‘ Stray Feathers.-’ Blyth found it very common in Lower Bengal, where it was seen by him in 
parties of twenty or thirty together. In Chota Nagpur Mr. Ball says that it is tolerably abundant in most 
parts ; the same remark applies to nearly all parts of the Indian peninsula, for this little Hawk is dispersed 
throughout the whole of it, irrespective of elevation ; there are, however, some districts in which it is not so 
numerous, for Mr. Hume found it numerically scarce in the plains of Sindh. Mr. Bourdillon remarks that it 
is a winter visitor to the Travancore hills, and that it breeds there ; on Mount Neboo, 7000 feet high, in the 
Palani Hills, which form an eastern offshoot of the same range, Mr. Fairbank observed it until June, and 
remarks that he thinks it resides permanently there. It has also been found to be a permanent resident in 
some parts of the Nilghiris ; but Mr. Hume says these southern birds belong to a “ smaller and markedly 
deeper-coloured race/-’ which is perhaps peculiar to the south of the peninsula, and may merit entire specific 
separation from its ally, which is migratory to the whole country as well as to Ceylon, the latter place forming 
the southernmost limit of its wanderings. It is certainly remarkable that while a vast stream of Kestrels 
overruns annually the whole of the region in question, there should exist a certain quantum which, in addition 
to a different character of plumage, should possess the peculiar habit of remaining stationary and breeding in 
the hills of the extreme south of the peninsula. This peculiarity in the Kestrel’s economy is not, however, 
confined to South India ; the same occurs in Madeira and in Abyssinia ; and Mr. Sharpe solves the difficulty 
by pointing out that there is undoubtedly a dark resident form of this species to be found in certain localities 
along the southern limit of its habitat. As regards South India, I imagine that the Kestrels found in the low 
country of this region belong to the migratory class, as they certainly do in the island of Ramisserum, where 
they ai’e very numerous during the north-cast monsoon. Mr. Hume remarks that the Kestrel is the commonest 
Raptor in the cold season at the Laccadive group, and that the specimens he obtained “were all of the 
European type,” which i3, of course, the case with those in Ceylon. 
In the northern part of the sister continent of Africa, the Kestrel locates itself in great numbers during 
the winter. Captain Shelley found it swarming in Egypt, and once saw as many as one hundred together in 
a clump of palm trees, attracted there by the clouds of locusts which were passing them. In Tangier and 
Eastern Morocco, Mr. T. Drake found it common; and beyond this, towards the Atlantic, it wanders some- 
times into Western Africa. Mr. Godman found it, however, common in the Canaries and in Madeira, the birds 
in the latter place being resident and belonging to the dark race. With regard to Europe and Northern 
Asia, the permanent habitat of the species, my limited space compels me to pass over its distribution there; 
and I would merely remark that Canon Tristram found it especially abundant in Palestine, inhabiting every 
variety of locality, and breeding gregariously in the ruins characteristic of that country. Mr. Sharpe remarks 
that the Japan Kestrels are the largest and darkest of any of the races of this species. 
