i8o 
Ar.LEN'S naturalist’s library. 
the overlying blotches being of the deepest chestnut, in fact 
almost black. Some eggs are entirely clouded over with 
lighter chestnut, while in others the buffy-white ground-colour 
IS conspicuous, and half of the egg is spotted with chest- 
nut, with blotches and cloudings round the larger end and 
sometimes quite half the egg is clouded and blotched, while 
the other half is only sparsely spotted. Axis, 1-9-2 '2 inches ; 
diam., 1-6-1-75. 
'I'HE TRUE FATUONS. SUB-FAMIl.Y 
FALCONING. 
I he Falcons have the tarsus reticulated and covered with a 
network_ of scales both in front and behind. They are also 
distinguished by having a distinct notch or tooth m the bill, 
the outer toe is connected to the inner toe by a membrane 
near the base, and the tibia is considerably longer than the 
tarsus, imparting a great strength to the leg, which is evidenced 
by the way m which these birds strike down their prey in full 
night. As with all the other Sub-families of the Birds of Prey 
^ccies various form are included, from the feeble Kite-like 
Cuckoo-Falcons on the one hand, to the da.shing Peregrines 
on tte other._ Included in this Sub-family are the tiniest of all 
the Hawks viz., the Pigmy Falcons or Falconets [MicrohieraxY 
birds which do not exceed the size of a Butcher-bird in bulk, 
teed on insects, and lay white eggs in the hole of a tree. These 
little Falconets inhabit the Himalayas, the Burmese countries 
1 ° 1 China, as well as the Malayan Peninsula and the 
Indo- Malayan islands. 
THE FALCON.S. GENUS FALCO. 
J^a/co, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 124 (1766), 
Type, F. peregrifius, Tunst. 
All the Falcons have a distinct tubercle, or pedestal in the 
centre of their nostrils, which are round. The foot is powerful 
and the talgns curved and very sharp, the outer toe longer 
than the inner toe. The wings are very pointed, and the 
primaries far exceed the secondaries in length. 
The Falcons are found in nearly every part of the world. 
