THE FALCONS. 
i8s 
streaked with a line of black ; under wing-coverts rufous, 
numerously barred with black ; quills and tail black, banded 
with rufous on the inner web, the tail-feathers tipped with 
rufous. 
Characters. — The Hobby in its adult stage is very easily re- 
cognised by its uniform rufous thighs, white throat and breast, 
the latter being striped with black. The young Hobby is more 
like a young Peregrine, but can, of course, be distinguished by 
its smaller size. 
Range in Great Britain. — A summer visitor to England, where 
it breeds, when permitted to do so in peace. It has been 
known to nest in most of the southern and eastern counties, 
as well as in the midlands, and on rare occasions in Yorkshire. 
In Scotland it is chiefly known as a rare migrant, but Sir 
Edward Newton has recorded an instance of the nesting of the 
species near Dunkeld in 1887. It has never been known to 
breed in Ireland, though some half-a-dozen occurrences in 
that island have been chronicled. 
Range ontside the British Islands.— The Hobby is found from 
Northern Europe across Siberia to Kamtchatka. It breeds in 
ihe forests of Central Europe and Scandinavia, and occasion- 
ally in the countries of Southern Europe, but it is principally 
known in the latter as a spring and autumn migrant. In 
Northern Europe it extends to the Arctic Circle in Lapland, 
and in Russia up to 65° N. lat. In winter tlie species visits 
China, the Indian Peninsula, and migrates through Eastern 
Africa as far as the Cape. 
Hahits.— The Hobby has much the appearance of a diminu- 
tive Peregrine, but does not possess the strength or courage of 
the larger Falcon, though it equals it in fierceness and agility 
of flight. It feeds largely on insects, especially cockchafers 
and dragon-flies, and when these are plentiful, it gives up the 
chase of small birds in a great measure, and lives on insects, 
which it catches with great dexterity on the wing, devouring 
them in the air and allowing the wings and wing-cases to fall 
to the earth. In some of these flights, Taezanowski says that 
it will occasionally seize a Bat in its career, but drops the 
latter without touching it further. 
