on Birds observed in Southern Palestine. 25 
12. Hypotriorchis subbuteo. 
Several Hobbies were seen, and one shot, in the wooded dis¬ 
trict not far from Ladrone, near the ancient Bethoron. 
13. Hypotriorchis eleonor^;. 
Though not noticed by me in the country itself, a very fine 
specimen, in the rich brown-black plumage of the adult, perched 
one afternoon on the mast-head of our yacht, not far from the 
coast. A general gun-cleaning was, fortunately for his life, 
going on at the moment, and he winged his way just as a piece 
had at length been put together. In the evening, about two 
hours afterwards, he returned, at least I presume it was the 
same, but only paused for a few minutes in the fore-rigging, 
when he went off towards land. 
14. Tinnunculus alaudarius. 
Universally distributed and extremely abundant. Large 
colonies breed in ruined towers in company with the succeeding 
species. 
15. Tinnunculus cenchris. 
Gregarious about the ruins in the plain districts. About 
fifteen or twenty pairs were building their nests in and about the 
beautiful tower of Ramleh ( Arimathea ) in company with a still 
larger number of the common Kestrel, and flew screaming 
round me, as I climbed the still perfect staircase of the tower. 
It was interesting to watch them in the evening sweeping like 
swallows over the fields, or threading their way up and down 
the lanes fenced with prickly pear, in pursuit of the Scarabcei on 
which they were feeding, seizing them with their claws on the 
wing, and as they sailed by me, picking off with their beaks the 
elytra of their prey, and dropping them almost at my feet. 
Though I have never found the lesser Kestrel either in Asia or 
Africa except in company with the common species, yet it 
seems to be without the power of adaptation possessed by its 
congener, confining itself to old towers and rocks, and living 
always in communities more or less numerous. I obtained 
some beautiful specimens at Ramleh. There is a still larger 
colony about the old ruined English church of Lydda, over the 
reputed tomb of “ St. George of merrie England.” 
