7° 
BIRDS. 
[Clafs II. 
bars of a deep brown color : the cere, irides, and 
legs yellow. The colors of the female differ from 
thofe of the male : the head is of a deep brown ; 
the back, and coverts of the wings, are dufky 
mixed with dove color ; the coverts of the tail of 
a brighter dove color ; the waved lines that crofs 
the breaft, are more numerous than thofe on that 
of the male j and the breaft itfelf of a purer white. 
This is the moft pernicious hawk we have ; and 
makes great havoke among pigeons, as well as 
partridges. It builds in hollow trees, and large 
ruins, and in high rocks; lays four white eggs, 
encircled near the blunter end with red fpecks. 
Mr, Willoughby places this among the fhort-wing¬ 
ed hawks ; or fuch whofe wings, when clofed, fall 
{hort of the end of the tail. 
SPECIES XIV. The Merlin. Plate A. 12. 
Wit. orn. 85. 
Rati jyn. av. 15. 
f H E merlin weighs near five ounces and 
a half: its length is twelve inches, its 
breadth twenty-five. The bill is of a 
bluifh lead color : the cere of a lemon color: 
the irides very dark, almoft black : the head is 
ferruginous, and each feather is marked with a 
bluifh black ftreak along the fhaft: the back and 
wings are of a deep bluifh afh color, adorned with 
ferruginous ftreaks and fpots, and edged with the 
* 
fame : the quil feathers are almoft black, marked 
w ith reddifti fpots : the under coverts of the wings 
brown,beautifully marked with round white fpots: 
the tail is five inches long, crofted with alternate 
bars of dufky and reddifti clay color : on fome of 
Brijfon av, I. 382. 
yEfalon. Gefner av. 44. 
the feathers of the fame bird are thirteen, on fome 
fifteen : the breaft and belly are of a yellowifh 
white, marked with oblong brown fpots pointing 
downwards : the legs yellow: the wings when 
clofed reach within an inch and a half of the end 
of the tail. This and the preceding kind were 
often trained for hawking : and this fpecies, fmall 
as it is, was inferior to none in point of fpirit: it 
was ufed for taking partridges, which it would kill 
by a Angle ftroke on the neck. The merlin flies 
* » f <. ** . 
low, and is often feen along roads fides, fkimming 
from one fide of the hedges to the other, in 
fearch of prey. 
G E N U S II. OWLS. 
* Eared Owls. 
SPECIES I. The Long Eared Owl. Plate B 4. Fig- 1. 
The horn owl. TVil. orn. ioo. 
Rail Jyn. av. 25. 
No&ua aurita. Sib. Scot. 14. 
^ HIS fpecies is found, tho’ not fre¬ 
quently, in the north of England , in 
- a - Chejhire and in Wales: the weight of 
the female, according to Mr. Willoughby , (for we 
Afio. Brijfon av. I. 486. 
Strix otus, Lin.fyfi. 92- 
never had opportunity of weighing it ) is ten 
ounces : the length fourteen inches and a half: 
the breadth three feet four inches : the irides are 
of a bright yellow. This bird is fo ftrongly 
charac-* 
