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Show 230 AVES. h. h · only assume d I· n the1"r third or fourth year, • a circumstance wh "I Ch hISa s occas•w ne d a great multiplication of. s pecies. T. he female .w IC erally one-t h"I r d 1a rg er than the male, which, on this. a. ccount, iIss sgteynle d a tarse l' or t er eel: We should, first of all, subdivide this genus into two great sectwns. NOBLE BIRDS OF PREY. F ALoo, Bechst. F ALOONs, properly so called. The true FaI cons con stitute the first ' and,. in .p ropo.r tionf to their 5 ize are the most courage ous ' a quality which IS derived .r om the Pow' er of the•i r arms an d wings '• their beak, curved from Its b. ase, has a sharp toot h on eac h side of its point, and t. he s. econdh" qhu lll of the.i r w.m gs I. S th e I 0 ngest ' the first nearly• equallmg It, wh "t c r1e o- ders the who Ie w.m g 10 nger and more pomted. From t ts, a so, • • • d" · result pecu 1I. ar h ab "I t s .• the length of the quills .o f their wmgs tmf mh- !•s hes the.i r vertl. ca1 po wer' and compels them, m a calm state ·o h t e atmosp h ere, t o fly obliquely forwards, so that when · they hw ts · tdo ri.s e di. rectI y upwar d s, they are obliged to fly agamst ft e wm . These birds are the most docile of all those employe~ by alconer~, who teach them to pursue game, and to return at their call. Thetr wings are longer than their tails. F. communis, Gm.(l) (The Common Falcon.) As large as a hen and distinguished by a triangular, black moustache on the c~eek larger than that of any other species of the genus; it varies ~s to colours nearly in the following manner : when young, it is brown above, the feathers edged with re?~ish ; un· derneath whitish, with longitudinal brown spots. As lt mcreases in age the spots on the belly and thighs have a tendency to form transve' rse blackish lines, and the w h"1 te m· creases on the throat and root of the neck ; the plumage on the back, at the same time becomes more uniform, and is of a brown, transversely strip,ed with a blackish ash colour ; the tail is brown abo.ve, with pairs of reddish spots, and beneath with pale band~ whtch diminish in width with age ; the throat is always whtte;. the feet and the cera of the beak are sometimes blue and somettme: yellow. These variations may be followed, Enl. 470, the young' (1) We must take especial care not to refer to thi.s speci· es th e. prhet e7n4d eids avBaUriZe·· ties of the Falco communis given by Gmelin. Thus the var · t~-, Frlsc · • 8 Id zard · J Id 75, is a Booted Buzzard; •, Id. 80, the .1L7'a!t,c o pygar'oD'1-L-.q• L.., ,. . o7.6c t , ' . d" tinct specieS, a Buzzard somewhat paler than usual ; "' Aldrov. 494, a very IS th C mm1)0o. n• On the contrary, the F. islandicus, barbarus and peregrt·n us may a1 1 be e o Falcon at different periods of moulting. ACCIPITRES. 231 421, the old female; 450, the old male;(l) Nauman, pl. 24 and 25, and Wils. Am. IX, pl. lxxvi. Those called Faucons pelerina, En I. 469, and Wils. A mer. IX, pl. 76-F. stellaris, F. peregrinus, Gm., appear to be young ones rather blacker than the rest. It is this celebrated species which has given its name to that kind of hunting in which birds of prey are used. It inhabits the whole north of the earth, and builds in the most elevated and inaccessible cliffs. Such is the velocity of its flight, that there is scarcely a spot on the globe it does not visit. The Falcon stoops vertically on its prey, as though it fell from the clouds, and consequently can only capture birds while on the wing, otherwise it would dash itself against the ground, &c. with fatal violence. The male is used for taking Pies and other small birds; the female against Pheasants, and even Hares. F. /anarius, L.; F. sacer, Naum. pl. 23. (The Lanner.) A somewhat larger species, which appears to come from the East rather than the North. Its plumage is nearly the same as that of the young falcon, except that its moustache is narrower, and less marked, and that its throat is mottled ; it approaches the Gerfalcon in the tail, which is longer than the wings : it is principally taken in Hungary. Europe produces also six smaller species, three of which have the form and qualities of the true falcon on a reduced scale. F. subbuteo, L.; Enl. 432 ; N aum. 26. (The Hobby.) Brown above; whitish, spotted longitudinally with brown beneath ; thighs and lower part of the abdomen red ; a brown streak on the cheek. P. cesalon, L.; Enl. 468; Naum. 27. (The Merlin.) Brown above; whitish beneath; longitudinally spotted with brown, even on the thighs ; the smallest of the European birds of prey. F. lithofalco, L.; En!. 447; ash coloured above; reddish white spotted longitudinally with pale brown underneath, is merely an old male of the same species. Builds among the rocks. The toes of the three remaining species are shorter, and their tu~ercles less salient. Their flight is not so rapid, and they pursue Mice, Insects, and seize Birds upon the perch. The most common is, F. tinnunculus, L.; En!. 401 and 471 ; N aum. 30. (The Kestrel.) Red; spotted with black above; white longitudinally, spotted with pale brown beneath ; the head and tail of the male lli e(lY ) oFunrigs, cph l.o nivly. gives a young falcon, pl. lxxxili, Edw.; the old female, pl. iii |