Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/75

Rh through the air, which makes him look so very like a Missel Thrush in the distance. The female Merlin, on the other hand, is more graceful in her flight, though the motion of her wings in chasing a Lark over a stubble-field is sometimes inconceivably rapid. I have twice seen one chasing a Lark in this manner, though apparently not particularly anxious to catch it. On one occasion I saw a female Merlin dashing at two Partridges on the ground, and on my putting them up she instantly darted after them from a low bough on which she had been sitting. I have just said that the male Merlin does not usually exceed eleven inches in length. It is worthy of note, however, that I have seen black-backed birds from Egypt that must have been fully twelve inches long. The labels had been lost, and therefore the sex was not known for certain, but it seems possible that these may have been females assuming the male plumage, especially as they were not very rufous underneath. I may observe that the under side of the wings looks very white in the Merlin, thus affording a good mark of distinction at a distance. The male and female Kestrels keep very much apart. On December 20th I had not seen a female for many weeks, but on the 6th of that month I saw three males close together; and it is noticeable how often Kestrels and Hobbies go about in trios. I am glad to see by Mr. Rodd's letter that I am not singular in thinking that there are two races of black-clawed Kestrels, for the white-clawed Lesser Kestrel and Red-legged Falcon may more appropriately be termed "Kestrelets," as indeed they have been termed by a writer in 'The Ibis.' The extremely small appearance of the male Kestrel when flying at a great height, with wings half closed and feathers close to its body, is remarkable. It looks then no bigger than a Swift, and the fawn-colour of the under parts looks almost black. The female Kestrel may be distinguished by being slightly longer, with a thicker head and neck and much whiter under parts. The rufous of the upper parts is also paler, and looks yellow in the distance. When old, it gets very gray on the rump and tail, and I got one this year in which all trace of rufous had vanished from those parts. Even in immature plumage the male may usually be distinguished by a deeper tone of colouring on the back and darker quills. In this stage he looks a curious coppery colour when sitting. Though more slenderly built, and as a rule a shorter bird than his mate, his wings do not seem any shorter in proportion, and he consequently looks longer-winged. The reverse is the case with the Merlin, the distinction in size being manifest in all the proportions. A son of one of the keepers here saw seven Sparrowhawks together near the village of Chalk. He knows the species well, and thought they looked like an old female and six young ones. I think this was in September. 1876 was a great year for them, and I have seen more female Sparrowhawks during the past autumn than I ever remember to have seen before. I saw one from Egypt the other day which measured sixteen inches, the extra length being chiefly in the