Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. I t inhabits Germany and
France, and from thence southward to the shores of the
Mediterranean. Mr. Strickland includes the Merlin among
the birds seen by him at Smyrna in the winter of 1885-6 ;
but it was considered rare : and Dr. Andrew Smith obtained
examples of it as far south as the vicinity of the Cape of
Good Hope. But this last may prove not to be identical
with the true Merlin of Europe.
Dr. Richardson obtained two specimens of the Merlin in
the fur-countries of the North American continent, both of
them females, one of which is figured by Mr. Swainson
in the Fauna Boreali-Americana ; but this bird is not
recognised by name as going so far south on that continent
as the United States, since it is not mentioned by Wilson
or Mr. Nuttall. The work of Mr. Audubon not being
yet completed may still include it.
The Merlin makes its scanty nest on the ground, laying
four or five eggs, mottled all over with two shades of reddish
brown, and measuring one inch seven lines in length, by one
inch three lines in breadth. In North Wales, the young
birds are called Stone Falcons ; but among Ornithologists the
Stone Falcon is considered to be an adult bird. It is not,
however, improbable that the habit of sitting on a bare stone
or portion of rock, by which this species has acquired the
name of Stone Falcon, is common to it at all ages, and in
other countries, In France it is called Le Rockier, and
Faucon de Roche; and in Germany, Stein-Falke. This
bird occasionally builds on rocks.
The Merlin measures from ten to twelve inches in length,
depending on the sex of the specimen. An old male has the
beak bluish horn colour, palest at the base, darkest towards
the tip ; the cere yellow, the irides dark brown ; the top of
the head blue grey, with dark lines passing backward; the
cheeks, and from thence round the back of the neck, pale
reddish brown, also marked with dark streaks, forming a
collar ; the whole of the back and wing-coverts fine blue
grey,* the shaft of each feather forming a dark central line ;
wing-primaries pitch black ; upper surface of the tail-feathers
bluish grey over two-thirds of their length, with slight indications
of three dark bands, the distal third nearly uniform
black, the tips of all the feathers white ; the chin and throat
white ; breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts, rufous,
with brown central patches, and darker brown streaks ; under
surface of the tail-feathers barred with two shades of grey, a
broad dark terminal band, and white tip s; legs and toes yellow
; claws black.
In the female, the. top of the head, back, wing-coverts, and
secondaries are dark liver brown, the shaft of each feather
darker, the edge tipped with red ; the tail-feathers brown,
with five narrow transverse bars of wood brown ; under surface
of the body pale brownish white, with darker brown longitudinal
patches; the beak, cere, eyes, legs, toes, and claws,
as in the male. Young males resemble the females ; and in
birds of the year, the wings do not reach so far towards the
end of the tail as in those that are adult.
* “ The Elfin king, like the Merlin’s wing,
Are his pinions of glossy blue.”
Lewis’s Tales of Wonder.