Folia Historico-Naturalia Musei Matraensis - A Mátra Múzeum Természetrajzi Közleményei 21. (1996)

crista trochanteris in the Kestrel is high, semicircle in shape, and at the cranial side attaches to the corpus femoris with a strong breaking (lateral view). In the Merlin the crista trochanteris is smaller, on the cranial side less rounded, and evenly attaches to the corpus. The Hobby and Eleonora's Falcon are in intermediate position in between these extremes, but in shape they are closer to the Merlin. In the Red-footed Falcon and Lesser Kestrel the shape of crista trochanteris is similar to that of the Kestrel's, but at the proximal part more flattened (Plate XLII, Figures 1-5). In the Kestrel and the Red-footed Falcon the tuberculum at the proximal end of linea intermuscularis cranialis is smaller and more pointed in proximal view than in the Hobby and Merlin (Plate XLII, Figures 6-10). In cranial view the angle of the axis of the caput femoris and Collum femoris and the longitudinal axis of the femur in the Merlin is acute, in the Hobby and Eleonora's Falcon it is approximately right angle, while in the Kestrels obtuse-angled. Consequently in the Merlin the proximal edge of the collum femoris (faciès articularis antitrochanterica) is not concave, while in the Kestrels this arch is quite large (cranial view, Plate XLI, Figures 13-16). Further more the angle of the lateral side of trochanter femoris and the longitudinal axis of the corpus femoris is bigger in the Merlin than in the rest of the species. The result of these two features combined in the Merlin is that the proximal end of the bone is more strongly deviate to the medial direction from the longitudinal axis of the corpus (cranial view, Plate XLI, Figure 14). The two cristae of the trochlea patellaris (SCHMIDT-BURGER, 1982) at the distal end of the bone (Rollkamm in German) is different in size in the different species. In the Hobby the medial crista is higher than the lateral compared to the Merlin. In both of these species the medial crista is higher than in the Kestrels (distal view). Hence in the latter species the sulcus patellaris is more shallow than in the Hobby and Merlin. In the Hobby the sulcus patellaris is not only deeper but also wider than in other species. In the Hobby and Merlin the cristae of trochlea patellaris are longer, and start sooner proximally and hence the distal end in medial view is more elongated than in the Kestrels. Summary Falco subbuteo: - the ends of the bones are relatively large, the corpus femoris is thick, - the longitudinal axis of the femur is only a little bit curved (lateral view), - the corpus femoris towards the ends of the bone is getting thicker slightly (cranial view), - the crista trochanteris is lower, on the cranial side a little bit less curved, - the axis of caput femoris and collum femoris is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the femur (cranial view), - the medial crista of trochlea patellaris is a lot higher than the lateral crista (distal view), - the cristae of trochlea patellaris are long - the sulcus patellaris is wide and deep. Falco columbarius: - the femur is very long and hence all the transverse measurements are relatively lower than in the rest of the species, - the longitudinal axis of the femur is strongly curved (lateral view), - the whole length of the corpus femoris is basically equally thick (cranial view), - the corpus femoris on the medial side towards the proximal end does not get thicker (cranial view), 43