56 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



male, like that of the hobby and sparrow-hawk, 

 becomes dark grey above and behind, with reddish 

 sides of neck and breast. The merlin may be known 

 in the air by exceedingly rapid, unswerving, pigeon- 

 like, headlong flight, and by small size, and, when 

 seen more closely by the falcon tooth, warm but not 

 red brown and long tail, with numerous orange- 

 brown traverses. There is greater difference of size 

 between the sexes of sparrow-hawks than is the case 

 with kestrels or merlins. 



The sparrow-hawk's shanks are long, and the toes 

 also ; the former being, in the female, 2| inches long, 

 the middle toe if, the back one fth, and far stouter 



it is wanting in the falcon tooth, and somewhat in 

 strength of foot and leg. The young marsh harrier, 

 or moor buzzard of Bewick, who gives an excellent 

 representation of it, is of a deep brown, the colour 

 of a dark brown red game pullet, but with some 

 feathers laced at the edges by a lighter shade. The 

 head alone differs in colour, and with a dirty yellowish- 

 white cap. The beak is carried out and long, the 

 feet strong, and the general aspect ferocious. The 

 hen harrier has a slyer and more perky, softer look, 

 with a distinct owl-like facial fringe or whisker ; tall, 

 long-legged, and upstanding, it has a long tail reach- 

 ing far below the closed wings ; the plumage is rusty 



Fig. S3.— The Kite (Milvus rcgalis). 



.than the others. The long tail has a few dark bars 

 carried straight across both webs, or meeting with a 

 slight angle that looks upwards. The breast mark- 

 ing, and those of the abdomen and under wing 

 coverts, are very similar to the peregrine's chevron, 

 but lighter in colour. As the male gradually becomes 

 greyish, with a reddish breast, the female adopts a 

 softer brown and paler traverses ; she has always a 

 sufficient scowl, very different from the haughty 

 aspect of the peregrine, hobby or merlin, or the 

 wistful pensive look of the kestrel. Of three harriers 

 one approaches the buzzard in appearance ; another, 

 owls ; the third, in some respects perhaps, more nearly 

 the kestrel, that is in lightness and length of wing, but 



Fig. 54. — Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter 

 fri>i g ilia riits) . 



and mealy, reddish or darkish brown, 

 broken or streaked ; the breast has vertical 

 splashings ; tail traverses, and interspaces 

 are pretty equal, and perhaps mingled with 

 white ; a show of this on the tail coverts 

 has procured the name of ringtail, assigned 

 by Bishop Stanley to the goshawk. The 

 vertex is round, and the head wanting in the length 

 and breadth and over-hanging brows of the peregrine 

 or kestrel. The spread of harriers is very consider- 

 able ; I regret to have mislaid my own measurements. 

 Colonel Montague's harrier, presumably the blue- 

 hawk, with which the observant old naturalist of Sel- 

 borne was acquainted (for he separately describes the 

 peregrine sometimes thus styled), is an altogether 

 lighter and more elegant bird ; long with weaker feet 

 and beak than those just spoken of j two Montague's 

 harriers in the writer's collection differ much in 

 colour ; one has a decidedly rufous breast and dark 

 plumage, richer and warmer than that of the female 

 sparrow-hawk, and having here and there bright 

 orange lacing to feathers ; the other is larger and 



