58 BIRDS OF PREY. 



European the wings extend to the end of the tail.) Tail rounded, 

 black ; crossed with 8 narrow ash-colored bands. Beneath, yellow- 

 ish-white, with the breast spotted with dark brown; sides, femorals, 

 and beneath, barred rather broadly with the same. The primaries 

 and secondaries marked transversely on their inner vanes, with 

 large oblong spots of ferruginous white. — Female. Note. This 

 bird appeared to live along the sea coast, having in its stomach the 

 remains of small birds, and of the Sanderling. As this species is not 

 quoted by Temminck in his account of the Falcon, there is some 

 reason to doubt the identity of the American and European species. 



AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK. 



(Falco sjjarverius. Lin. Wilson, Am. Orn. ii. p. 117. pi. 16. fig. 1. 

 [female,] and iv. p. 57. pi. 32. fig. 2. [male.] ) 



Spec. Charact. — Rufous, beneath nearly white, spotted with 

 blackish-brown ; seven black curved spots disposed around the 

 head. — Male, with the wing-coverts slate-blue; tail with a sin- 

 gle subterminal band, the two exterior feathers spotted with 

 black. — Female and young, more banded and spotted; tail 

 with numerous bands. 



This beautiful and singularly marked bird, appears 

 to reside principally in the warmer parts of the United 

 States. They are particularly abundant in the winter 

 throughout South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Flor- 

 ida, whither they assemble from the remote interior of 

 the Northern States, wandering in summer as far as the 

 Rocky Mountains, and were even seen by Dr. Richard- 

 son in the remote latitude of 53 degrees ; these appear, 

 however, to be only stragglers ; nor do they seem at all 

 to visit the maritime districts of New England. As they 

 were seen in St. Domingo, by Veillot, abundantly in April 

 and May, the breeding season, we may naturally con- 

 clude that this species has a much greater predilection 

 for the warm than the cold climates. On the south 

 side of the equator, even in Cayenne and Paraguay, they 



