AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 85 



AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 



{Falco atricapillns, Wilson. Am. Orn. vi. p. 80. pi. 52. fig. 3. 

 F. regalis, Temminck. Philadelphia Museum, No. 406.) 



Spec. Charact. — Dark bluish-grey ; eyebrows nearly white; be- 

 neath white, everywhere transversely and narrowly banded and 

 longitudinally lined with dark brown ; tail ash-colored, banded 

 with dark brown ; cere greenish-yellow. — Young, dusky brown, 

 skirted with ferruginous ; beneath yellowish- white with oblong 

 spots of dark brown ; tail with 4 dark bands and tipped with white. 



The foreign representative of this elegant and spirited 

 species of Hawk appears to be common in France, Ger- 

 many, the northern parts of Great Britain, Russia, and 

 Siberia, and extends into Chinese Tartary. Our species, 

 so nearly related to the European bird, is very rare, mi- 

 grating to the south apparently at the approach of win- 

 ter. On the 26th of October, 1830, I received one of 

 these birds from the proprietor of Fresh Pond Hotel, in 

 the moult, having the stomach crammed with moles and 

 mice, and it was shot in the act of devouring a Pigeon. 



The Goshawk "was held in considerable esteem for 

 falconry, and, according to Bell, was employed for this 

 amusement by the emperor of China, who moved some- 

 times to these excursions in great state, often bearing a 

 hawk on his hand, to let fly at any game that might 

 be raised ; which was usually Pheasants, Partridges, 

 Quails, or Cranes. In 1269, Marco Paulo witnessed this 

 diversion of the emperor, which probably had existed for 

 many ages previous. The Falconers distinguished these 

 birds of sport into two classes, namely, those of falconry 

 properly so called, and those of hmohing ; and in this 

 second and inferior class, were included the Goshawk, 

 the Sparrow-hawk, Buzzard, and Harpy. This species 

 does not soar so high as the longer-winged Hawks, and 

 darts upon its quarry by a side glance, not by a di- 



