AMERICAN BROWN OR SLATE-COLORED HAWK. 87 



The length of this American kind is, according to Wilson, 21 

 inches ; the male individual in my possession is 25 inches long, and 

 37 inches in the stretch of the wings. The European is 2 feet 

 (French) for the male, and a 3d, or 8 inches, less (16 inches), for the 

 female. Our bird is therefore much larger, and the wings extend to 

 within 2 inches of the end of the tail ; it is likewise darker on the 

 head, and has a broad dusky stripe passing from the e^-e to the 

 back of the head which is pale ; the under parts also, to the vent, 

 are not merely barred with a single line, but each feather is crossed 

 by numerous zig-zag, undulating, dark lines, longitudinally crossed 

 by a central line of the same color, and the vent is also white. Wil- 

 son's name may therefore be retained for this peculiar American 

 species. The bill is blackish-blue : the cere and legs yellow. Irids 

 orange yellow. The superciliary line very distinct and nearly 

 white, proceeding backwards to meet on the hind-head. Above, the 

 plumage is dark cinereous, tinged with brown ; the primaries some- 

 what lighter. Legs feathered half way down. Tail mottled with 

 about 5 imperfect bands of dark brown, chiefly visible on the inner 

 vanes; the central tail feathers dark grey, with about 4 imperfect, 

 broad, dusky bars. 



AMERICAN BROWN or SLATE-COLORfD 



HAWK. ^-1^^.. ^:^^4*v.^^M.^ 



(FaZco /uscifs, Gmelin. F. i:)ennsylvanicus, Wilson, vi. p. 13. pi. 

 46. fig. 1. [adult male], and F. velox, (Sharp-shinned Hawk), 

 Ibid. v. p. 116. pi. 45. fig. 1. [young female]. Bonap. Ann. Lye 

 vol. ii. p. 434.) 



Spec. Charact. — Tail even, with 4 blackish bands, and tipped 

 with white ; wings extending to the 2d band ; 2d primary much 

 shorter than the 6th ; and the 3d than the 5th. Length about 



12 inches. Mult, dark slate-color, beneath white, broadly 



barred with ferruginous. — Young, dark brown, skirted with fer- 

 ruginous ; beneath white, with narrow, oblong, ferruginous spots. 



This bold and daring species possesses all the coura- 

 geous habits and temerity of the true Falcon ; and, if 

 the princely amusement to which these birds were de- 

 voted, were now in existence, few species of the genus 



