464 PREYING BIRDS — RAPTOKES. 



Sub-Family ACCIPITRIN^E. 



Chak. Form rather long and slender ; tail and legs long ; wings rather 

 short ; bill short, hooked ; upper mandible with a rounded lobe instead of a 

 tooth. (Cassin.) 



Forty or fifty species are known, distributed throughout the globe. 



Genus ACCIPITER, Brisson. 



Arcipiter, Brissox, Orn. I. 1700, 310. 



Gex. Char. Size rather small ; wings short, and tail ratlwr long ; tarsi long and 

 fltndcr, witli the seales in front freqnently nearly obsolete. 



This genus contains about twenty species, all much alike in color, fre- 

 quenting woods, and preying chiefly on smaller Ijirds. 



Accipiter Cooperii, Bonaparte. 



COOPER'S HAWK. 



Falco Cooperii, Bonaparte, Am. Orn. II. 1; pi. 10, f. 1. (Young.) — Astur Cooperii, 

 (Bonaparte) Nutt.\i.l, Man. I. 89. — Audubon, Birds Amcr. pi. 36. — Newiserry, 

 P. R. Rep. VI. ii. T4. — Accipitei- Cooperii, Gray, List Brit. Mus. 38 — Cassin, P. R. 

 Rep. Birds, IX. 16. — Cooper and Sucklet, XII. ii. Zool. of W. T. H.'i. — Coce.s, 

 Pr. A. N. Sc. 1866, 4.3. 



Sp. Char. Above ashy-brown, darker on head, mixed with white and rufous on neek ; 

 beneath wdiite, throat with narrow streaks, other parts with light rufous bars. Quills 

 ashy-brown with darker bands, and white irregular marks on inner webs; tail dark einerc- 

 ous, tipped witli white, and ^vith four wide bands of brownish-black. 



Youni/, light umber-brown above, with more white and rufous; upi)er tail coverts tipped 

 with white ; beneath white, with narrow light brown stripes. 



Length, 16.00 to 20.00; extent, 2G.00 to 32.00; wing, 9 50 to 10.00; tail. 8.00 to 9.75. 

 Bill bluish horu-eolor ; cere and feet, yellow ; iris orange or yellow. 



JIal). All of temperate North America. 



This is the large.st of the genus found in Xorth America, and approaches 

 the falcons in strength of wing, swiftness, and audacity. It fre(|uently 

 comes about the farm-house, and seizes the fowls from tlie Acry duor. It 

 is a common species during tlie winter months in all wooded portions of 

 the State, but retires to tlie nortli or to the high mountains in tlie spring to 



