340 



ACCIPITER NISUS. THE SPARROW HAWK. 



SPEIRSHEOG. 



Falco Nisus. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 131. 



Falco Nisus. Lath. Iiul. Oiii. L 44. 



Sparrow Hawk. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



L'Epervier. Falco Nisus. Temm. Man. d'Orn. L 5(j; TIL 28. 



Sparrow Hawk. Accipiter fringillarius. Selb. Illustr. L 32. 



Accipiter fringillarius. Sparrow Hawk. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 85. 



Male about twelve inches long^ with the upper parts dark bluis/i- 

 grey^ the lower reddish-white^ transmrsehj barred with yelloicish- 

 red. Female about fifteen inches long, icith the upper parts 

 greyish-brown, the lower greyish-white, transversely barred with 

 dark grey. Young brown above, the feathers margined with 

 light red, the markings on the lower parts more dusky, and the 

 last band on each feather someichat cordate or p>ointed, the female 

 more tinged with red. In all stages, six dusky bands on the 

 lateral, and four on the middle tail-feathers. 



The Sparrow Hawk, although bearing a general resem- 

 blance to the Goshawk, is of a much more slender form, inso- 

 much that many ornithologists, for this reason alone, have re- 



