SPxVRROW HAWK. 361 



the male than in the female. As the hirds advance in age, the 

 brown or dusky bands on the lower parts of the male become 

 converted into light red, which colour ultimately predomi- 

 nates ; whereas in the females, the reddish colour gradually 

 disappears, the bars becoming dusky and then deep grey, their 

 intervals reddish-white and then greyish-white. The upper 

 parts change from brown to deep greyish-blue in the male, and 

 to brownish-grey in the female. I have seen a few old females, 

 however, of as blue a tint as the males. The bars on the wings 

 and tail become fainter the older the bird is, but without vary- 

 ing in number ; there being six on the outer and four on the 

 middle tail-feathers in both sexes. 



Remarks. — The habits and gradations of plumage of the Spar- 

 row Hawk are satisfactorily known, and have been more fully 

 described in the preceding pages than they have hitherto been. 

 The numberless differences in tints and markings, as well as in 

 size, have led some ornithologists to divide this species into 

 two or more. Having been at one time impressed with the 

 idea of there being two species in Britain, I have paid much 

 attention to the subject, and examined about a hundred indi- 

 viduals, until, having traced the gradations in the two sexes, I 

 am convinced that we have only one Sparrow Hawk in Scot- 

 land at least. As to the difference in size between the sexes, 

 it is by no means greater than is observed in the American 

 Accipiter fuscus and A. Cooperi, birds which have a wonder- 

 fully close resemblance to A. Nisus, although differing in size, 

 the male of A. Cooperi being about equal to the female of A. 

 Nisus, and the male of the latter considerably larger than that 

 of A. fuscus. 



By a note in the third part of M. Temminck's ^Manual, it 

 appears that Mess. Becker and ]\Ieisner have invented a greater 

 Sparrow Hawk, Falco nisus major, which is said to have the 

 bill strong, the cere yellowish-grey, the iris and feet lemon - 

 yellow ; the head greyish-brown marked with numerous white 

 spots ; the nape brownish, here and there marked with white 

 feathers ; all the upper part of the body and tail more brownish 

 than bluish or grey ; the breast, lower part of the body, and 



