662 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —RAPTORES — ACCIPITRES. 



white, closely barred or vermiculated in narrow zigzag lines with slaty-brown, except on throat, 

 and ciissum, and everywhere sharply pencilled with blackish shaft-lines, one on each feather. 



The barring is largest and most regular on belly, Hanks, and 

 tibiae, but is for the most part much dissipated in fine mottling. 

 It varies greatly in coarseness in different specimens, some of 

 which approach palitmbarius in this respect. Tail like back, 

 banded with 4 or 5 blackish bars, the terminal one much the 

 broadest. Wing-quills in similar pattern; both these and tail 

 showing tendency to some whitish mottling of inner webs of the 

 feathers. Bill dark bluish ; iris reddish ; feet yellow, claws 

 black. Young: Difference substantially as in ^cctp«7er: above, 

 dark brown, varied with rusty-brown and whitish ; below, white, 

 more or less tawny-tinged, with oblong, lance-linear, clubbed or 

 drop-shaped dark brown markings. Tail more distinctly barred 

 than in the adult, and with white tip. Iris yellowish. But iu 

 any equivocal plumage, the Goshawk may be recognized by its 

 size, which is that of an average Buteo, together with the short 

 rounded wings, very long fan-shaped tail, and other generic char- 

 acters. Length of ^ 20.00-22.00; extent about 42.00; wing 

 12.00-13.00; tail 9.00-10.00; tarsus 2.75; middle toe without 

 claw 1.75; chord of culmen without cere 0.90; 9i length 22.00- 

 24.00; extent 45.00 or more; wing 13.00-14.00; tail 11.50-12.50. 

 A large, powerful, and in perfect plumage, a very handsome 

 Hawk, of splendid spirit, combining ferocity witli audacity in the 

 highest degree, and the terror of the poultry-yard, where it does 

 more damage than any other Hawk, or than the great Horned 

 Owl ; it habitually preys upon birds up to the size of Grouse and 

 Ptarmigan, and mammals as large as hares. It is a larger, and 

 altogether "better" bird than the European Goshawk. It in- 

 habits northern N. Am.; the northern half of the U. S. chiefly 

 in winter, but is also resident in some parts, and breeds in moun- 

 tainous regions S. to Colorado, where I have seen it in summer, 

 and New Mexico ; it occurs sometimes on the Pacific Coast of 

 the U. S., as in Oregon, and has been taken in England. The 

 nesting and eggs are like those of Accipiter cooperi; eggs only 

 distinguishable by their superior size, measuring about 2.30 X 1-85, are 2-5 in number, white 

 with a faint bluish tint, normally immaculate, sometimes showing faint brownish or neutral tint 

 discolorations. They are laid in April and May. 



A. a. stria'tulvis. (Lat. striaUdus, finely striped.) Western Goshawk. Described as 

 having markings of under parts so fine and dense as to present a nearly uniform bluish-ashy 

 nebulation, pencilled with fine black-shafted lines, and the upper parts dark plumbeous, inclin- 

 ing to blackish on the back; the young brownish -black above, with broad black screaks be- 

 coming often cordate spots on the thighs. Rocky Mts. to the Pacific, especially the Coast 

 region, breeding from Sitka, Alaska, to the Sierras Nevadas of California in lat. 39°. 



Pig. 4r>4. — European Goshawk, 

 young (} \ nat. size, not distinguish- 

 able in the cut from the young Amer- 

 ican Goshawk ; change of scale to \ 

 or 4 would make it represent the 

 young (f Cooper's or Sharp-shinned 

 Hawk. (From Brehm.) 



Subfamily FALCONIN/E: Falcons. 



Bill furnished with a sharp tooth and notch near end of cutting edge of upper mandible 

 (sometimes two such teeth) ; end of under mandible truncated, with notch near tip (figs. 456, 

 458). Nostrils circular, high in the cere, with a prominent central tubercle (fig. 456). Inter- 



