THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 501 



No. 203. 



AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 



A. O. U. Xo. 334. Astiir atricapilliis (Wils. ). 



Synonyms. — GoosE Hawk. Blue Hen Hawk. Blue Darter. 



Description. — Aduli: Above slaty-gray with darker shaft-lines; darker, 

 almost black on head ; white lines over and behind eye loosely connected bv ill- 

 concealed basal white of cervical feathers; auriculars blackish; tail with four 

 dusky bands, plain, or almost obsolete; inner webs of wing-quills mottled, — dusky 

 and whitish ; entire underparts white, iineh- and heavilv marbled with slaty 

 gray, in fine wavy or zigzag lines, falling into fine bars on flanks and tibije, 

 with blackish shaft-lines on throat and breast ; iris light yellow ; bill dark blue ; 

 feet yellow, claws black. Immature: Following the Accipitcr fa^hiim ; above dark 

 brown, spotted with buff and whitish and margined with rusty ; tail with narrow 

 white tip and four distinct dusk_\- ])ands; below whitish or buti'y, strif'rd narrowly 

 with dark brown, — the markings guttate on belly, broader on sides and flanks. 

 Adult male length about 22.00 1558.8); wing 12.00-13.50 ( 304.8-342.Q ) ; tail 

 9.50-10.50 (241.3-266.7) : bill from nostril .75 ( 19. i ). Adult female length about 

 24.00 (609.6); wing 13.25-14.25 (336.6-362); tail 11.00-12.50 (279.4-317.5). 



Recognition Marks. — Crow to Brant size ; adult slaty blue above, white 

 mottled with slaty gray below; rather short, rounded wings; white line over eye; 

 not so finely pencilled below as succeeding; lighter. 



Nesting. — Not definitely known to breed in Washington. X est : high in 

 trees, usually coniferous, of sticks, twigs, and grass, lined with bark-strips and 

 grass. Eggs: 2-5, "white or glaucous white, sometimes ver}' faintly marked with 

 pale brownish." Av. size, 2.32 x 1.79 (58.9x45.5). Season: April lo-May 20; 

 one brood. 



General Range. — Xurthern and eastern Xiirth .America, south in winter to 

 the Middle States and southern Rocky Mountain region ; casually west to Oregon. 

 Accidental in England. Breeding range restricted to the Canadian fauna of the 

 United States and northward. 



Range in Washington. — Imperfecth- made out as regards succeeding furm, 

 — possibly casual in winter. 



Authorities. — Astur atricapilliis (\\'ils.) Bona]).. Brewster, Bull. Xutt. Orn. 

 Club. \'ol. MI. No. 4, Oct. 1882, p. 227 & 231. Publication based on four speci- 

 mens submitted by Capt. Chas. Bendire and by him obtained at Fort Walla Walla, 

 Wn., during the autumn and winter of 1881-1882. Bendire afterwards (Life 

 Histories, Vol. I. p. 199) gave it as his opinion that all the birds which he secured 

 in the Northwest region were .-/. a. striatiiliis. save one which was intermediate 

 in character. 



Specimens. — Prov. B. 



IN THE light of our present very imperfect knowledge of the dis- 

 tribution of the Goshawks, it would appear probable that striatiiliis is the 



