140 ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



wings, with a listless, slow motion like that of a Great Owl — 

 admirably described in Sir John Sebright's little pamphlet on 

 Hawking, — but by everyday practice and constant flying at the 

 Black Partridges, high feeding, and carefully training them to 

 become familiar with men, dogs, and all other objects likely to 

 frighten them, they become, in two or three months, perfect 

 at the work. One bird I had used to be unleashed at my tent- 

 door, and would fly to the nearest tree, and as the party set 

 out through forest and glade, would fly from tree to tree, and 

 thus keep on, quite up to the beaters and the dogs, never lag- 

 ging behind till a bird was flushed, but always sufficiently 

 forward to receive the quarry as it rose. ... I have taken 

 a dozen jungle-fowl in a couple of hours with my Gos-Hawks, 

 using dogs to flush the birds. They have also killed Peacocks 

 in a single flight, and Hares, without having been hooded. I 

 have also taken Teal and Ducks in wooded swamps, by 

 appearing at the water at a point whence a distant view could 

 be had of the water-fowl. The Hawk, on being shown the 

 Ducks, would fly at once to the tree nearest to them, and there 

 wait in ambush. The beaters were then sent to flush the fowl, 

 one of which the Hawk caught in the air as the flock rose, 

 almost perpendicularly, out of the water." 



Nest. — The Gos-Hawk breeds early : at the end of April or 

 early in May. The nest is a large structure of sticks, and is 

 often occupied for years in succession, and being added to 

 during each period of tenancy, often attains to great dimen- 

 sions. It is placed in a beech- or fir-tree, often at a great 

 height from the ground, occasionally in an oak, and the in- 

 terior of the nest is lined with moss, roots, and lichens, 

 according to Mr. Seebohm, but not with green leaves. 



Eggs. — From three to five, four being the usual number* 

 They are pale bluish-green, almost white, and on rare occa- 

 sions spots have been found on them. According to Colonel 

 Irby, they are sometimes so stained with dirt as to appear 

 quite yellow, like the eggs of a Grebe which had been sat on 

 for some time. Axis, 2*2-2"45 ; diam., 17. 



II. THE AMERICAN GOS-HAWK. ASTUR ATRICAPILLUS. 



Falco atricapilhis^ Wilson, Amer. Orn. vi. pi. 52, fig. 3 



(1812). 



