FALCON I DAE I 57 



frogs, and the latter limpets ; the large flat nest of sticks, rarely 

 lined with roots, is placed in trees, the bluish-white eggs, number- 

 ing from three to live, being occasionally marked with rust-colour. 

 The barely separal)le North American A. atriaqnllus exhibits very 

 close bars below ; the crested A. trivirgatus, ranging from India and 

 the Great Sunda Islands to Formosa, is slaty-grey, having a rufous 

 chest, a white throat with black median streak, a tail with four brown 

 bands, and white under parts barred with rufous and brown ; A. 

 hadins, the Shikra, extending in its various sub-species from Central 

 Eussia, Servia, and Greece to China, and many parts of Africa, is 

 blue-grey with five or six blackish tail- bands, a less distinct throat- 

 streak, and salmon-coloured lower surface with narrow white 

 cross-bars. A. trinofafus of Celebes is blackish-grey, with lighter 

 head, white spots on the median rectrices, uniform vinous breast, 

 white throat and vent ; the young are ferruginous-red above with 

 black markings. Most remarkable of all is A. novae IwUayidiac 

 of Southern Australia and Tasmania — with its smaller race A. 

 leucosomas of Papuasia and the Cape York district — pure white 

 in colour, with black bill, yellow cere and red irides, which some 

 writers consider a permanent albino of A. cinereus. A. heiisti 

 and A. franciscae. are confined to Madagascar, A. Irutiis and A. 

 pusiUvs to Mayotte and Joanna Islands of the Comoros respect- 

 ively. JViso'idcs iiioreli, also from Madagascar, a bird with stout 

 bill and white irides, closely approaches Astur. 



Accipitcr is a genus of some thirty species, which rival Gos- 

 hawks in spirit and daring ; they inhabit nearly the whole world, 

 but hardly extend to Polynesia. The flight is quick and vigorous, 

 with rapid turns ; the prey being captured with a dash as the birds 

 skim through the wooded country they frequent ; while it is sub- 

 sequently devoured on the ground, as is customary among Accipi- 

 trine forms. The large flat nest of twigs, occasionally lined with 

 roots or leaves, is placed on a tree or rocky ledge ; about four to 

 six bluish-white eggs, usually with heavy blotches or spots of red- 

 l)rown, being laid in the central depression. Very puzzling are the 

 changes of plumage, though by no means confined to this genus ; 

 but the longitudinal spots below in the young are said generally 

 to change with age to transverse Ijars, as is the case in the most 

 typical Falcons.^ Tlie coloration is well shewn by Acciinter nisus, 

 the Sparrow-Hawk, which breeds throughout Europe, Nortli Africa, 



1 Cf., however, Sharpc, P.Z.S. 1873, pp. 41 S, 410. 



