228 A Description of the Birds 
year which he describes and represents ; and, therefore, forces 
me to dissent from an authority I so much admire. 
ACCIPITER TACHIRO. 
Speckled Sparrowhawk, Latham.—Le Tachiro, Le Vaillant 
Ois d’ Afrique, pl. 29. 
A. supra brunneus; infra albus faciis nigro-brunneis trans- 
versis variegatus.  Remiges brunnee, pogoniis internis nigro 
fasciatis et versus bases variegatis; rectrices brunnee faciis 
latis nigris notate ; tarsi et digiti flave. 
Male.—Bill bluish black, with a small yellowish spot on the 
edge of the tooth of upper mandible, and another opposite it on 
base of lower; cere yellow; front, crown, back of neck, in- 
terscapulars, back, upper tail coverts, and shoulders dull 
brown ; the feathers of nape all white towards quills, thereby 
giving rise, in certain position, to a mottled appearance. Chin 
and throat pure white; sides of neck white, with narrow 
transverse brown bands ; breast and belly white, banded trans- 
versely with brown, the bands few towards the middle, but 
numerous on the sides ; under tail coverts white, irregularly 
crossed by a few narrow brownish lines ; thighs tawny white, 
with broadish transverse brown bands. Primary wing feathers 
brown, banded on the inner vanes by black towards their 
tips, and by black and nearly clear white towards quills; 
secondaries the same as primaries, with the exception of the 
white being more abundant on the inner vanes. Tail slightly 
rounded, of a light brown color, and crossed by four broad 
blackish bands*, and the tips of all the feathers more or less 
white; legs and toes yellow; claws black. Length from bill 
to base of tail seven inches; length of tail seven and a half 
inches. 
Female.—Length from bill to base of tail nine inches; 
length of latter eight inches; body considerably larger than 
in the male, and the colors similarly disposed as in it, only 
they are of a duller tint. 
Young.—Above brown, b«t of a lighter tint than in mature 
specimens, and the feathers of the back and shoulders edged 
and tipt with clear rufous ; chin and throat tawny white, the 
former with a longitudinal black streak towards its centre ; 
breast and belly tawny white or pure tawny, and each feather 
marked in the middle by a large oval or oblong blackish spot; 
under tail coverts tawny white, variegated by cordiform or 
*Tt will often be observed that in the same bird the number of bands are 
not alike in all the tail feathers, particularly about the moulting season, 
which will generally be found to arise from old and new ones existing in the 
same specimen. 
[30 
