GOSHAWK. 



281 



Af/ul/. Aftove, including upper winsr and tail corerts, bluish-ash. with the feathers lined nest the shaft and edged 

 witli sudty-brown. Wings, very dark sooty-brown, with the outer webs of the secondaries, bluish-ash, while the outer 

 edges of the outer webs of tlie primaries show traces of it. The inner webs of primaries and a portion of secondaries are 

 broadly barred with whitish. The upper tail coverts are bluish-ash, sliglitly ti])ped with white. Tail, bluisli-asli, barred 

 with spots of dark-brown and tipped with white. Beneath, everywhere, uniform bluLsh-white, every feather streaked 

 in the center and Irarred irregularly with slaty. Top of head and line on side of it back of eye, black. Lores, bluis!i and 

 dusky. Superciliary line, white, streaked with black. Nearly concealed patch on occiput, whi(e. Iris, briglit reddish- 

 orange. 



Younq. Entire upper surface, dark-brown, becoming reddish on the wings which are barred with dusky and white 

 ashy on the tail which is barred with sooty black, and darker on the shoulders, neck, and head, the two latter, streaked 

 with dark-brown. 



Yuuni/ of the year. Quite similar to the above \mi decidedly rufous on both surfaces. In the last two stages, the cere 

 and feet are greenish, the iris is yellow, and the bill, dark-brown 



OBSERVATIONS 



There is considerable variation in specimens in the adult plumage, particularly in regard to the width of the markinna 

 below, thus in some they are much liroader and darker than in others, but the species may be at once recognized, in the 

 adult stag3, by the general ashy-l)luc color, and in younger stages, by the peculiar form, large size, and colors as described. 

 Distributed, as a summer resident, throughout North America, north of Canada, migrating in winter south, at least, to 

 Peunsylvania 



DIMENSIONS 



Average mea.surements of female specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 2300; stretch, 45 CO; wing, ISrO; 

 tail, 10-50; bill, -72; tarsus, 2-00. Longest specimen, 24'00; greatest extent ofwing,4C'00; longest wiu^, 14 00; tail, ll'OO; 

 bill, -75; tarsus. 3-00. Shortest specimen, 22-00; smallest extent of wing, 44-00; shortest wing, 13 00; tail, 10 00 bill, -70; tar- 

 sus, 2-80. 



Average measurements of male specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 21-00; stretch, 4100; wing, 12-50; 

 tail, 9-.50; bill, -70; tarsus, 2-75. Longest specimen, 22-00; greatest extent of wing, 43-00; longest wing, 13-CO; lail, 10-00 

 bill, -72; tai-sus, 280. Shortest specimen, 20-00; smallest extent of wing, 40-00; shortest wing, 12-00; tail, 9-00; bill -68; 

 tarsus, 2-70. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nesis, placed in trees, they are very bulky structures composed of sticks, twigs, and weeds, lined with strips of bark 

 and grass. 



B/i/s, three or four in number, rather si^herical in form, bluish-white in color, either immaculate or finely mottled 

 with pale reddish-brown. Dimensions from 1-82x2-30 to 1-92x2-32. 



HABITS. 



In flight and general habits, the Goshawks are not unlike Cooper's Hawk but I think 

 that they are rather more inclined to hunt in the woods than the latter named species, be- 

 ing, in fact, very nearly as arboreal in this respect as the Broad-wing. On account of 

 frequenting wooded districts, the Goshawks become very expert in flying through the trees 

 and I have seen them dashing along at full speed, avoiding the numerous limbs and obsta- 

 cles which h;wig in their path, with the greatest ease. This facility for passing through 

 the trees, together with the power of turning almost instantly, enables them to capture 

 srpiirrels, rabbits, etc., and I have even seen them take Ruffed Grouse; in short, in some 

 sections of New England, they hunt this latter named bird so persistently that they are 

 called Partridge Hawks. 



During the summer of 1868, a pair of these fine Hawks remained throughout the sea- 

 son in the town of Weston, Massachusetts, and I frequently saw them sailing over the 

 meailows but was unable to discover the nest although I searched for it carefully in the 

 adjacent woods. If this pair had a nest in the vicinity, which was quite probable, such 



