144. BRITISH BIRDS. 
green, approaching white, and in very rare instances show decided spots of 
dirty blood-red. Wolley mentions eggs marked with pale olive ; but none 
of these have ever come under my notice. The clay-coloured blotches 
mentioned by Dresser are not uncommon, and appear to be stains. In 
size they vary from 2°45 to 2°1 inch in length, and from 1°85 to 1:6 
inch in breadth. Unspotted eggs of the Common Buzzard often resemble 
the eggs of the Goshawk so closely as to be undistinguishable from them. 
The Goshawk was one of the falconer’s favourites, and was flown at 
Hares, Rabbits, Pheasants, Partridges, Rock-Doves, Teal, and Crows. It 
does not, however, appear to have been a bird of long flight, and would 
soon give up its quarry if not successful, and perch on some tree or bush 
to await a new one. 
The general colour of the Goshawk’s upper parts is dark greyish brown, the 
tail with four bars of darker brown; eye-stripe, lores, and nape dull greyish 
white ; rest of the underparts nearly white, spotted and barred with dull 
black, except on the under tail-coverts ; cheeks dark brown. Legs and toes 
yellow, claws black ; beak bluish horn-colour ; cere yellow; irides orange. 
The female resembles the male, but is larger and browner. 
The young bird has the upper parts brown, the underparts buffish white, 
closely marked with drop-shaped spots of reddish brown; cere and legs 
greenish yellow; irides yellow. 
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