88 

 ACCIPITRES. 



FALCONID.E 



FALCON I D.E. 



AcciPiTER Nisus (Liniiteus*). 

 THE SPARROW-HAWK. 



Arc'iplter iiinuH. 



Accii'iTER, fii-lssonf. — Beak bending from the base, short, compressed, supe- 

 rior ridge rounded and narrow, cutting margin of the upper mandible with a 

 distinct festoon. Nostrils oval. Wings short ; the fourth and fifth quill-feathers 

 nearly equal in length, and the longest. Legs long, slender, and smooth. Toes 

 long and slender, the middle toe particularly, the claws curved and sharp. 



The Sparrow-Hawk is iinotlier short-winged Hawk, but 

 of comparatively small size, in its habits very similar to the 

 bird last described, and has been aptly termed a Gos-Hawk 

 in miniature. In most wooded districts the Sparrow-Hawk 

 is a common and well-known species ; bold, active, vigilant 



* fnlc) iiimix, LinniV'U 

 t Ornithologie, i 



. Sy.st. Nat. Ed. 12, 

 ."^lO (17<iO). 



p. 130 (1766). 



