GOSHAWK. 107 
several bars; the shafts of the same colour; back, dark bluish 
erey tinged with brown; there is an evanescent bloom of 
ash colour on the living bird, which fades away shortly after 
it is dead. 
Wings, rather short; expanse about three feet seven inches; 
greater and lesser wing coverts, as the back; primaries, brown, 
barred with a darker shade, except towards the tips, which 
are dark brown; the shafts reddish, the inner margins whitish, 
especially towards the base; underneath, greyish white, the 
dark bars shewing through; secondaries and tertiaries, as the 
back; greater and lesser under wing coverts, barred with 
dusky transverse lines. The tail, which is long, wide, and 
rounded at the end, is brownish grey, with four, five, or six 
broad bands of blackish brown; the final band the widest, 
the tip white, the shafts yellowish brown, the base white; 
upper tail coverts, as the back; under tail coverts, white, 
with a few slight dark markings. The legs, which are yellow, 
of moderate length, and feathered rather more than a third 
down, are reticulated on the sides, and behind and_ before 
with large scales or plates: the feathers on the legs are 
shafted and marked as the breast, but the bars are narrower; 
toes, strong and yellow, the third and fourth united by a 
web which extends as far as the second joint of each; the 
first and second are nearly equal in size, the fourth longer 
and more slender, the third much longer; the sole of the 
foot is prominently embossed; claws, black, strong, and very 
sharp. 
The female is much larger than the male, but closely re- 
sembles him in colour, the plumage only on the back bemg 
of a browner tint. When very old there is hardly any 
apparent difference between them. Length, from one foot ten 
to two feet two inches; bill, horn colour or bluish black; 
breast, as in the male, but tinged with rust colour; back, 
dark brown. The wings expand to about three feet nine 
inches; the bars on the tail are of a dark brown. 
The young birds are at first covered with white or buff- 
coloured down. Bill, dark brown, paler at the base; cere, 
greenish yellow; iris, grey, pale yellow, reddish or yellowish 
orange, according to age: there is a white band over the eye, 
speckled with brown; head, reddish brown, the centre of each 
feather broadly streaked with dark brown, and edged with 
light yellowish red; crown, dark reddish brown, the feathers 
edged with dull white or rufous; neck behind, yellowish or 
