62 SLATE-COLORED HAWK. 



and back, brown, streaked and seamed with white, and some pale rust ; 

 scapulars and wing-coverts spotted with white ; wing quills much resem- 

 bling the preceding species ; tail-coverts white, handsomely barred with 

 brown ; tail slightly rounded, of a pale brown color, varying in some to 

 a sorrel, crossed by nine or ten bars of black, and tipped for half an inch 

 with white; wings brown, barred with dusky; inner vanes nearly all 

 white ; chin, throat and breast, pure white, with the exception of some 

 slight touches of brown that enclose the chin ; femorals yellowish white, 

 thinly marked with minute touches of rust ; legs bright yellow, feathered 

 half way down ; belly broadly spotted with black or very deep brown ; 

 the tips of the wings reach to the middle of the tail. 



My reason for inclining to consider this a distinct species from the 

 last, is that of having uniformly found the present two or three inches 

 larger than the former, though this may possibly be owing to their 

 greater age.* 



Species IX. FALCO PENNSYLVANICUS. 



SLATE-COLORED HAWK.f 



[Plate XLVI. Fig. 1.] 



This elegant and spirited little Hawk is a native of Pennsylvania, 

 and of the Atlantic states generally ; and is now for the first time intro- 

 duced to the notice of the public. It frequents the more settled parts 

 of the country, chiefly in winter ; is at all times a scarce species ; flies 

 wide, very irregular, and swiftly ; preys on lizards, mice and small birds, 

 and is an active and daring little hunter. It is drawn of full size, from 

 a very beautiful specimen shot in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. The 

 bird within his grasp is the Tanagra rubra, or Black-winged Red-bird, 



* Prince Musignano is of opinion that Wilson took his admeasurement of the 

 borealis from males, and that of the leferianits from females; as he has alw.aye 

 found the males in both states of plumaf^o twenty inches (a size -which Wilson 

 gives as that of the borealis), and the females of both, twenty-two inches (the size 

 of the leveriamis as given by Wilson). 



t By comparing th'is bird with the Sharp-shinned Hawk, it will be obvious that 

 Wilson had good reason for his first opinion, that they are identical ; although he 

 Bul)sequently came to a contrary conclusion. It is probable that they will be found 

 to be the same, and that this is the adult, and the Sharp-shinned Hawk the young 

 bird. If this be the case, the name velnx, which was first given to this species by 

 Wilson, must be retained ; unless indeed it should prove to be identical with the F. 

 f'vsrvs of authors, as asserted by Prince Musignano ; in which event this latter 

 name must of course, having the priority, be adopted. 



