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FALCO SPARVERIUS— LINN. 



SPARROW HAWK. 



American Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparverius, Wils. Amer. Orn. 

 Falco sparverius, Bonap. Syn. 



American Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparverius, Nutt. Man. 

 Falco sparverius, Little Rusty-crowned Falcon, Sw. & Rich. 

 American Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparverius, And. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Characters — Crown light red, surrounded Avith blue ; 

 on the sides of the neck two black bands : three spots on the hind 

 neck, and numerous black spots on the abdomen and sides of 

 the body. Adult male with the forehead, upper part of tTie sides 

 of the head, occiput, and wing-coverts light grayish-blue ; a patch of 

 light red on the cro\vn ; the back of the same color, spotted with 

 black ; tail darker red, with a broad black band near the end — the 

 feathers tipped with white ; lateral feathers white, broadly barred 

 with black on the inner webs ; spots of the same color close to the 

 shafts on the outer webs ; wings black, with white spots on the in- 

 ner webs ; throat and upper portion of the sides of the neck white ; 

 a black band before the eye passing down the sides of the throat — 

 a similar band on the sides of the neck, behind which is a black 

 spot ; breast yellowish- white, (in some specimens the breast is tinged 

 with red ;) rest of the lower parts white, distinctly marked with 

 round spots of black. Length of male eleven inches, wing seven. 



With us this species cannot be said to be very plentiful. It ar- 

 rives in spring, and a few remain during summer, but the larger 

 majority pass on to other districts to spend the season of incubation. 

 Its peculiar and handsome markings render it conspicuous, and I 

 believe it is well known in all parts of the United States. We also 

 find it enumerated with the birds of the northern Fur countries — 

 and according to Dr. Richardson, it breeds in considerable num- 

 bers on the banks of the Saskatchewan, in the neighborhood of 

 Carhon House — arriving there in the middle of April, laying its 

 eggs about the middle of May, and retiring southward on the ap- 



