BIEDS. 323 



longest, and the middle toe much longer than the lateral ones. 

 There are but two British species, the Goshawk {Fig. 200) 

 and the Sparrowhawk. 



The Goshawk {Astur palumbarius) is equal in size to the 



largest of the Falcons. Its flight is low, and it was formerly 



flown at Hares, llabbits, Grouse, and Partridges. Its prevaiUng 



tint is greyish ; hence the line in one of the Border Ballads : — 



" The boy stared wild, like a yrcy Goshawk." — Fause Foodrage. 



The Sparrow-hawk (Aceipiter fringillarius) has been well 

 characterized by Mr. St. John as a " bold little freebooter," 

 and he thus records examples of its audacity : — " A Sparrow- 

 hawk pursued a Pigeon through the drawing-room window, 

 and out at the other end of the house through another window, 

 and never slackened his pursuit, notwithstanding the clattering 

 of the broken glass of the two windows they passed through. 

 But the most extraorduiary instance of impudence in this bird 

 that I ever met with, was one day finding a large Sparrow- 

 hawk deliberately standing on a very large Pouter-pigeon, on 

 the drawing-room floor, and plucking it, having entered in pur- 

 suit of the mifortunate bu-d through an open window, and killed 

 him in the room."* 



The Kite (Milvus 

 Ictinus, Fig. 261; 

 " is readily distin- 

 guished among the 

 British Falconidce, 

 even when at a dis- 

 tance on the wing, by 

 its long and forked 

 tail," and by its easy 261.-kite. 



and graceful flight. 



" It has now become comparatively rare in England." f In 

 Ireland, according to Mr. Thompson, the bird is extremely 

 rai-e, though the name is applied to other species of the family, 

 and particularly to the Common Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris). 

 The Honey Buzzard, a native of the south of Europe, and of 

 eastern climes, has been shot on several occasions in England, 

 and has, in one instance, occurred in the vicinity of Belfast. ;{: 



The Harriers form the remaining gi'oup of " the Falcon 



* Wild Sports and Natural Histon' of the Highlands. 

 f YarrelL J Thompson. 



T 



