RAPTURES: FALCONID/E. 127 



locality, and may be seen day after day on the same 

 tree, stump, or stake, watching for prey. 



The Genus Astur Goshawk and allies -'has the up- 

 per mandible lobed, but not toothed, the form somewhat 

 long, wings rather short, tail broad and long, tarsi long 

 and covered in front with wide transverse scales. Twelve 

 species are known which belong to this genus, only one 

 of which is found in North America. 



The Goshawk, A. alricapillus, Bonap., of North Amer- 

 ica, is twenty-two to twenty-four inches long, and the wing 

 about fourteen inches ; the male about twenty inches, 

 and the wing twelve and a half inches. The head above, 

 neck behind, and a stripe from behind the eye, black ; 

 the other upper parts dark ashy-bluish. There is a con- 

 spicuous white stripe over the eye, and the entire un- 

 der parts are mottled with white and light ashy-brown. 

 Young specimens have the upper parts dark-brown, and 

 the under parts white, every feather -with a longitudinal 

 stripe terminating in an ovate spot of brown. The Gos- 

 hawk spends much of the time upon the wing. It pur- 

 sues birds with great swiftness, and sometimes with 

 meteor-like velocity it glides into the forest and emerges 

 with a hare or squirrel which its quick eye had singled 

 out. The nest is large, and placed on a tree near its 

 trunk ; and the eggs are bluish-white, sparingly spotted 

 with light reddish-brown. 



The Genus Accipiter has a more slender form than the 

 preceding, but is otherwise similar, having also the lobed 

 upper mandible. About twenty species are known, three 

 of which belong to North America. 



Cooper's Hawk, A. Cooperii, Bonap., of all temperate 

 North America, is eighteen to twenty inches long, the 

 wing ten to eleven inches ; the male sixteen to eigh- 

 teen inches long, and the wing nine and a half to ten 

 inches. The upper parts are dark ashy-brown, the head 



