202 



Birds. 



THE SPARROWHA WK. (Falco, or Accipiter nisus.) 



THE SPARROWHAWK is a bold-spirited bird ; the length of 

 the male is twelve inches, that of the female fifteen ; the 

 beak is short, crooked, and of a bluish tint, but very 

 black towards the tip; the tongue black, and a little 

 cleft ; the eyes of a middling size. The crown of the 

 head is of a dark brown ; above the eyes, in the hinder 

 part of the head, there are sometimes white feathers ; 

 the roots of the feathers of the head and neck are white, 

 the rest of the upper side, back, shoulders, wings, and 

 neck of a dark brown. The wings, when closed, scarcely 

 reach to the middle of the tail ; the thighs are strong 

 and fleshy, the legs long, slender, and yellow ; the toes 

 also long, and the talons black. The female lays about 

 five eggs, spotted near the blunt end with brown specks. 

 "When wild they feed only upon birds, and possess a 

 boldness and courage above their size; but in a domestic 

 state they do not refuse raw flesh and mice. They can 

 be made obedient and docile, and readily trained to hunt 

 quails and partridges. 



