ACCIPITER.] AVES RAPTORES. 85 



the adult female : irides brown : cere greenish yellow. (Egg.} Mottled 

 all over with dark red brown : in some specimens blotches of red brown 

 upon a pale reddish white ground : long. diam. one inch seven lines ; 

 trans, diam. one inch three lines. 



A common species ; preying principally on mice and insects. Builds 

 in tall trees, and lays from three to five eggs. Hatches towards the end 

 of April or beginning of May. 



\ 



^ GEN. 4. ACCIPITER, Willugh. w** 

 (1. ASTUR, Vig.) 



11. A. palumbarius, Will. (Goshawk.) A broad white 

 streak over the eye. 



Falco palumbarius, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. i. p. 55. Goshawk, 

 Mont. Orn. Diet. Selb. Illust. vol. i. p. 29. pis. 12 and 12*. Bew. 

 Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 28. 



DIMENS. Entire length (female) two feet, (male) one-third less. 

 TEMM. 



DESCRIPT. (Adult male.) Upper parts deep bluish ash-colour : a 

 broad white streak over the eyes: under parts white, with transverse 

 bars and fine longitudinal streaks of dark brown : tail cinereous, with 

 four or five bars of blackish brown ; the tip white : bill bluish gray : 

 cere greenish yellow: irides and feet bright yellow. (Adult female.) 

 Upper parts with a brownish tinge : spots on the throat more numerous. 

 (Young.) Top of the head and upper part of the neck reddish brown, 

 the feathers edged with white : under parts reddish white, with long 

 lanceolate streaks of deep brown : tail brown, with four broad bars of 

 a darker colour ; the tip white : irides gray : cere and feet livid yel- 

 low. (Egg.) " Skim-milk white, marked with streaks and spots of 

 reddish brown/' SELBY. 



Nearly confined to the mountainous parts of Scotland, where it breeds, 

 and is said to be a great destroyer of game. Very rare in England. 

 Obs. The Gentil Falcon (Falco gentilis, Gmel.) is the young of this 

 species. 



(2. ACCIPITER, Vig.) 



12. A. fringillarius, Will. (Sparrow -Hawk.) A white 

 spot on the nape. 



Falco Nisus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. i. p. 56. Sparrow-Hawk, 

 Mont. Orn. Diet. Selb. Illust. vol. i. p. 32. pis. 13 and 13*. Bew. 

 Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 44. 



DIMENS. Entire length (male) twelve inches, (female) fifteen inches : 

 length of the bill (from the forehead) eight lines, (from the gape) ten 

 lines and a half; of the tarsus two inches five lines ; of the middle toe, 

 claw included, one inch ten lines ; of the tail seven inches six lines ; from 

 the carpus to the end of the wing nine inches three lines : breadth, wings 

 extended, (male) two feet, (female) two feet four inches. 



DESCRIPT. (Adult male.) Upper parts bluish ash-colour: above the 

 eye an indistinct pale line, conducting to a white spot on the nape : under 

 parts white, with transverse waves of deep brown ; on the throat a few 

 longitudinal streaks : tail grayish ash, with broad brownish black bars : 

 bill bluish gray, the tip black : cere greenish yellow : feet and irides 

 bright gamboge-yellow. (Female.) All the upper parts blackish brown, 



