OF NEW ENGLAND. 353 



the wings are partially opened and shut in a nervous manner, 

 as if the bird were anxious to be off again in the pursuit of 

 game." 



Sa}*s Dr. Wood : " This bird when sitting on a tree so 

 closely resembles a pigeon that it will oftentimes deceive the 

 most expert hunter. One of the specimens brought me was 

 shot for a pigeon, and the mistake was not discovered until 

 the bird was picked up. It is from this striking singularity 

 that I suppose it derives its name." 



(d). The notes of the Pigeon IIaw r k, heard chiefly in spring, 

 are quite characteristic, but, nevertheless, are not easily de- 

 scribed. In fact, it is almost or wholly impossible to know the 

 cries of our hawks, unless learned directly from nature. 



(D) SPARVERIUS. (American) Sparrow Hawk. American 

 Kestrel. 



(In New England, a summer-resident, locally distributed.) 



(a). About eleven inches long. Crown, ashy-blue, usually 

 with a chestnut patch of varying size. Head, otherwise white, . 

 with generally seven large black markings, including one on 

 the nape. Tail, often surrounded by white ; and broadly (sub-) 

 tipped with black. Primaries, etc., black, with imperfect white 

 bars. Otherwise: 9? brown above, becoming chestnut on 

 the tail, nearly everywhere black -barred. Beneath, white ; 

 breast (often buffy or reddish, and) streaked with black (or 

 dark brown). < , smaller, and with few or no black bars or 

 streaks. Wing-coverts, ashy-blue (sometimes spotted with 

 black). 



(6). The eggs arc generally deposited in the hollow of a 

 tree, often of one rather isolated, a very rare circumstance in 

 the case of other hawks. The eggs, four or five in number, or 

 even more, are laid in Massachusetts about the middle of May. 

 Two, taken from my cabinet, are fair specimens. One meas- 

 ures 1-35X1*20 of an inch, and is very light brown, with small 

 blotches of reddish "Vandyke." The other measures 1-35X 

 1-20 of an inch, is somewhat spherical and is finely freckled 

 with two shades of russet, confluently so at the two ends. 

 24 



