GOSHAWK. 23 



ASTUR PALUMBARIUS (Linnaeus). 



GOSHAWK. 



The Goshawk appears occasionally both in spring 

 and autumn, but at uncertain intervals, and has of late 

 years become even more scarce than formerly. The 

 adult male (No. 14) in our museum was killed at Colton 

 in 1841 ; and the young female (No. 14.b) at Hing- 

 ham in the following year ; but so rarely are the old 

 birds met with in this district that the above is probably 

 the only example in mature plumage known with cer- 

 tainty to have been killed in Norfolk. An old male, how- 

 ever, in my possession, formerly in the collection of the 

 late Eev. C. Penrice, of Plumstead, was, I believe, taken 

 either in this or the adjoining county, although no record 

 remains as to the exact locality.* Of more recent 

 occurrence may be noticed a young bird killed at Stratton 

 Strawless in November, 1850, and an immature female, 

 shot in November, 1851, near Norwich, whilst preying on 

 a hare ; a male, also immature, in very beautiful plumage, 

 taken at Catfield in April, 1854 ; a female in its first 

 year's plumage, killed at Hempstead about the 23rd of 

 November, 1858 ; and a young bird trapped at Kiddles- 

 worth, in the autumn of 1863. Another female, much 

 resembling this last specimen, was shot by Mr. John 

 Gould, the celebrated ornithologist, in February, 1859, 

 whilst staying with Sir Morton Peto, at Somerleyton, 

 in Suffolk. 



* Mr. T. M. Spalding possesses a very beautiful male Goshawk, 

 shot by himself in a wood, at Benacre, Suffolk, January 12th, 1841. 

 This bird has the tail brown with cross bars, and the whole of the 

 under parts transversely barred on a white ground. In the 

 Dennis collection, at Bury St. Edmund's, there is also a young 

 bird, said to have been killed at Aldborough. 



