72 FALCONID^. 



According to Muller, Linnaeus, and Pennant, the Gos- 

 hawk inhabits Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Siberia, Russia, 

 and Chinese Tartary. It is said to be plentiful in Ger- 

 many, rare in Holland; but according to Yieillot and 

 others, it inhabits France, Switzerland, Sicily, Malta, 

 Egypt, and North Africa. 



Mr. Hoy, who has frequently visited Germany, has sup- 

 plied Mr. Hewitson with the following lines, which are 

 here copied from his beautiful work on the Eggs of British 

 Birds : " The Goshawk builds its own nest, and, if un- 

 disturbed in its possession, will frequently occupy it for 

 several years, making the necessary repairs. It is placed 

 in some high tree on the outskirts of the forest, and is 

 rarely found in the interior, except in those parts which 

 are open and free from timber. The eggs are three or 

 four, and are frequently hatched by the middle of May." 



The eggs of the Goshawk are rare : the few that I have 

 seen were uniform in size and colour, two inches and 

 three sixteenths in length, by one inch eleven sixteenths in 

 breadth, of a pale bluish white without any spots or streaks. 



A full-grown female measures from twenty -three to 

 twenty -four inches in length ; the males, one-fourth, and 

 sometimes one-third less ; but when adult, the plumage is 

 nearly similar. The beak is horn colour or bluish black ; 

 the cere and irides yellow : the top of the head, the whole 

 of the back, upper surface of the wings, and tail-feathers, 

 dark greyish brown, in females the colour inclines to clove 

 brown ; the upper surface of the tail-feathers barred with 

 darker brown : a band passing over the lore, eyes, cheeks 

 and ear-coverts, the nape of the neck, throat, breast, belly 

 and thighs, nearly white, with spots, transverse bars, and 

 undulating lines of dull black ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 lore, cheeks, and ear-coverts greyish brown, forming an 

 elongated dark patch on the side of the head ; the legs 

 and toes yellow ; the claws black. 



