190 BIRDS. RAPACES. 



F. palumbarius, Lin. The Goshawk. Upper parts bluish-cinere- 

 ous ; a broad white stripe above the eyes ; the under parts white, 

 with transverse bands, and longitudinal lines of dark brown ; tail 

 cinereous, with four or five blackish brown bars ; bill bluish 

 black ; cere yellowish green ; iris and feet yellow. Length of 

 the female about two feet; size of the male about one-third less. 

 Inhabits Europe, &c. Selby , Illust. pi. 12. 



1,'Autour, Buff ; Goshawk, Lath. ; Hunerhabicht, Bechst. ; Sparviere da Co- 

 lombi, Stor. -The young, F. gallinarius and gentilis. Gmel. ; L'Autour sors, 

 Buff. ; Greater Buzzard, Lath. 



This species breeds on the tops of high trees, the female laying two to four eggs 

 of a bluish white, spotted with fulvous. It flies low, proves very destructive to 

 game, pigeons, and poultry, and dashes through the woods with great impetuosity 

 after its quarry ; but if it cannot almost immediately catch the object of its pursuit, 

 it desists, and perches on a bough, till some other opportunity occurs. In the days 

 of falconry, it was held in higher estimation than any of the short-winged hawks, 

 and was used for the larger sorts of game. According to Mr Low it is common in 

 the Orkney Islands. 



F. nisitSf Lin. The Sparrowhawk. Bluish-cinereous above ; a white 

 spot on the neck j white beneath, with brown undulations ; tail 

 ash-gray, with five bars of blackish-cinereous ; cere yellowish 

 green ; feet and iris yellow. About 12 inches long. Inhabits 

 Europe. Selby f Illust. pi. 13, 



L'Epervier, Buff. ; Die Sperber, Bechst ; Accipiter fringillarius, Ray. 

 This species is well known for its depredations upon pigeons and small birds. 

 In a nest containing five young ones, Mr Selby found a lapwing, two blackbirds, 

 a thrush, and two green linnets, recently killed, and partly divested of their feathers. 

 It likewise preys on mice, moles, lizards, and snails. It builds in lofty trtees, old 

 ruins, or high rocks, frequently occupying the old nest of a crow, and lays from 

 four to six eggs, of a dirty white, and sometimes of a bluish tinge, blotched at the 

 large, and sometimes, though rarely, at the narrow end, with reddish colour. It is 

 easily tamed ; though when the young are reared together, the female birds, being 

 largest and strongest, will destroy and devour the males. 



F. cachinnans, Lin. (Niacagua of Azara.) The Laughing Falcon. 

 Cere and legs yellow ; eyelids white ; body variegated with brown 

 and whitish ; top of the head black, surrounded by a white ring. 

 Inhabits Paraguay. Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 19. 



F. mmullus, Shaw. Dwarf Sparrowhawk. Brown above, white 

 beneath ; breast marked with descending brown streaks, and the 

 abdomen with descending brown bars. Size of the blackbird. 

 Inhabits Southern Africa. Shaw, vii. 205. 



F. musicus, Daud. Gray above, with brown undulations beneath, 

 black wing-feathers, and brown wedge-shaped tail, barred with 

 white. Inhabits Africa. Shaw, vii. 143. 

 In the breeding season the note of the male is much more musical than that of 



any bird of prey, and is heard at the dawn of day, or in the dusk of the evening, 



and not unirequently during the greater part of the night. 



F. hemidactylus, Tern. Plumage lead-coloured above, paler beneath ; 



quills black, with a broad white band ; tail with two broad black 



bands and two clear reddish ones. Fifteen inches long. Inhabits 



Brazil. Tern. PL Col 3. 

 F. gracilis, Tern. Plumage cinereous lead-coloured above, whit- 



ish below, striped with ash-coloured bands ; tail with very slight 



