THE GOS-HAWKS, 13^ 



grant. Three notices of the occurrence of the bird in Ireland 

 have been published. 



Range outside the British Islands. The Gos-Hawk is a resident 

 in most parts of Europe up to 60 N. lat., and extends in 

 the north to Tromso and Archangel, throughout Russia and 

 Siberia to the borders of the Japanese Sea, breeding through- 

 out this wide range wherever suitable forests present them- 

 selves. It is resident in all the Japanese Islands. It also 

 breeds in the Himalayas, and descends in winter to the lower 

 .valleys. In the eastern portion of its range it seems to be 

 more strictly migratory than it is in Europe, where the migrants 

 are principally young birds. North-eastern Africa, Palestine, 

 and Egypt seem to be the winter-quarters of most of these 

 migrating Gos-Hawk s from Northern Europe. 



Habits. The name Gos-Hawk is said to be a corruption of 

 Goose-Hawk, though it is doubtful if the bird, powerful though 

 it be, ever attempts to capture a bird as large as a Goose. 

 The list of animals on which it preys is, however, a sufficiently 

 large one : hares, rabbits, small rodents, squirrels, pheasants, 

 partridges, grouse, clucks, and smaller birds. It is even said, 

 in the Himalayas, to capture the great Moonal Pheasants. 

 Although it is a very fierce and powerful species, it is capable 

 of being trained by Falconers into a very useful bird for the 

 chase, and is said, by those who know it well, to develop great 

 intelligence, as well as docility. A rabbit has little chance 

 with a Gos-Hawk, for, even when given a good start, the easy 

 speed with which the great bird sails down upon it speedily 

 puts an end to the chase, and it is as nimble as the rabbit in 

 doubling and twisting in its tracks. Mr. Thompson con- 

 tributes to Mr. Hume's " Rough Notes on Indian Raptores " 

 an exceedingly interesting account of the way in which the 

 Gos-Hawk is flown in the Himalayas. He writes : " Despite 

 all that has been said about these short-winged Hawks, this 

 bird is capable of attaining a high degree of efficiency as a 

 bold and rapid flier, a fagless worker, and affording decidedly 

 the best sport that can be had in a forest country. I have 

 taken a Quail in the middle of April with my Gos-Hawks flying 

 straight off the fist at the quarry. They have also flown at 

 Partridge and Quail, 800 to 1,000 yards from where they were 

 slipped. When first put to the quarry, they fly with outspread 



