144 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



then when the new feathers are assumed, they are always barred, 

 and no return to the striped breast ever takes place, but the 

 bars on the under-parts are at first more or less brown, and 

 become more and more rufous with each successive moult. 

 The numbers of bars on the tail are also indicative of the age 

 of the bird, as they decrease, as it gets older, from five to 

 four. 



The female gains her adult plumage in the same way as the 

 male, but does not become rufous underneath ; in fact, she 

 gets greyer with age, and the rufous tuft of down on the sides 

 of the body becomes more pronounced. 



Range in Great Britain. The Sparrow-Hawk is found through- 

 out the three kingdoms, wherever woodland localities occur, 

 so that it is rarer in some spots than others, such as the 

 Orkneys, Shetlands, and Outer Hebrides. In Ireland, Mr. 

 Ussher says, it "breeds commonly wherever there are any 

 trees." 



A considerable migration takes place in the autumn to the 

 east coast of Great Britain ; but many of the resident birds in 

 England, and especially Irish individuals, are very dark in 

 colour. 



Eange outside the British Islands. This species is found every- 

 where in Europe, and extends north to the limits of forest- 

 growth, about lat. 69. It is less common in Southern 

 Europe, where its numbers are largely reinforced by the 

 migrants from the north. It extends to Egypt and Kordofan 

 in the winter, and at that time of year also visits Aden. 



Eastward it extends across Siberia to Corea and the Japanese 

 Islands, being resident in these countries, as it is also in the 

 Himalayas, where it breeds. In winter it visits China as far 

 south as Canton. A large race, A. major, is recorded from 

 Switzerland, and a dark-coloured resident race, A. melanochistus^ 

 from the Himalayas. 



Habits. In its ways the Sparrow-Hawk is a miniature edition 

 of the Gos-Hawk, possessing all the fire and pluck of that 

 bird, but of course being much less powerful, and feeding 

 on smaller game. It is an inhabitant of the woods, and is 

 remarkably swift and agile in its movements, sallying forth 



