ASH-COLOURED, OR BLACK-CAP HAWK. 81 



tinged with brown, slightest on the quills; legs feathered half 

 way down, and, with the feet, of a yellow colour; whole lower 

 parts and femorals white, most elegantly speckled with fine 

 transverse pencilled zig-zag lines of dusky, all the shafts being 

 a long black line; vent pure white. 



If this be not the celebrated Goshawk, formerly so much es- 

 teemed in falconry, it is very closely allied to it. I have never 

 myself seen a specimen of that bird in Europe, and the descrip- 

 tions of their best naturalists vary considerably; but from a 

 careful examination of the figure and account of the Goshawk, 

 given by the ingenious Mr. Bewick, (Brit. Birds, v. i, p. 65. ) 

 I have very little doubt that the present will be found to be 

 the same. 



The Goshawk inhabits France and Germany; is not very 

 common in South Britain, but more frequent in the northern 

 parts of the island, and is found in Russia and Siberia. Buffon, 

 who reared two young birds of this kind, a male and female, 

 observes, that " the Goshawk before it has shed its feathers, 

 that is, in its first year, is marked on the breast and belly with 

 longitudinal brown spots; but after it has had two moultings 

 they disappear, and their place is occupied by transverse wav- 

 ing bars, which continue during the rest of its life;" he also 

 takes notice, that though the male was much smaller than the 

 female, it was fiercer and more vicious. 



Pennant informs us that the Goshawk is used by the empe- 

 ror of China in his sporting excursions, when he is usually at- 

 tended by his grand falconer, and a thousand of inferior rank. 

 Every bird has a silver plate fastened to its foot, with the name 

 of the falconer who has the charge of it, that in case it should 

 be lost, it may be restored to the proper person; but if he should 

 not be found, the bird is delivered to another officer, called the 

 guardian of lost birds, who, to make his situation known, 

 erects his standard in a conspicuous place among the army of 

 hunters. The same writer informs us, that he examined in the 

 Leverian museum, a specimen of the Goshawk which came 

 from America, and which was superior in size to the European. 

 VOL. i. N n 



