SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 91 



bars on the tail rather narrower, but in tint and number the 

 same; belly and vent white; feet and shins exactly as in the 

 female; the toes have the same pendulous lobes, which mark 

 those of the female, and of which the representation in the plate 

 will give a correct idea; the wings barred with black, very no- 

 ticeable on the lower side. 



Since writing the above, I have shot another specimen of this 

 Hawk, corresponding in almost every particular with the male 

 last mentioned; and which, on dissection, also proves to be a 

 male. This last had within the grasp of his sharp talons a small 

 lizard, just killed, on which he was about to feed. How he 

 contrived to get possession of it appeared to me matter of sur- 

 prise, as lightning itself seems scarcely more fleet than this 

 little reptile. So rapid are its motions, that, in passing from 

 one place to another, it vanishes, and actually eludes the eye 

 in running a distance of twelve or fifteen feet. It is frequently 

 seen on fences that are covered with gray moss and lichen, 

 which in colour it very much resembles; it seeks shelter in 

 hollow trees, and also in the ground about their decayed roots. 

 They are most numerous in hilly parts of the country, partic- 

 ularly on the declivities of the Blue mountain, among the cre- 

 vices of rocks and stones. When they are disposed to run, it 

 is almost impossible to shoot them, as they disappear at the first 

 touch of the trigger. For the satisfaction of the curious, I have 

 introduced a full-sized figure of this lizard, which is known in 

 many parts of the country by the name of the Swift 



