BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 93 



but it was attacked and driven away by a King-bird before I 

 could effect my purpose, and I have never since been fortunate 

 enough to meet with another. On dissecting the one which I 

 had shot, it proved to be a male. 



In size this Hawk agrees, nearly, with the Buzzardet, (Fal- 

 co albidus] of Turton, described also by Pennant; (Arct. Zool. 

 N. 109.) but either the descriptions of these authors are very 

 inaccurate, the change of colour which that bird undergoes very 

 great, or the present is altogether a different species. Until, 

 however, some other specimens of this Hawk come under my 

 observation, I can only add to the figure here given, and widen 

 is a good likeness of the original, the following particulars of 

 its size and plumage. 



Length fourteen inches, extent thirty-three inches; bill black, 

 blue near the base, slightly toothed; cere and corners of the 

 mouth yellow; irides bright amber; frontlet and lores white; 

 from the mouth backwards runs a streak of blackish brown; 

 upper parts dark brown, the plumage tipt, and the head streak- 

 ed, with whitish; almost all the feathers above are spotted or 

 barred with white; but this is not seen unless they be separated 

 by the hand; head large, broad and flat; cere very broad, the 

 nostril also large; tail short, the exterior and interior feathers 

 somewhat the shortest, the others rather longer, of a full black, 

 and crossed with two bars of white, tipt also slightly with 

 whitish; tail-coverts spotted with white; wings dusky brown, 

 indistinctly barred with black; greater part of the inner vanes 

 snowy; lesser coverts, and upper part of the back, tipt and 

 streaked with bright ferruginous; the bars of black are very dis- 

 tinct on the lower side of the wing; lining of the wing brown- 

 ish white, beautifully marked with small arrow-heads of brown; 

 chin white, surrounded by streaks of black; breast and sides 

 elegantly spotted with large arrow-heads of brown, centred 

 with pale brown; belly and vent, like the breast, white, but 

 more thinly marked with pointed spots of brown; femorals 

 brownish white, thickly marked with small touches of brown 

 and white; vent white; legs very stout; feet coarsely scaled, 



