SPARROW-HAAVK. (;.) 



about one inch seven lines long, by one inch four lines 

 broad, of a pale bluish white, blotched and spotted with 

 dark red brown. The young are covered with a delicate 

 and pure white down, and are abundantly supplied with 

 food. Mr. Selby mentions having found a nest of five 

 young Sparrow-Hawks which contained besides, a Lap- 

 wing, two Blackbirds, one Thrush, and two Green Linnets, 

 recently killed, and partly divested of their feathers. 



The Sparrow- Hawk is common in most of the counties 

 of England, and has been observed in the west and north 

 of Ireland ; it occurs also in Scotland and its northern 

 islands. It inhabits Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, 

 and from thence southward, over the European continent 

 to Spain and Italy. It is found in Sicily, Malta, Algeria, 

 and Egypt. Mr. Strickland observed it at Smyrna ; and 

 the Zoological Society has received specimens from Er- 

 zeroom. It is found in Thibet, Cashmere, North Western 

 India, and Bengal ; and Mr. Temminck has recorded it 

 as occurring as far to the eastward as Japan. 



The adult male measures about twelve inches in length ; 

 the beak blue, lightest at the base; the cere greenish 

 yellow, the irides yellow ; the top of the head, nape of 

 the neck, back, wings, and wing-coverts, rich dark brown, 

 in very old males with a tinge of bluish grey ; feathers 

 of the tail greyish brown, with three conspicuous trans- 

 verse bands of dark brown ; the chin, cheeks, throat, 

 breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts, rufous, with 

 numerous transverse bars of darker rufous brown ; legs 

 and toes long, slender, and yellow ; the claws curved, 

 sharp, and black. 



The female is generally three inches longer than the 

 male ; the beak, bluish horn colour ; cere yellowish, the 

 irides yellow ; the top of the head, upper part of the neck, 



