GOSHAWK. 107 



several bars; the shafts of the same colour; back, dark bluish 

 grey tinged with brown; there is an evanescent bloom of 

 ash colour on the living bird, which fades away shortly after 

 it is dead. 



Wings, rather short; expanse about three feet seven inches; 

 greater and lesser wing coverts, as the back; primaries, brown, 

 barred with a darker shade, except towards the tips, which 

 are dark brown; the shafts reddish, the inner margins whitish, 

 especially towards the base; underneath, greyish white, the 

 dark bars shewing through; secondaries and tertiaries, as the 

 back; greater and lesser under wing coverts, barred with 

 dusky transverse lines. The tail, which is long, wide, and 

 rounded at the end, is brownish grey, with four, five, or six 

 broad bands of blackish brown; the final band the widest, 

 the tip white, the shafts yellowish brown, the base white; 

 upper tail coverts, as the back; under tail coverts, white, 

 with a few slight dark markings. The legs, which are yellow, 

 of moderate length, and feathered rather more than a third 

 down, are reticulated on the sides, and behind and before 

 with large scales or plates: the feathers on the legs are 

 shafted and marked as the breast, but the bars are narrower; 

 toes, strong and yellow, the third and fourth united by a 

 web which extends as far as the second joint of each; the 

 first and second are nearly equal in size, the fourth longer 

 and more slender, the third much longer; the sole of the 

 foot is prominently embossed; claws, black, strong, and very 

 sharp. 



The female is much larger than the male, but closely re- 

 sembles him in colour, the plumage only on the back being 

 of a browner tint. When very old there is hardly any 

 apparent difference between them. Length, from one foot ten 

 to two feet two inches; bill, horn colour or bluish black; 

 breast, as in the male, but tinged with rust colour; back, 

 dark brown. The wings expand to about three feet nine 

 inches; the bars on the tail are of a dark brown. 



The young birds are at first covered with white or buff- 

 coloured down. Bill, dark brown, paler at the base; cere, 

 greenish yellow; iris, grey, pale yellow, reddish or yellowish 

 orange, according to age: there is a white band over the eye, 

 speckled with brown; head, reddish brown, the centre of each 

 feather broadly streaked with dark brown, and edged with 

 light yellowish red; crown, dark reddish brown, the feathers 

 edged with dull white or rufous; neck behind, yellowish or 



