88 

 ACC1PITRES. 



FALCONI1XE. 



FALCON1D.E. 



ACCIPITER NISUS (Linnaeus*). 



THE SPAKKOW-HAWK. 



Accipiter nisus. 



ACCIVITER, Brisson^, Beak bending from the base, short, compressed, supe- 

 rior ridge rounded and narrow, cutting margin of the upper mandible with a 

 distinct festoon. Nostrils oval. Wings short ; the fourth and fifth quill-feathers 

 nearly equal in length, and the longest. Legs long, slender, and smooth. Toes 

 long and slender, the middle toe particularly, the claws curved and sharp. 



THE SPARROW-HAWK is another short-winged Hawk, but 

 of comparatively small size, in its habits very similar to the 

 bird last described, and has been aptly termed a Gos-Hawk 

 in miniature. In most wooded districts the Sparrow-Hawk 

 is a common and well-known species ; bold, active, vigilant 



nisus, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 130 (1766). 

 f Ornithologie, i. p. 310 (1760). 



