iv FALCONIDAE 157 



frogs, and the latter limpets ; the large flat nest of sticks, rarely 

 lined with roots, is placed in trees, the bluish-white eggs, number- 

 ing from three to five, being occasionally marked with rust-colour. 

 The barely separable North American A. atricapillus exhibits very 

 close bars below ; the crested A. trivirgatus, ranging from India and 

 the Great Sunda Islands to Formosa, is slaty-grey, having a rufous 

 chest, a white throat with black median streak, a tail with four brown 

 bands, and white under parts barred with rufous and brown ; A. 

 Radius, the Shikra, extending in its various sub-species from Central 

 Eussia, Servia, and Greece to China, and many parts of Africa, is 

 blue-grey with five or six blackish tail-bands, a less distinct throat- 

 streak, and salmon-coloured lower surface with narrow white 

 cross-bars. A. trinotatus of Celebes is blackish-grey, with lighter 

 head, white spots on the median rectrices, uniform vinous breast, 

 white throat and vent ; the young are ferruginous-red above with 

 black markings. Most remarkable of all is A. novae Jwllandiae 

 of Southern Australia and Tasmania with its smaller race A. 

 leucosomus of Papuasia and the Cape York district pure white 

 in colour, with black bill, yellow cere and red irides, which some 

 writers consider a permanent albino of A. cinereus. A. hensti 

 and A. franciscae are confined to Madagascar, A. Irutus and A. 

 pusillus to Mayotte and Joanna Islands of the Comoros respect- 

 ively. Niso'ides moreli, also from Madagascar, a bird with stout 

 bill and white irides, closely approaches Astur. 



Accipiter is a genus of some thirty species, which rival Gos- 

 hawks in spirit and daring ; they inhabit nearly the whole world, 

 but hardly extend to Polynesia. The flight is quick and vigorous, 

 with rapid turns ; the prey being captured with a dash as the birds 

 skim through the wooded country they frequent ; while it is sub- 

 sequently devoured on the ground, as is customary among Accipi- 

 trine forms. The large flat nest of twigs, occasionally lined with 

 roots or leaves, is placed on a tree or rocky ledge ; about four to 

 six bluish-white eggs, usually with heavy blotches or spots of red- 

 brown, being laid in the central depression. Very puzzling are the 

 changes of plumage, though by no means confined to this genus ; 

 but the longitudinal spots below in the young are said generally 

 to change with age to transverse bars, as is the case in the most 

 typical Falcons. 1 The coloration is well shewn by Accipiter nisus, 

 the Sparrow-Hawk, which breeds throughout Europe, North Africa,, 



1 Of., however, Sharpe, P.Z.S. 1873, pp. 418, 419. 



