54 



FALCONING. ACCIPITER. 



rate size, roundish ; neck short or of moderate length ; 

 body very slender behind. Feet of moderate length ; tarsi 

 moderate, or rather long, slender, feathered for at least a 

 third, broadly scutellate before and behind; toes slender, 

 scutellate above, with a large fleshy knob beneath on the 

 last joint of each, and one at the next joint of the outer two ; 

 the first and second nearly equal ; the third much longer, and 

 connected with the fourth by a basal web ; claws long, well 

 curved, compressed, tapering to a fine point. Plumage com- 

 pact above, blended beneath ; wings of moderate length, very 

 broad, much rounded, the fourth and fifth quills longest ; tail 

 long, even or rounded, much exceeding the wings. 



The Hawks are distinguished by their elegant, generally 

 slender form, the prominent lobe on the edges of the upper 

 mandible, their comparatively short rounded wings, length- 

 ened tail, and slender tarsi and toes. They fly low when 

 searching for food, dart upon their prey on the ground, or 

 in the air, or perched on trees or bushes. They nestle in 

 trees, or on rocks, sometimes appropriate the nest of another 

 bird, and lay from three to five large, roundish, spotted eggs. 



16. ACCIPITER PALUMBAKIUS. GOSHAWK. 



Male about twenty inches long, with the upper parts dark 

 bluish-grey, the crown of the head and a broad band on 

 its sides black, the lower white, transversely barred with 

 blackish -grey, and marked with longitudinal shaft-lines. 

 Female about twenty-five inches long, with the colouring 

 similar, but the upper parts greyish-brown. Young brown 

 above, the feathers edged with reddish-white, the head brown, 

 the nape yellowish-white, streaked with dark brown ; the 

 lower parts yellowish-white, with longitudinal oblong dusky 

 spots. 



Male, 20, 43, 13, U, 3, lf, 1. Female, 26, 45. 



Extremely rare in Britain. Its habits have not been accu- 

 rately observed with us. According to M. Temminck, it is 

 essentially a northern bird, which migrates southward in 

 winter, few remaining to breed in the central parts of Europe. 

 It was much esteemed when the art of falconry was practised, 

 and was flown at hares and the larger birds. 



Falco palumbarius, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 130. Falco palum- 

 barius, Temm. Man. (TOrnith. i. 55; iii. 27. Accipiter 

 palumbarius, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iii. 350. 



