FALCONING. CIRCUS. 55 



17- ACCIPITER Nisus. SPARROW HAWK. 



Male about twelve inches long, with the upper parts dark 

 bluish-grey, the lower reddish- white, transversely barred with 

 yellowish-red. Female about fifteen inches long, with the 

 upper parts greyish-brown, the lower greyish- white, trans- 

 versely barred with dark grey. Young brown above, the 

 feathers margined with light red, the markings on the lower 

 parts more dusky, and the last band on each feather somewhat 

 cordate or pointed, the female more tinged \vith red. In all 

 stages, six dusky bands on the lateral, and four on the middle 

 tail-feathers. 



Male, 13, 23, 8, T 8 , 2J, 1 T 4 ^, T V Female, 15^, 28^. 



This species is of a much more slender form than the 

 Goshawk, for which reason it has been referred by some to a 

 separate genus. The male and the female differ extremely 

 in size. In spirit, activity, dexterity, and daring, it has no 

 superior. When searching for food it flies low, pounces sud- 

 denly upon its prey, or follows it at full speed, even amidst 

 the branches. Besides larks, thrushes, sparrows, and other 

 small birds, it preys upon partridges and pigeons. It is gene- 

 rally distributed in Britain and Ireland, and appears to be by 

 far the most numerous species of this family. It sometimes 

 builds in rocks, more frequently in trees, and often takes pos- 

 session of the deserted nest of a crow. The eggs, from three 

 to five, are roundish-elliptical, bluish-w r hite, blotched and 

 irregularly spotted, sometimes sparingly, sometimes profusely, 

 with umber-brown of various shades ; their length an inch 

 and seven- twelfths, their breadth an inch and a quarter. 



Falco Nisus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 131. Falco Nisus, Temm. 

 Man. d'Ornith. i. 56 ; iii. 28. Accipiter Nisus, Sparrow- 

 Hawk, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iii. 340. 



GENUS XI. CIRCUS. HARRIER. 



Bill short, compressed and attenuated toward the end ; 

 upper mandible with the dorsal line decimate and nearly 

 straight as far as the edge of the cere, then decurved in 

 about the fourth of a circle, the sides moderately convex, the 

 edges with a broad festoon, the dip deflected, subtrigonal, 

 acute ; lower mandible with the angle medial, wide and 

 rounded, the dorsal line somewhat convex, the sides rounded, 

 the edges involute, the tip obliquely truncate. Mouth wide ; 

 tongue short, fleshy, concave above, with its tip rounded and 



