THE SPARROW-HAWK. 393 



surfaces of middle tail-feathers barred with black and dull 

 white, those of the outer feathers being greyish white, also 

 with darker bars ; legs and toes yellow; claws black. The 

 nest is built on the ground, of sticks or rushes, and coarse 

 grass ; it contains four or five eggs of a white colour, but 

 more or less slightly tinged with blue, one inch eight lines 

 long by one inch four lines broad. The males occasionally 

 sit as well as the females. 



MONTAGUE'S HARRIER (Circus cineraceus), 



This rare variety of the harrier is known as the Ash- 

 coloured Falcon, and may be distinguished from the hen 

 harrier by possessing greater slenderness of body and length 

 of wings, which slightly extend beyond the tail. In other 

 respects and in its habits it closely resembles its congener, 

 and it is therefore unnecessary to describe it. 



THE SPARROW-HAWK (Accipiter nisus). 



This is a short-winged hawk, very common in the wooded 

 districts of England, Ireland, and Scotland. It is a remark- 

 ably bold bird, and a dangerous enemy to young game of all 

 kinds, having been known to strike a partridge as big as 

 itself. 



The adult male measures twelve inches in length. Beak 

 blue; cere greenish yellow; iris yellow; all the upper parts 

 of head, neck, and body of a rich brown, with a tinge of 

 grey in old birds ; tail greyish brown, with three bars of 

 dark brown; under parts light reddish brown with trans- 

 verse bars of a darker colour ; legs and toes yellow ; claws 

 black. The female is fifteen inches long; beak bluish horn 

 colour; cere and iris yellow; upper parts of head, neck, and 

 body brown, with whitish spots; primaries and tail light 

 brown, barred with darker brown; all the under parts 

 greyish white barred with brown; legs and toes yellow; 

 claws long and black. 



The young males resemble the female excepting in size, 

 and in having a reddish brown edge to the feathers of the 

 back and wing coverts. This bird seldom builds its own 



