ASTUK 529 



ASTUR, Laccpede, 1801. 



745. GOSHAWK. 

 ASTUR PALUMBARIUS. 



Astur palumlarius (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 130 (1766) ; (Naum.) i. 

 p. 249, Taf. 17, 18 ; Hewitson, i. p. 34, pi. xi ; Gould, B. of E. i. 

 pi. 17 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. i. pi. 10 ; Newton, i. p. 83 ; id. Ootheca 

 Wolleyana, i. p. 73 ; Dresser, v. p. 587, pi. 354 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. 

 Mus. i. p. 95 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 397 ; Tacz. F. O. 

 Sib. O.p. 98 ; Saunders, p. 331 ; Lilford, i. p. 59, pis. 28, 29. 



Autour, French ; Agor, Portug. ; Azor, Span. ; Astore, Ital. ; 

 Huhnerhalicht , German ; Havik, Dutch ; Duelwg, Dan. and 

 Norweg. ; Dufhok, Swed. ; Koppelohaukka, Kyyhkyhankka, Finn. ; 

 Ydstrebutnyatnik, Russ. ; L'AUi, Arab. ; d-Boz, Moor. ; Tartan, 

 Pers. ; Jarra $ , Baz $ , Hindu. ; Q-taka, Jap. 



ad. (N. Russia). Upper parts dark ashy slate, blacker on the head v 

 the nape marked with white ; quills dark brown tinged with ashy, 

 obsoletely barred on the outer web, mottled with greyish white on the 

 inner web ; tail ashy brown tipped with white, and with four dark browiF 

 bands ; a line above and a long patch behind the eye white ; under parts 

 white, the throat indistinctly barred with grey and finely streaked with 

 blackish ; rest of under parts except the under tail-coverts barred with slate- 

 grey ; bill bluish horn ; cere greenish yellow ; leg yellow ; iris orange- 

 yellow. Culmen 1'4, wing 13'0, tail lO'O, tarsus 3'1 inch. Female similar 

 but larger, somewhat browner above, and more broadly barred below. The 

 young bird is warm brown above, the head and nape with broad light 

 reddish brown, the back and wings with narrow yellowish white margins ; 

 quills and tail distinctly barred ; under parts buffy white striped with 

 dark brown. 



Hal. Europe generally, north as far as the forest extends ;.. 

 of rare occurrence now in Great Britain ; North Africa in 

 winter; Asia generally, east to Japan, north to Kamchatka, 

 south to the Himalayas, and northern China. 



Is a bird of the forest and woodlands, and of the lowlands 

 not occurring in the mountains. On the wing it is swift and 

 active, and threads through the forest trees with ease, being 

 able to overtake and capture pigeons as well as game birds. 

 To p$ultry and game it is a veritable scourge. Its nest is 

 placed on a tree, generally at a considerable altitude, and is- 

 constructed of sticks and twigs, lined with finer twigs, and 

 sometimes garnished with fresh foliage. The eggs 3 to 4 in 

 number are white with a faint blue-green tinge, occasionally 



