12 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



black. The eye is particularly piercing and defiant in its 

 expression, the iris being of a beautiful yellow. The 

 plumage of the female is somewhat different to that of the 

 male ; the feathers on the back of the head are partly 

 white ; the breast is also whiter and the markings larger ; 

 the upper parts are somewhat browner. 



The Sparrow Hawk is common throughout Great 

 Britain ; it is also found in many of the European coun- 

 tries, in Asia Minor, China, Japan, and Africa. 



