Sparrow-Hawks 259 



journey in February and early March. The nest is placed in trees or on ledges, 

 and is made of small sticks and twigs, and lined with fine grass and feathers. 

 From three to five eggs constitute a set, these being greenish white, which fades 

 to a dull white, and very variously marked. In the western United States this 

 is replaced by the Ferruginous Rough-leg or Squirrel Hawk (A. ferrugineus), 

 which is much larger and has a larger and stronger bill, and is much more rusty 

 in coloration, with the under parts mostly pure white. This Hawk is preemi- 

 nently a bird of the prairie, and is styled by Dr. Coues " the handsomest of the 

 North American FalconidtE." It nests usually in trees, or where these are not 

 available, on rocky ledges, building a rather bulky nest which is lined with weeds 

 or grass. The ribs and smaller bones of the buffalo, where these existed on the 

 plains, were sometimes used for the main part of the nest. The eggs three 

 or four in number are similar to those of the last species. 



The remaining species are the European Rough-leg (A. lagopus) of the west- 

 ern portions of the Eastern Hemisphere, and the Himalayan Rough-leg (A. stro- 

 phiatus] of Nepal and Tibet. 



Sparrow-Hawks and Goshawks (Subfamily Accipitrind). The last of the 

 subfamilies into which the diurnal birds of prey are here divided forms a large 

 group of several genera and numerous species, which enjoy a practically world- 

 wide distribution. They are in general very active birds, of small or moderate 

 size, but endowed with indomitable courage and "dash." They have a 

 slender, graceful form, with the head comparatively small and the bill weak, 

 but provided with a prominent "festoon," while the wings are rather short and 

 rounded, the tail long and usually rounded, or occasionally even, or emargi- 

 nated. The legs are very long, and the feet slender, with the middle toe much 

 lengthened, its first joint being about equal to the whole length of the inner toe. 

 They are especially remarkable in having the tibia and tarsus of nearly equal 

 length, the latter with the upper third or half feathered, while the bare space is 

 connected with usually very distinct and continuous transverse scutellae. 



The Sparrow-Hawks (Accipiter), although not the birds so called in America, 

 include some forty-two nominal species, and are generally of small size, differing 

 mainly from the Goshawks (Astur), with which they are sometimes united, by 

 their more slender form, and the much greater length and slenderness of the tarsi 

 and toes. They are distributed over the four quarters of the globe, excepting 

 Oceanica west of Australia and New Guinea, being, however, most abundant in 

 tropical regions. They are found chiefly in forest or well-wooded tracts, and are 

 more arboreal in their habits than the Falcons, hunting in woods or on the skirts 

 of woods or along hedgerows, and usually seize their quarry by a quick pounce. 

 Of the two species found in North America, the Sharp-shinned Hawk (A.velox) 

 is perhaps the best known, although both are common. It is from ten to fourteen 

 inches long, uniform bluish gray above, becoming darker on the top of the head, 

 while the lower parts are white, with the breast and sides barred with pinkish 

 brown or rusty. The tail is lighter in color than the back and crossed by four 

 dusky bands. The immature birds have the upper parts dusky and more or less 

 spotted with lighter, while the lower parts are whitish, streaked with brownish. 



