PIGEON-HAWK. 189 



grey : the hind-head is generally spotted with pale 

 ferruginous, and the under parts of the bird are 

 white, with large oblong black spots. This species 

 is found from Hudson's Bay as low as South Carolina. 

 In Hudson's Bay it appears, according to Mr. 

 Pennant, in May, on the banks of the Severn river; 

 breeds, and retires south in autumn. It feeds on 

 small birds, and on the approach of any person 

 flies in circles, and makes a great shrieking. It 

 forms its nest in a rock, or some hollow tree, with 

 sticks and grass, and lines it with feathers. It lays 

 from two to four eggs, which are white spotted 

 with red. In Carolina it is observed to prey on 

 pigeons and the young of wild turkies. 



Var. 



DUBIOUS FALCON. 



This is described by Mr. Pennant in his Arctic 

 Zoology, and is probably a variety of the preceding 

 bird. Its length is about ten inches: the bill 

 dusky; the cere, legs, and irides yellow: the head 

 dusky with ferruginous streaks; the back and wing- 

 coverts brown, edged with ferruginous: the pri- 

 mary or large wing-feathers dusky ash-colour bar- 

 red with black; the inner webs marked trans versly 

 with oval ferruginous spots: the breast and belly 

 dull white, with oblong brown streaks nearly as in 

 the English Merlin: the tail long, deep cinereous, 

 crossed with four black bars. 



