GOSHAWK. 65 
According to Muller, Linneus, and Pennant, the Gos- 
hawk inhabits Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Siberia, Russia, 
and Chinese Tartary. It is said to be plentiful in Ger- 
many, rare in Holland; but according to Vieillot and 
others it inhabits France, Switzerland, Sicily, Malta, 
Egypt, and North Africa. 3 
Mr. Hoy, who has frequently visited Germany, has sup- 
plied Mr. Hewitson with the following lines, which are 
here copied from his beautiful work on the eggs of British 
Birds :—‘‘ The Goshawk builds its own nest, and, if un- 
disturbed in its possession, will frequently occupy it for 
several years, making the necessary repairs. It is placed 
im some high tree on the outskirts of the forest, and is 
rarely found in the interior, except in those parts which are 
open and free from timber. The eggs are three or four, 
and are frequently hatched by the middle of May.” 
The eggs of the Goshawk are rare: the few that I have 
seen were uniform in size and colour, two inches and three 
sixteenths im length, by one mech eleven sixteenths in 
breadth, of a pale bluish white without any spots or 
streaks. 
A full-grown female measures from twenty-three to 
twenty-four inches in length ;—the males, one-fourth, and 
sometimes one-third less; but when adult, the plumage is 
nearly similar. The beak is horn colour or bluish black ; 
the cere and irides yellow: the top of the head, the whole 
of the back, upper surface of the wings, and tail-feathers, 
dark greyish brown,—in females the colour inclines to clove 
brown ; the upper surface of the tail-feathers barred with 
darker brown: a band passing over the lore, eyes, cheeks 
and ear-coverts, the nape of the neck, throat, breast, belly 
and thighs, nearly white, with spots, transverse bars, and 
undulating lines of dull black ; under tail-coverts white ; 
VOL. I. F 
