602 



shafts brown, but here and there inclining to yellowish, the feathers margined at the tips with a 

 narrow edging of whitish; across the tail extend five regular blackish bands, the basal one being 

 hidden by the upper tail-coverts; the brown interspaces much broader than the bands them- 

 selves ; the under surface of the tail is dusky whitish, with the cross bands very conspicuous, the 

 shafts also being whitish ; throat dull white, with narrow mesial streaks of brown ; rest of the under 

 surface of the body dirty white, with cross bands of pale tawny and brown, on some feathers the bar 

 being almost entirely of the latter colour ; on the chest the tawny bar is widened into a spade-shaped 

 blotch at the end of the feather ; the bars on the lower breast and belly are mostly dark brown, and 

 not very broad, the white interspaces being very distinct ; the flanks deep tawny with brown cross 

 bars ; the vent and under tail-coverts white, with a few indistinct brown cross markings at the base 

 of the feathers; bill horn-colour, the lower mandible yellowish at the base; cere and legs yellow; iris 

 yellow. 



Obs. Another young male, killed close to London on the 11th of November, 1869, and now in Lord 

 Walden's collection, differs slightly from the foregoing example. The rufous edgings to the feathers of 

 the head and interscapular region are less distinct (in fact almost obsolete) , the under surface of the body 

 is much paler (in fact it may almost be called white), and the throat is more thickly covered with mesial 

 brown streaks, which are at the same time broader and more distinct. The character of the pectoral 

 markings is the same, but they are more pronounced, and show more distinctly, owing to the purer 

 white colour of the under surface ; the flanks and thighs are not so rufous, the under tail-coverts are of 

 a purer white, and the cross-barring of the under wing-coverts is much more plainly developed. 



Obs. Another young male in Mr. Gurney's collection, procured at Greatham, in Durham, on the 16th of 

 November, 1865, differs conspicuously from both those recently noticed; for the head and back of the 

 neck are so tawny in colour that the mesial brown markings appear like irregular spots or blotches ; 

 the rusty edgings to all the feathers of the upper surface of the body are remarkably distinct, espe- 

 cially on the wing-coverts. The rump is very plainly shaded with slaty grey. The most striking 

 character, however, in this specimen seems to us to be the very distinct tawny shade which pervades 

 the whole of the under parts, and is especially clear on the basal part of the tail-feathers, all of which 

 are more or less margined with this colour for more than half their length. The brown cross bars 

 on the under surface of the body become almost obsolete, but are to be traced on the breast-feathers ; 

 on the abdomen and flanks they are scarcely distinguishable, and the white interspaces between the 

 tawny bars are very broad. The throat and cheeks are dull white, the linear shaft-stripes very distinct. 

 Total length 11 '5 inches, ciilmen 0'65, wing 7'7, tail 6-0, tarsus 215, middle toe 1*3. 



Obs. The changes of plumage through which the male Sparrow-Hawk passes in England may be approxi- 

 mately stated as follows. On leaving the nest the plumage is dark sepia-brown above, with edgings of 

 tawny or rusty to all the feathers ; the under surface also is rufescent, covered with brown spots and 

 bars, those on the breast being brown, with a central spot of tawny. This plumage seems to be retained 

 throughout the autumn, becoming a little paler below, while the rusty margins to the upper plumage 

 fade slightly. For further remarks on the young birds, reference must be made to our account of the 

 specimens examined. 



Adult Male. Above dark ashy grey, with a slight appearance of white on the nape of the neck, where the 

 bases of the feathers show through; scapulars and wing-coverts of the same colour as the back, 

 excepting that the least wing-coverts running along the carpal joint are faintly edged with fulvous; 

 quills deep brown, with pale brown shafts ; the secondaries grey, like the back, with irregular white 

 spots on both webs, concealed, however, by the other feathers ; the lower surface of the wing silky 

 white, crossed by brown bars of a medium breadth, the long primaries having as many as seven bars, 



