THE Gos-Hawk. 123 
it up with her beak into neat longitudinal strips of fur and flesh which were then 
bolted. Sport with Gos-Hawks is apt to prove dull occasionally, as the birds on 
receiving a check will fly off and perch upon some tree, where they will sulk for 
hours in complete indifference to the lure, and then, as an old keeper observed, 
“Lor, Sir, this is very poor work after ferrets!” 
The Gos-Hawk is found in all the well-wooded countries of Europe, rarely in 
North Africa, while in Asia it extends through Asia Minor, North ‘Palestine, 
Persia, Turkestan, the Himalayas, Mongolia, North China, and Siberia. It is 
occasionally seen on the plains of India during the cold season. In North America 
it is replaced by a closely allied subspecies, Astur atricapillus. 
The Gos-Hawk nests in April, and according to Seebohm “ generally selects 
a lofty beech for the situation of its nest, which is usually placed at some elevation 
from the ground in one of the main forks. It also breeds in oaks and pine trees; 
and even, when systematically robbed, it will breed year after year in the same 
nest.” Lord Lilford found the Gos-Hawk nesting “in coniferous trees, in the 
lateral boughs at a considerable height from the ground.” A nest examined by 
Seebohm was ‘‘an enormous structure, measuring at least four feet by two.” 
“The Gos-Hawk,” he adds, ‘“‘ builds a deeper nest than the Eagles or Buzzards, 
and lines it with fine twigs, roots, moss, and lichens, but not green leaves. The 
largest nests are most probably the oldest, and have been added to year after 
year. All the nests I saw were in the forests, but not at any great distance from 
the outskirts.” The eggs are usually four in number, occasionally three, some- 
times five; they are pale bluish green, approaching white, very rarely spotted 
with dirty blood-red, and in size measure from 2°45 to 21 inches, by from 1°85 
to 1°6 inches. 
The flight of the Gos-Hawk is extremely rapid and low over the ground, the 
long tail being used as a rudder, thrown to the right or left, upwards and down- 
wards, to check the progress of the bird, or to enable it to alter its course. Its 
cry is said to resemble that of the Sparrow-Hawk. 
The Gos-Hawk may best be described by stating that it is a giant Sparrow- 
Hawk. The colour of the upper parts is dark greyish brown; the tail has four 
bars of darker brown; eye-stripe, lores, and nape, dull greyish white; under parts 
nearly white, spotted and barred with dull black, except on the under tail-coverts ; 
cheeks dark brown; legs and toes yellow; claws black; beak bluish horn colour ; 
cere yellow; irides orange. The female resembles the male, but is larger and 
browner. Length of male twenty inches; of female twenty-three inches. The young 
birds have the upper parts brown; the under parts buffsh white, closely marked with 
drop shaped spots of reddish brown; cere and legs greenish yellow; irides yellow. 
