76 THE SPECIES. 



Accipiter. Plate xv. FALCONIDM. 



183. nisus, 12 in. Sparrow Hawk. Greyish blue above, with a 



white patch on nape ; buffish below, barred with 



rufous brown ; tail with light and dark brown bars. 



182. atricapillus, 22 in. American Gos Hawk. Ashy brown above ; below 



white, irregularly freckled, or marbled with brown. 



181, palumbarius, 23 in. Gos Hawk. Ashy brown above ; below white 



distinctly barred with brown ; tail brown with four 



dark brown bars. 



The Sparrow Hawk— Dimensions, Kh ; Eggs, Jt— is, with the possible exception of the 



Kestrel, our commonest falcon. Its flight is swift and gliding, not far from the ground, in 



long sweeping undulations ; threading the woods in bold easy curves, and occasionally 



hanging in the air with quivering wings and tail. Its note is a screaming " mew.*' The 



femade is larger than the male, as is the case with all the Falconidse, though the peculiarity 



is not confined to birds of prey. She is greyish brown above and much whiter below than 



the male, though in old age she assumes the male plumage ; and she may, as a rule, be 



distinguished by a reddish patch of downy feathers on the flanks. The iris of the male is 



yellow; hers is orange. The nest is a large one of sticks, lined with rootlets and occasionally 



a little mo«^ and it is placed among rocks, or in the fork of the main trunk ofa tree, or of one 



of the larger boughs. There are from three to six eggs. 



The American Gos Hawk — Dimensions, Qd ; Eggs, Ph — has made three appearances in 

 these islands, the first in 1869. Its eggs have not yet been found here. 



The Gos Hawk — Dimensions, Qj ; . Eggs, Pp— is now but a rare visitor. Its flight is long 

 and gliding, somewhat low, rarely circling, with the steering action of its tail very apparent. 

 Its note is a " kurk kairk kirk,*' with a sharper intonation when alarmed. The female is 

 about three inches larger than the male. The nest, on some lofty tree near the skirt of a 

 wood, is of sticks, roots, moss, and lichens; it is known by its hardly ever having any green 

 leaves in it, and it grows very large by being occupied year after year and added to at each 

 occupation. The eggs are generally four in number, but sometimes tljree and sometimes 

 five have been found. The Gos Hawk obtains its specific name from the pigeon, and its 

 popular name from the goose. The adult may be known by the narrow white line above the 

 eye and ear coverts ; the young are buff below, streaked with blackish brown ; the full grown 

 birds are white below, barred with ashy brown. 



Acredula. Plate iv. PARINM (Passeridse). 



50. caudata, 5J in. White-Headed Long-Tailed Tit, Crown all 



white. 



51. rosea^ 5I in. British I.ong-Tailed Tit Crown black, with 



a narrow white central patch. 



The White-Headed Long-Tailed Tit — Dimensions, Bo; Eggs, Af — has been occasionally 

 met with in our woods in the winter. The female has a dusky lateral stripe in her crown. 

 In every other respect this bird resembles 



The British Long-Tailed Tit — Dimensions, En; Eggs, Ac — which is a common resident 

 south of the Clyde. Its flight is short and swift, with a very quick movement of the wings, 

 flitting jerkily from tree to tree, and around the trees and blackthorn bushes, and then darting 

 off in a series of dips, followed in single file by the wife and family. The note can be 

 likened to " te-te," or " tse-re-re," or "zit-zit," or " zee-zee-zee." The female is blacker 

 than the male, and the young have not so much red about them. The nest is the best buiit 

 in Britain. It is generally ten feet or more from the ground, in tall hedges or trees ; it is 

 oval in shape, and the materials are moss, lichens, wool, and cobwebs, all beautifully felted 

 together with a lining of hair and feathers; it is entered by a hole in the side, which i^ 

 generally closed with a feather when the bird is away. The eggs are from 6 to 20 in number, 

 and have fewer spots than those of any other of the Parinse. 



Acrocephalus. Plate iii. TURDINM (Passeridse). 



41. aquaticus, 4^ in. Aquatic Warbler. Crown stripes buff anc 



brown, 



42. phragmitls, 4I in. Sedge Warbler. Crown stripes all brown. 



38. strepcrus, $\ in. Reed Warbler. Eyes brown , legs purplish 



brown. 



39. palustris, 5^ in. Marsh Warbler. Eyes hazel ; legs flesh colour. 



40. turdoides, 8 in. Great Reed Warbler. Eyes brown ; legs horn 



colour ; second primary longest in wing. 

 The Aquatic Warbler-Dimenbions, Ah; Eggs, Eg— readily recognisable by the bufl 



