THE BIRDS USED IN HAWKING 33 



is hardly sounded. Besides this, if flown when snow is on the 

 ground, the snow will choke the bell and make it useless. 



Taking the whole world over, the families of the goshawks 

 and sparrow-hawks, which practically merge into one another, 

 are very extensive, comprising more than thirty species, many 

 of which could without doubt be pressed into the service of man. 

 Only three of these have, however, commonly been trained. 



Goshawk {Astur palumbarius) 



Female — Length, 22 to 24 inches; wing, I2| to 13J; tail, 

 10 to 12 ; tarsus, about 3.5. Male — Length, 19^ to 2\\ inches; 

 wing, \o\ to I2£ ; tail, 9 to 10 ; tarsus, about 3. 



Females and young males have the upper plumage a dull 

 liver brown, broadly margined and barred with much lighter 

 brown ; the tail, barred with five broad bands, dark brown. 

 The under surface of the tail is pale whitish grey, with five 

 bands of dark brownish grey. The rest of the under plumage 

 is pale or rusty cream colour, tinted more or less faintly with 

 salmon pink, and streaked irregularly on the breast and flanks 

 with longitudinal patches or splashes of dark brown. The cere 

 and legs are greenish yellow. The eyes are very light, and 

 clear yellowish grey, and so bright that the Greeks gave to this 

 hawk the name of aanpiag !epd%, the star-eyed hawk. Adult 

 males have a decided grey tint on the upper and under plumage. 

 At the first moult both sexes change the longitudinal streaks on 

 the breast, thighs, and flanks into more or less irregular bars of 

 dark greyish brown ; and as they grow older the bars usually 

 become narrower and more regular. The tail is now barred on 

 both surfaces with four broad bands of dark brown or grey. 

 The cere, legs, and feet become yellow ; and the eyes change to 

 a deeper yellow, and ultimately to deeper and darker orange. 



Goshawks vary greatly in size and strength. Those which 

 are imported from Norway are often exceptionally big and 

 strong, while the specimens from Germany and Central Europe 

 have a reputation for weakness. Although this hawk formerly 

 bred commonly in England, it is now practically extinct ; but 

 some nests are still annually found in France. 



The list of quarry at which the goshawk may be flown is 

 very large, including, for the British islands, hares, rabbits, stoats, 

 weasels, squirrels, and rats; herons and wild ducks — flown as 

 they rise — pheasants, partridges, landrails, water-hens, jays, and 

 an occasional magpie or wood-pigeon. In fact, any moderate- 

 sized bird which gets up close in front of a goshawk must bustle 



