'ZO FALCONID.E. 



broader at the root than at the tip, and much narrower on 

 the thighs and belly than on the breast. In young birds the 

 iris is pale yellow, and the feet the same, tinged at the joints 

 with green. The young female is paler in colour than the 

 male, and the dusky spots on the under plumage are larger. 

 She is also of larger dimensions than the male, and stronger. 

 The annual moult takes place in July or August, at which 

 time birds of a year old begin to exchange the plumage just 

 described for a very different livery. It resembles, in general 

 appearance, that of the adult birds, but the back is browner, 

 and the under parts dirty white or yellow, and the transverse 

 bars broader and less numerous. Several years elapse before 

 the upper plumage acquires the fine grey colour, and the 

 under parts the bluish white, proper to the adult. 



The adult female is more brown than blue on the upper 

 parts, and her under plumage strongly tinged with rust 

 colour ; when very old the adult female differs very little 

 from the male, and can not without difficulty be distinguished 

 from him. 



The length of the male Goshawk is twenty-one inches, 

 from the carpus to the tip of the wing twelve inches and a 

 half. The beak measures in diameter from the forehead to 

 the tip thirteen lines, in the arc fifteen lines, and nine lines in 

 thickness at the base. The tarsi are feathered half way down, 

 scutellated before and behind, and three inches in length ; 

 the toes are scutellated on the upper surface ; the middle toe 

 measures two inches and a half, including the claws ; outer, 

 one inch eight lines ; the inner toe two inches three lines, 

 the hinder two inches three lines, including the claws, which 

 occupy one inch. 



