FALCON. 205 



134 —C A LCUTTA SPARROW-HAWK. 



LENGTH 13 inches ; bill black ; cere yellow ; irides red ; 

 plumage above brownish ash-colour; chin, and fore part of the neck 

 white ; cheeks cinereous white ; sides of the neck rufous ; beneath, 

 fiom the throat, dusky white, crossed with numerous rufous bars, in 

 the manner of the SpaiTow-Hawk ; thighs, lower belly, vent, and 

 under %ving and tail coverts plain white ; the greater wing coverts, 

 next the body, have a large white space on the inner webs ; quills 

 dusky white on the inner webs, on which are several black bars ; the 

 .s-econd quills incline to ash-colour ; tail five inches long, rounded, 

 a^h-colour, tipped with white ; all, except the two middle feathers, 

 white on the inner webs ; the three next, on each side of the two 

 middle ones, have a large black spot near the extremities, and all, 

 except the two middle, have some black bars on the inner webs • 

 Avings reach to the middle of the tail ; legs yellow ; claws black, the 

 hind one the largest ; at the back part of the leg, about one thirtl 

 trom the joint, a protuberance or knob. 



Tlie female is 1-3^ inches long ; irides bright yellow, surrounded 

 with a black ring ; plumage above brown ; eyebrows naked and 

 prominent; chin white, in the middle a longitudinal brown stripe; 

 beneath, as far as the breast, brown, tiansversely barred with white, 

 tlie rest as in the male. 



Tliis bird is very common about Calcutta, remaining there all 

 the year; builds on trees, and preys on small birds. The male is 

 called Chipua, and the female Siccara, and sometimes Dhowtee. 

 This, at first siglit, appears to be the Sparrow-Hawk, yet is probably 

 distinct. The Mawing of China comes nearer in resemblance. 1 

 am indebted, for the description of tlie above, to Dr. Buchanan. 



