FALCON. 211 



Inhabits Ceylon ; described by Mr. Brown in his Illustrations 

 of Zoolooy. 



140.— SPECKLED SPARROW-HAWK. 



Falco Tachlro, Tnd. Orn. Sup. p, xi. Levail. i. p. 100, Daud. ii, p. 90. Shawns ZooL 



v\i. 201. 

 Speckled Sparrow-Hawk, Gen. Sifii, Sup. ii. p, 51. 



THIS is little inferior in size to the Sparrow-Hawk. The bill 

 bluish ; irides the colour of topaze ; the head and neck varied with 

 white and rufous, \Wth spots of brown black ; breast white, mixed 

 with rufous ; above the body dull brown for the most part, beneath 

 white, shaded with rufous, and marked with brown spots, like 

 crescents ; tips of the quills white ; tail as long as the body, brown 

 above, crossed with bands of deeper brown ; beneath it white, 

 banded with blackish ; the epulis reach to the middle; legs yellow. 



The female is less bright in colour. 



Inhabits the interior of the Cape of Good Hope ; found only in 

 the deep forests bordering Queer Boom, and those of Hottniqua 

 Land, and makes the nest between the forks of the branches of great 

 ti'ees, formed of small twigs and moss ; has three yovuig at a time ; 

 supposed to feed on small birds, without distinction, but nourishes 

 the young with grasshoppers ; has a piercing note, like Cri-cri often 

 repeated ; the eggs are white, marked with rufous spots. 



Es 2 



