118 



SHARP-SHINNED HAWK 



The male was nearly two inches shorter; the upper parts dark 

 brown; the feathers skh^ted with pale reddish, the front also streak- 

 ed with the same; cere greenish yellow; lores bluish; bill black, 

 as in the female; streak over the eye lighter than in the former; 

 chin white; breast the same, streaked witn brown; bars on the 

 tail rather narrower, but in tint and number the same; belly and 

 vent white; feet and shins exactly as in the female; the toes have 

 the same pendulous lobes which mark those of the female, and of 

 which the representation in the plate will give a correct idea ; the 

 wings barred with black, very noticeable on the lower side. 



Since writing the above I have shot another specimen of this 

 Hawk, corresponding in almost every particular with the male last 

 mentioned ; and which on dissection also proves to be a male. 

 This last had within the grasp of his sharp talons a small lizard, 

 just killed, on which he was about to feed. How he contrived to 

 get possession of it appeared to me matter of surprise, as lightning 

 itself seems scarcely more fleet than this little reptile. So rapid 

 are its motions, that in passing from one place to another it va- 

 nishes, and actually eludes the eye in running a distance of twelve 

 or fifteen feet. It is frequently seen on fences that are covered 

 with grey moss and lichen, which in color it very much resembles; 

 it seeks shelter in hollow trees, and also in the ground about their 

 decayed roots. They are most numerous in hilly parts of the coun- 

 try, particularly on the declivities of the Blue mountain, among the 

 crevices of rocks and stones. When they are disposed to run, it 

 is almost impossible to shoot them, as they disappear at the first 

 touch of the trigger. For the satisfaction of the curious I have in- 

 troduced a full sized figure of this lizard, which is known in many 

 parts of the country by the name of the Swift. 



