58 



AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 



a broad band of black near its end, and tipt for half an inch with 

 yellowish white, part of its lower exterior edge white, spotted with 

 black, and its opposite interior edge touched with white ; the whole 

 of the others are very deep red bay, with a single broad band of 

 black near the end, and tipt with yellowish white ; cere and legs 

 yellow, orbits the same, bill light blue ; iris of the eye dark, almost 

 black, claws blue black. 



The character of this corresponds with that of the female 

 given at large in vol. II, p. 17, of the present work. I have rea- 

 son, however, to believe, that these birds vary considerably in the 

 color and markings of their plumage during the first and second 

 years ; having met with specimens every way corresponding with 

 the above, except in the breast, which was a plain rufous white, 

 without spots; the markings on the tail also differing a little in 

 different specimens. These I uniformly found on dissection to be 

 males ; from the stomach of one of which I took a considerable part 

 of the carcase of a Robin (Turdus migratorius), including the un- 

 broken feet and claws ; tho the Robin actually measures within 

 half an inch as long as the Sparrow Hawk. 



