32 
AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 
parts of the same tint, each feather being streaked down the centre with 
a long bhack droj), those on the breast slender, on the sides larger ; upper 
part of the back and scapulars deep reddish bay, marked with ten or 
twelve transverse waves of black ; whole wing-coverts, and ends of the 
secondaries, bright slate, spotted with black ; primaries and upper half 
of the secondaries black, tipped with white, and spotted on their inner 
vanes with the same ; lower part of the back, the rump and tail-coverts, 
plain bright bay ; tail rounded, the two exterior feathers white, their 
inner vanes beautifully spotted with black ; the next bright ba}^, with a 
broad band of black near its end, and tipped for half an inch with yel- 
lowish white, part of its loAver 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 tipped with yellowish white ; cere and legs yellow, orbits 
the same, bill light blue ; iris of the eye dark, almost black, claAvs blue 
black. 
The character of this corresponds with that of the female, given at 
large in the preceding article. I have reason, however, to believe, that 
these birds vary considerably in the color and markings of their plumage 
during the first and second years ; havhig 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 diilerent specimens. These I uniformly found on dissection to 
be males ; from the stomach of one of which I took a considerable part 
of the carcass of a robin [Turdus migratorhis,) including the unbroken 
feet and claws ; though the robin actually measures within half an inch 
as long as th« Sparrow Hawk. 
Note. — This species is very common among the cotton plantations of 
Georgia and East Florida. From the island of Cuba we received a living 
specimen, which diifered in no respect from the same species in the 
United States. 
