FALCONING. 
CIRCUS. 
55 
17. Accipiter Nisus. Sparrow Hawk. 
Male about twelve inches long, with the upper parts dark 
bluish-grey, the lower reddish-white, transversely barred with 
yellowish-red. Female about fifteen inches long, with the 
upper parts greyish-brown, the lower greyish-white, trans- 
versely barred with dark grey. Young brown above, the 
feathers margined with light red, the markings on the lower 
parts more dusky, and the last band on each feather somewhat 
cordate or pointed, the female more tinged with red. In all 
stages, six dusky bands on the lateral, and four on the middle 
tail-feathers. 
Male, 13, 23, 8, 2J, 1/^, Female, 15^, 28 J. 
This species is of a much more slender form than the 
Goshawk, for which reason it has been referred by some to a 
separate genus. The male and the female differ extremely 
in size. In spirit, activity, dexterity, and daring, it has no 
superior. When searching for food it flies low, pounces sud- 
denly upon its prey, or follows it at full speed, even amidst 
the branches. Besides larks, thrushes, sparrows, and other 
small birds, it preys upon partridges and pigeons. It is gene- 
rally distributed in Britain and Ireland, and appears to be by 
far the most numerous species of this family. It sometimes 
builds in rocks, more frequently in trees, and often takes pos- 
session of the deserted nest of a crow. The eggs, from three 
to five, are roundish- elliptical, bluish-white, blotched and 
irregularly spotted, sometimes sparingly, sometimes profusely, 
with umber-brown of various shades ; their length an inch 
and seven-twelfths, their breadth an inch and a quarter. 
Falco Nisus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 131. — Falco Nisus, Temm. 
Man. d’Ornith. i. 56 ; iii. 28. — Accipiter Nisus, Sparrow- 
Hawk, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iii. 340. 
GENUS XL CIRCUS. HARRIER. 
Bill short, compressed and attenuated toward the end ; 
upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate and nearly 
straight as far as the edge of the cere, then decurved in 
about the fourth of a circle, the sides moderately convex, the 
edges with a broad festoon, the dip deflected, subtrigonal, 
acute ; lower mandible with the angle medial, wide and 
rounded, the dorsal line somewhat convex, the sides rounded, 
the edges involute, the tip obliquely truncate. Mouth wide ; 
tongue short, fleshy, concave above, with its tip rounded and 
