The Goshawk.- 
-BIRDS.- 
-The Secretaky Bird. 
201 
THE GOSHAWK {Astur palumharius). — The Gos- 
hawk is the only species of this group, besides the 
sparrow-hawk, found in Britain, where, however, it is 
very rare. On the continent of Europe it is in many 
districts not uncommon. It occurs in many parts of 
Asia ; and in India, where it is called the Bhause, is 
employed in falconry. It also inhabits the north of 
Africa, and the United States of America. It is rather 
a large hawk, the full grown female measuring about 
two feet in length, whilst the males are often one-third 
less ; the plumage of the upper parts is brown and that 
of the lower surface nearly white — spotted, barred, 
and lined with black; the tail feathers are barred 
transversely with light and dark brown; the beak is 
horn-colour or bluish-black, the cere and feet yellow, 
and the claws black. 
In its general habits the Goshawk resembles the 
sparrow-hawk; but its greater- size and strength ren- 
der it formidable to game of larger size than can be 
attacked by that bird. Its flight is low, but rapid and 
gliding, and it pursues its quarry with great pertinacity, 
even through woods and thickets — a quality which for- 
merly rendered it a great favourite with falconers. The 
game at which it was flown consisted of pheasants, 
partridges, grouse, ducks, and even herons, amongst 
birds ; and hares and rabbits, amongst quadrupeds : it 
pursues these in direct flight, not attempting to rise 
above them in order to pounce down like the peregrine 
and other falcons. When baffled by its quarry taking 
refuge in a thicket through which it cannot penetrate, 
it will perch upon the branch of a tree, and wait 
patiently until the game begins to move, when it 
immediately starts in pursuit. The nest of this bird is 
usually built in a high tree near the borders of a forest, 
and the same nest frequently serves for several years 
in succession. The eggs are three or four in number, 
and of a pale bluish-white colour. 
THE NEW-HOLLAND GOSHAWK {Astur Novce Hol- 
landice), a fine species, rather smaller than the pre- 
ceding, found principally in the colony of New South 
Wales, is remarkable for the pure white colour of most 
of the specimens, only a few being occasionally met 
with in which the back is grey, and the feathers of the 
chest marked with brownish transverse lines. The 
grey birds are peculiar to New South Wales, but the 
white specimens not only occur in that colony, but also 
in Van Diemen’s Land. 
THE AUSTEALIAH GOSHAWK {Astur approximans) 
is a far more abundant species than the preceding, 
although occurring principally in the same range of 
country. The general colour of its plumage is brown, 
with numerous narrow transverse greyish bands on the 
lower surface. It is an active, bold, powerful, and san- 
guinary species, destroying great quantities of small 
buds, quadrupeds, and reptiles. Its nest — which is of 
large size, built with sticks, and lined with leaves of the 
gum-tree — is usually placed amongst the boughs of a 
large swamp oak [Casitarina), and commonly contains 
three eggs of a bluish-white colour, covered with 
patches of brownish buff. 
THE CHANTING PAICON (Melicrax musicus), an 
inhabitant of the southern parts of Africa, is remarkable 
in the whole series of birds of prey for the possession 
of a musical voice. It is a bold, active, and sanguiuary 
bird, waging an incessant war of destruction with all 
the smaller inhabitants of the forest, in which it takes 
up its abode, usually near the course of a river. Its 
song, according to Le Vaillant, is heard principally 
during the breeding season, when the male perches 
by the side of his mate up on the summit of a high 
tree, or in the vicmity of the nest where she is 
engaged in incubation, and pours out his feelings in 
melody for hours together, particularly about sunset 
and sunrise. 
SEKPENT-EATERS. 
THE SECRETARY-BIKD {Serpentarius reptilivorus), 
— Plate 3, fig. 8 — the only known species of this group, 
has been placed by different writers in the most various 
positions in the classification, for which, indeed, its 
remarkable structure may furnish some little excuse, 
although it can hardly justify those who have made the 
greatest blunders. The Secretary-bird or Serpent- 
eater is distinguished from all other predaceous birds 
by the extraordinary length of its legs, which give it an 
aspect somewhat similar to that of a wading bird of 
the order Grallce, amongst which some authors have 
not hesitated to arrange it ; although one would think 
that a glance at the feet and bill would have sufficed 
to convince any ornithologist that this could not be 
its proper place. Others have assigned it a posi- 
tion amongst the gallinaceous birds, a view which is 
equally untenable. In fact we have only to examine 
the general character of the bird to become convinced 
that it is simply a long-legged species of the predaceous 
order; and when we come to inquire into its habits and 
mode of life, we shall soon see that this peculiarity of 
its conformation is strikingly in accordance with its 
duties in nature. It has sometimes been called the 
Secretary Vulture, and placed in the family Vulturidm, 
for what reason it is hard to say; and the majority of 
modern naturalists are agreed in arranging it in the 
present family, of which it forms a subordinate group, 
most nearly allied to the Hawks and Harriers, and in 
some respects intermediate between those two groups. 
The Serpent-eater is a large bird, attaining a height 
of more than three feet when standing with its head 
raised. Its plumage is of a bluish ash colour above, and 
of a greyish white beneath ; at the back of the head is an 
elegant tuft of long black feathers, which the bird pos- 
sesses the power of elevating or depressing at pleasure ; 
and it was from a fancied resemblance of this tuft to the 
pen of a clerk, stuck in a business-like fashion behind 
his ear, that the old Dutchmen who first saw this curi- 
ous bird gave him the name of the Secretary. The 
tail is composed of long flexible feathers, of which the 
two middle ones are much longer than the rest, and 
nearly reach the ground; and the whole of these 
