23 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
with four bars of a darker hue on each ; the inner 
edges of all the quills are marked with two or more 
large white fpots ; the tips of the tail feathers are 
white ; the bread, belly, and under coverts of the 
wings and thighs are white, beautifully barred with 
brown; the throat is faintly flreaked with brown; 
the legs and feet are yellow ; claws black. 
The above defcription is that of a female ; the 
male differs both in fize and colour, the upper part 
of his body being of a dark lead colour, and the 
bars on his bread more numerous. The Sparrow- 
hawk is a bold and fpirited bird, and very numer- 
ous in various parts of the world, from Ruffia to 
the Cape of Good Hope. The female builds her 
ned in hollow trees, high rocks, or lofty ruins, 
fometimes in old crows’ neds, and generally lays 
four or five eggs, fpotted with reddifh fpots at the 
longer end. The Sparrowhawk is obedient and 
docile, and can be eafily trained to hunt partridges 
and quails; it makes great dedru&ion among pi- 
geons, young poultry, and fmall birds of all kinds, 
which it will attack and carry off in the mod da- 
ring manner. 
