24 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
colour, and crofted with four or five dufky bars ; 
the legs are yellow, and the claws black; the 
wings are much fhorter than the tail. M. de Buf- 
fon, who brought up two young birds of this kind, 
a male and a female, makes the following obferva- 
tions : That the Gofhawk, before it has fhed its fea- 
thers, that is, in its firfl year, is marked on the 
breafl and belly with longitudinal brown fpots; but 
after it has had two moultings they difappear, and 
their place is occupied by tranfverfe bars, which 
continue during the reft of its life : He obferves 
further, that though the male was much fmaller 
than the female, it was fairer and more vicious : 
The Gofhawk feeds on mice and fmall birds, and 
eagerly devours raw flefh ; it plucks the birds very 
neatly, and tears them into pieces before it eats 
them, but fwallows the pieces entire ; and frequent- 
ly difgorges the hair rolled up in fmall pellets. 
The Gofhawk is found in France and Germany; 
it is not very common in this country, but is more 
frequent in Scotland ; it is likewife common in 
North America, Ruffia, and Siberia : In Chinefe 
Tartary there is a variety which is mottled with 
brown and yellow. They are faid to be ufed by 
the Emperor of China in his fporting excurfions, 
when he is ufually attended by his grand falconer, 
and a thoufand of inferior rank. Every bird has 
a fiver plate faftened to its foot, with the name of 
the falconer who had the charge of it, that in cafe 
it Ihould be loft it may be reftored to the proper 
