AMERICAN BROWN OR SLATE-COLORED HAWK. 87 
The length of this American kind is, according to Wilson, 21 
inches ; the male individual in my possession is 25 inches long, and 
37 inches in the stretch of the wings. The European is 2 feet 
(French) for the male, and a 3d, or 8 inches, less (16 inches), for the 
female. Our bird is therefore much larger, and the wings extend to 
within 2 inches of the end of the tail ; it is likewise darker on the 
head, and has a broad dusky stripe passing from the eye to the 
back of the head which is pale ; the under parts also, to the vent, 
are not merely barred with a single line, but each feather is crossed 
by numerous zig-zag, undulating, dark lines, longitudinally crossed 
by a central line of the same color, and the vent is also white. Wil- 
son’s name may therefore be retained for this peculiar American 
species. The bill is blackish-blue : the cere and legs yellow. Irids 
orange yellow. The superciliary line very distinct and nearly 
white, proceeding backwards to meet on the hind-head. Above, the 
plumage is dark cinereous, tinged with brown ; the primaries some- 
what lighter. Legs feathered half way down. Tail mottled with 
about 5 imperfect bands of dark brown, chiefly visible on the inner 
vanes ; the central tail feathers dark grey, with about 4 imperfect, 
broad, dusky bars. 
AMERICAN BROWN or SLATE-COLORED 
HAWK. 
( Falco fuscus, Gmelin. F . pennsylvanicus, Wilson, vi. p. 13. pi. 
46. fig. 1. [adult male], and F. velox , (Sharp-shinned Hawk), 
Ibid. v. p. 116. pi. 45. fig. 1. [young female]. Bonap. Ann. Lyc 
vol. ii. p. 434.) 
Spec. Charact. — Tail even, with 4 blackish bands, and tipped 
with white ; wings extending to the 2d band ; 2d primary much 
shorter than the 6th ; and the 3d than the 5th. Length about 
12 inches. — Adult , dark slate-color, beneath white, broadly 
barred with ferruginous. — Young , dark brown, skirted with fer- 
ruginous ^ beneath white, with narrow, oblong, ferruginous spots. 
This bold and daring species possesses all the coura- 
geous habits and temerity of the true Falcon ; and, if 
the princely amusement to which these birds were de- 
voted, were now in existence, few species of the genus 
