BLACK HAWK. 
79 
The female is much darker, both above and below, 
particularly in the belt, or girdle, which is nearly black ; 
the tail coverts are also spotted with chocolate ; she is 
also something larger. 
18 . FALCO NIGERy WILSON. • — FALCO SANCTI-JOHANNIS) GMELIN. 
BLACK HAWK, 
WILSON, PLATE LIII. FIG. I. — ADULT BIRD. 
This is a remarkably shy and wary bird, found most 
frequently along the marshy shores of our large rivers ; 
feeds on mice, frogs, and moles ; sails much, and some- 
times at a great height ; has been seen to kill a duck 
on wing ; sits by the side of the marshes on a stake for 
an hour at a time, in an almost perpendicular position, 
as if dozing : flies with great ease, and occasionally 
with great swiftness, seldom flapping the wings ; seems 
particularly fond of river shores, swamps, and marshes ; 
is most numerous with us in winter, and but rarely 
seen in summer ; is remarkable for the great size of its 
eye, length of its wings, and shortness of its toes. The 
breadth of its head is likewise uncommon. 
The black hawk is twenty-one inches long, and four 
feet two inches in extent ; bill, bluish black ; cere, and 
sides of the mouth, orange yellow ; feet the same ; eye, 
very large ; iris, bright hazel ; cartilage, overhanging 
the eye, prominent, of a dull greenish colour ; general 
colour above, brown black, slightly dashed with dirty 
white ; nape of the neck, pure white under the surface ; 
front, white; whole lower parts, black, with slight 
tinges of brown; and a few circular touches of the 
same on the femorals ; legs, feathered to the toes, and 
black touched with brownish ; the wings reach rather 
beyond the tip of the tail ; the five first primaries are 
white on their inner vanes ; tail, rounded at the end , 
deep black, crossed with five narrow bands of pure 
white, and broadly tipt with dull white ; vent, black. 
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