BLACK HAWK. 
81 
bars of dusky and a large bar of black, and tipt with dull 
white ; wings as in the preceding, their lining variegated 
■with black, white, and ferruginous ; throat and breast 
brownish yellow, dashed with black ; belly beautifully 
variegated with spots of white, black, and pale ferrugi- 
nous ; femorals and feathered legs the same, but rather 
darker : vent, plain brownish white. 
The original colour of these birds in their young state 
may probably be pale brown, as the present individual 
seemed to be changing to a darker colour on the neck 
and sides of the head. This change, from pale brown to 
black, is not greater than some of the genus are actually 
known to undergo. One great advantage of examining 
living, or newly killed specimens, is, that whatever may 
be the difference of colour between any two, the eye, 
countenance, and form of the head, instantly betray the 
common family to which they belong ; for this famity 
likeness is never lost in the living bird, though in stuffed 
skins and preserved specimens it is frequently entirely 
obliterated. I have no hesitation, therefore, in giving 
it as my opinion, that the present and preceding birds 
are of the same species, differing only in age, both being 
males. Of the female I am unable at present to speak. 
Pennant, in his account of the chocolate-coloured 
hawk, which is, very probably, the same with the present 
and preceding species, observes, that it preys much on 
ducks, sitting on a rock, and watching their rising, when 
it instantly strikes them. 
While traversing our sea coast and salt marshes, 
between Cape May and Egg Harbour, I was everywhere 
told of a duck hawk , noted for striking down ducks on 
wing, though flying with their usual rapidity. Many 
extravagancies were mingled with these accounts, parti- 
cularly, that it always struck the ducks with its breast- 
bone, which was universally said to project several inches, 
and to be strong and sharp. From the best verbal 
descriptions I could obtain of this hawk, I have strong 
suspicions that it is no other than the black hawk , as its 
wings were said to be long and very pointed, the colour 
very dark, the size nearly alike, and several other traits 
VOL. I. F 
