GOSHAWK. 
307 
Adult. Above, including upper wing and tail coverts, bluish-ash. with the feathers lined nest the shaft and edged 
with sooty-brown. Wings, very dark sooty-brown, with the outer webs of the secondaries, bluisli-ash, while the outer 
edges of the outer webs of the primaries show traces of it. The inner webs of primaries and a portion of secondaries are 
broadly barred with whitish. The upper tail coverts are bluish-ash, slightly-tipped with white. Tail, bluish-ash, barred 
with spots of dark-brown and tipped with white. Beneath, everywhere, uniform bluish-white, every feather streaked 
in the center and barred irregularly with slaty. Top of head and line on side of it back of eye, black. Lores, bluish and 
dusky. Superciliary line, white, streaked with black. Nearly concealed patch on occiput, white. Iris, bright reddish- 
orange. 
Young. Entire upper surface, dark-brown, becoming reddish on the wings which are barred with dusky and white, 
ashy on the tail which is barred with sooty black, and darker on the shoulders, neck, and head, the two latter, streaked 
with dark-brown. 
Young of the year. Quite similar to the above but decidedly rufous qn both surfaces. In the last two stages, the cere 
and feet are greenish, the iris is yellow, and the bill, dark-brown 
OBSERVATIONS 
There is considerable variation in specimens in the adult plumage, particularly in regard to the width of the markings 
below, thus in some they are much broader and darker than in others, but the species may be at once recognized, in the 
adult stage, by the general ashy-blue color, and in younger stages, by the peculiar form, large size, and colors as described. 
Distributed, as a summer resident, throughout North America, north of Canada, migrating in winter south, at least, to 
Pennsylvania 
DIMENSIONS 
Average measurements of female specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 23 - 00; stretch, 45 - 00; wing, 13-50; 
tail, 10*50; bill, 72; tarsus, 2-90. Longest specimen, 24'00; greatest extent of wing, 46'00; longest wing, 14 00; tail, 11-00; 
bill, -75; tarsus, 3 - 00. Shortest specimen, 22‘00; smallest extent of wing, 44 - 00; shortest wing, 13 00; tail, 10 00 bill, -70; tar¬ 
sus, 2‘80. 
Average measurements of male specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 21*00; stretch, 41'00; wing, 12-50; 
tail, 9‘50; bill, *70; tarsus, 2"75. Longest specimen, 22 00; greatest extent of wing, 43 - 00; longest wing, 13-00; tail, 10-00 
bill, -72; tarsus, 2'80. Shortest specimen, 20'00; smallest extent of wing, 4000; shortest wing, 12 00; tail, 9 00; bill, -68; 
tarsus, 2 70. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed in trees, they are very bulky structures composed of sticks, twigs, and weeds, lined with strips of bark 
and grass. 
Eggs , three or four in number, rather spherical in form, bluish-white in color, either immaculate or finely mottled 
with pale reddish-brown. Dimensions from 1-82 x 2-30 to l'92x2 32. 
HABITS. 
In flight and general habits, the Goshawks are not unlike Cooper’s Hawk but I think 
that they are rather more inclined to hunt in the woods than the latter named species, be¬ 
ing, in fact, very nearly as arboreal in this respect as the Broad-wing. On account of 
frequenting wooded districts, the Goshawks become very expert in flying through the trees 
and I have seen them dashing along at full speed, avoiding the numerous limbs and obsta¬ 
cles which hang in their path, with the greatest ease. This facility for passing through 
the trees, together with the power of turning almost instantly, enables them to capture 
squirrels, rabbits, etc., and I have even seen them take Ruffed Grouse; in short, in some 
sections of New England, they hunt this latter named bird so persistently that they are 
called Partridge Hawks. 
During the summer of 1868, a pair of these fine Hawks remained throughout the sea¬ 
son in the town of Weston, Massachusetts, and I frequently saw them sailing over the 
meadows but was unable to discover the nest although I searched for it carefully in the 
adjacent woods. If this pair had a nest in the vicinity, which was quite probable, such 
