The Hiftory of A N I M A L S. 351 
that the Aftur of the French writers is the fame with the Afteria of the old Greeks, 
mentioned by Ariftotie, and different from oar Gos-hawk: there is not much to be 
built upon this, however, when we confider that Aldrovand, as is evident from his 
defcrigtion, knew little or nothing of the Gos-hawk. It breeds with us in woods, and 
is extreamly bold in the defence of it’s young. I remember to have feen a fervant, 
whom I employed to take a neft of them in Rockingham foreff, attacked with the ut- 
mofl fury by both the old ones, and wounded in the face, while he was up in the tree, 
and had but little ufe of his hands for his defence. All the writers on birds have 
named it. Willughby, Ray* and the reft call it Accipiter Palumbarius, 
Falco dorfo cinereo, ventre alho 
Falco , with c 
variegated 
This is the fmalleft of all the birds of prey, ufed by the falconers; it is not quite 
equal to the black-bird in fize, and is fmailer than the merlin, though Bellonius calls 
that the fmalleft fpecies: the head is fmall and flatted; the beak is moderately long, 
and very broad at the bafe; it is moderately hooked at the point, and the extremity 
of the upper chap hangs over the lower, and is hard and black, and very fharp: to¬ 
ward the bafe of the beak alfo there are two appendages, one on each fide, and there 
is a hollow in the lower chap for the reception of each of thefe: the tongue is flender, 
flefhy, and bifid at the end; the palate has a cavity formed for the receiving it: the 
noftrils are roundifh, and over them there are placed a number of fhort and rigid fete 
or briftles, in manner of whifkers: on each fide, from the angles of the mouth to the 
hinder part of the head, there runs an oblong black fpot j the reft of the head is a 
pale grey. 
The back, the upper part of the wings, and the rump, are of a darker grey than 
the head: the belly is white, and the breaft and throat are alfo white, and are varie¬ 
gated with oblong, dufky fpots, running in a tranfverfe direction. 
The long wing-feathers are eighteen in each 5 all thefe, except the four exterior 
ones, are white at the extremities, and the fecond and third have their exterior edges 
white : the bottom of the very firft feather alfo has a little white on it, and from this 
the white is more and more confiderable on all the others to the tenth, in which it 
occupies more than half the feathers; from the tenth feather the white part decreafes 
again in all the others, but on the interior ones it is extended along the edges, quite to 
the extremities: on thofe which are neareft the body there is not any white at all ; the 
large wing-feathers, as well as thofe of the tail, are eifewhere black. 
The tail is moderately long, and is compofed of twelve feathers; the two middle 
ones are the longeft of thefe, and the others grow gradually fmailer to the exterior 
ones; but the decreafe in length is but very little, till toward the very outer ones, but 
thefe are only a fourth part fhorter than the middle two : thp two exterior feathers are 
entirely white; the two middle ones are white at the tips, and the others are black 
throughout, but the black is deeper in the middle than in the exterior ones. 
The legs are moderately long ; they are flender and black : the toes are long and 
black, and the claws, though not very robuft, are long, and extreamly fharp and 
black: the gall-bladder is large in this bird, and the tefticles are very fmall and round. 
This fpecies is frequent in Germany, and fome other of the northern parts of Eu¬ 
rope ; it has been doubted whether it was a native of England, but that is a queftion 
I can anfwer in the affirmative, having fhot more than one of them in Rockingham 
foreft in Northamptonfhire. I have feen it alfo in Yorkfhire ; but it is no where very 
plentiful, and is always very fhy, fo that it is not a wonder many have overlooked it. 
It may be known fitting from almoft all the other hawks; for it generally holds it’s 
tail eredf, and, as they are fond of the tailed: trees, whence they can look down on 
the country .for a great way round, and keep themfelves concealed all the time under 
the 
The black-legged 
variegato , pedibus nigris . ^ 
' grey back , and a white 
belly. 
