104 F A 
before, is about the fize of the common fparrow-hawk, 
but the tail is (liorter, fo that it has not fo (lender an ap¬ 
pearance upon the whole. The upper furface of the 
body, head, and cheeks, are of a, brown-grey, darker on 
the mantle and hind head. The tail-coverts, upper and un¬ 
der, are white ; the large wing-quills are brown in the part 
which is vifible when they are folded ; underneath they 
are tranfverfely flriped ; and the middle feathers are tipped 
with white. The tail is fqtiare, barred with dark brown 
on a lighter ground ; beneath, white (haded with black. 
The throat and bread are bltiifh grey ; the red of the 
body and the tufted thighs are elegantly,driped with light 
brown on a whitilh ground. The eyes are bright yellow; 
the bafe of the tail and the feet a beautiful red ; the red 
of the bill and the claws are black. The female is one- 
third larger than the male. The red is not fo bright on 
her feet and bill ; indeed during the rainy feafon the red 
colour is not fo drong in the male as at other times. 
Vaillant found a ned of this fpecies in September in the 
forked branch of a large mimola-tree ; it was made of 
roots and dexible twigs, and lined with feathers ; it 
contained three young ones, as large as the parents ; they 
flew' away 5 but, having killed the old ones, the young 
were foon caught. Their feet and the bafe of the 
bill were yellow, the bread and mantle contained fome 
brown feathers, fome bluilh, fome reddilh, and others had 
all thofe colours intermixed. All the under parts of the 
body were driped .with fawn-colour on a white ground 
(lightly tinged with red : one egg remained in tlie ned, 
which was white, and/as large as that of the European 
fparrow-hawk. This fpecies was not met with near the 
Cape, but in the interior of Africa, on the borders of the 
rivers Swart-koop and Sondag ; in Karow, Camdeboo, 
and between the mountains of Saorand Boch-velt. 
144. Falco ntinutus, the (mall fparrow-hawk. This 
African fpecies, the (mailed of this divifton of birds of 
prey, being much (mailer than the merlin, is called by 
Vaillant le minulti. its proportions are the fame, on a 
(mall fcale, as the fparrow-hawk of Europe : the legs and 
thighs are very long ; the wings hardly reach beyond the 
origin of the tail ; the tail is fqtiare ; the drd wing-quill 
is fhorter than the fourth. All this agrees both with the 
fparrow-hawk and this fmall fpecies; and may ferve to 
didinguilh it from the merlin, for which it might be mif- 
Jaken upon a dight view on account of its dze. The 
plumage of the whole upper furface appears brown whe-n 
the feathers lie fmooth and at red ; but infide they are 
fpotted with white. The throat is white, with a few 
brown fpots in the middle of each feather ; the bread the 
fame, the fpots growing larger as they defcend, and vary¬ 
ing in (hiipe ; the Tides and thighs are regularly driped 
w ith brown. The large quills are brown outwardly, and 
driped inwards with white; the mid-quills the fame, ex¬ 
cept that tlie white is clearer, and the (tripes broader. 
The (mailer under wing-coverts have little brown fpots 
on a rufous ground. The tail is brown, imperceptibly 
flriped with a darker tint; but the inner barbs being 
whiter, the (tripes aVe very vifible on the under part of 
the tail. The cere and feet are yellow ; the eye orange- 
colour ; the bill and claws black. This fpecies, though 
fmall, has all the courage and voracity of its tribe. It 
will attack all kinds of (mall birds; but, if it dnds not 
birds for its purpofe, it will feed on lefs delicate fare, as 
gra Stoppers, beetles, and other infedts. It will (offer no 
.butcher-bird within its reach ; it drives away that tierce 
l'necies from its domain ; as it will alfo the kite and buz. 
z nd, being always (are to efcape, if hard preffed, by the 
iwiftnefs of fts flight. The raven is the enemy againft 
which it leems mod implacable, efpecially when it has 
eggs to defend. The male purities the raven, with the 
cry of cri-cri-cri, pri-pri-pri , like the note of the keftrel. 
The male and iemale hunt together, and make their nett 
vu the top of the mimofa-tree ; the eggs are five in num¬ 
ber, (potted with brown at the extremities.; the ne(t is 
L C O. 
formed of flexible twigs, rnofs, and withered leaves; and 
carefully lined with wool and downy feathers. This 
fpecies Vaillant found on the verdant borders of the 
Gamtoo river,, and thence quite to Caffraria. The male 
is about the fize of the common black-bird, but the fe¬ 
male is nearly twice as big. Her colours are the fame, 
except that fome parts of the mantle, and the (tripes and 
fpots on the bread, are fomewhat fainter. The following 
fadl related by Vaillant will (hew the boldnefs of this 
little bird. While he was preparing and fluffing dead 
birds on a table before his tent, one of thefe hawks flew 
over his head, and oblerving feveral birds, made a pounce, 
and bore off a fluffed bird in his claws. He perched 011 
a tree not thirty paces off, and prefently plumed his prey, 
but was greatly furprifed and mortified no doubt to find 
the (kin completely fluffed with mofs and wool. He ate 
the head however, the only part that was left ; and, after 
having angrily torn the reft to pieces, he came and hovered 
about the operator, but would not make another plunge, 
difdaining perhaps to be cheated twice. 
14T Ealco caracara, the Braflilian fparrow-hawk. This 
bird is called by the Indians of Brazil caratara , and Marc- 
grave gives a figure and a ftiort defeription ; he fays, that 
the caracara df Brazil, named gavion by the Portuguefe, 
is a kind of fparrow-hawk, or fmall eagle, of the fize of a 
kite ; that its tail meaftires nine inches, its wings four¬ 
teen, and reach not fo far as the end of the tail; the 
plumage ferruginous, and fpotted with white and yellow 
points; the tail variegated with white and brown; the 
bead fimilarto that of the fparrow-hawk ; the bill black, 
hooked, and moderately large ; the feel yellow, the claws 
like thofe off the fparrow-hawk, with nails that are femi- 
lunar, long, black, and very (harp ; the eyes of a fine 
yellow. He adds, that this bird is very deftrudtive to 
poultry, and that it admits of a confiderable variety, fome 
individuals having the bread and belly white. 
146. Falco dubius, the dubious falcon. Cere and legs 
yellow ; head dufky with rufly flreaks; body above 
brown, beneath dirty-white with brown flreaks ; tail 
du(ky-afh with four black bands. Ten inches long ; bill 
dufky; irids yellow; wing-coverts edged with rufly; 
primary tail-feathers dufky-afh with white lines. Inhabits 
New-York and Carolina. 
147. Falco obfeurus, the dufky falcon. Cere and legs 
yellow ; hind-head and neck fpotted with white ; body 
above dufky brown, beneath white w ith black lines ; tail 
with four broad and four narrow dufky bands and tipt 
with white. Bill bluifli; head dulky-brown; wing-co¬ 
verts (lightly edged with ferruginous; primary quill-fea¬ 
thers dufky. Inhabits New-York. 
148. Falco coi.umbarius, the pigeon-hawk. This bird 
is from Carolina, and is deferibed by Catefby as more 
(lender than the common fparrow-hawk. Its iris, cere, 
and feet, yellow ; its bill whitilh at its origin, and blackifh 
near the hook ; the upper part of the head, neck, back, 
rump, wings, and tail, covered with white feathers, mix¬ 
ed with fome brown ones ; the legs ciothed with long 
white plumage, tinged .(lightly with red, and variegated 
with longitudinal brown fpots. The feathers of the tail 
are brown like thofe of the wings, but marked w ith four 
white tranfverfe bars. It is ten inches and a half long ; 
migrates, preys on .fmall birds. There is a variety with 
the body above bluifii-grey ; plumage ftreaked in the 
middle with white. 
149. - Falco fuperciliofus, the Guiana falcon. Cere, 
legs, and eyelids, yellow ; body brown,waved with white ; 
quill-feathers rufly banded with black. Secondary tail- 
feathers whitifn at the outer edge; tail black with two 
broad bands, tip cinereous ; vent white with?a few black 
flreaks ; rump variegated black and white ; eyebrows 
beneath naked, prominent ; lores with black bridles-; 
bill and claws black ; lower wing.coverts white with fine 
black lines. S.ize of a magpie. Inhabits Guiana and Su¬ 
rinam. 
ijo. Falc.o 
