The American Goshawk was considered by Pennant and Latham to be of the
same species with the European one ; the former author merely remarking, that
the American individuals that he had seen were of an unusually large size.
Wilson, who had never seen an European Goshawk, described an old male that
was shot near Philadelphia under the name of the “ Black-cap Hawk, or Falco
atricapillus observing, however, that his specimen corresponded so nearly with
Bewick’s description and figure of the Goshawk, that he had little doubt of their
being identical. The Prince of Musignano has reunited the Black-cap Hawk with
the Falco palumbarius; but Baron Cuvier, while he considers the latter as a
typical specimen of his sub-genus Les autours, refers the American bird to another
sub-genus, Hierofalco. There is, indeed, much resemblance between the females
and young of the Goshawk and Jerfalcon ; and those who overlook the differences
in the scales of their tarsi and the relative lengths of their quill feathers,
might easily confound the one with the other. That this has been done occasionally
is very likely ; and Cuvier may possibly be right in referring the F. gyrfalco
of Gmelin to the F. palumbarius, although we have followed the majority of systematic
writers in considering it to be the young of the F . islandicus.— R . We associate this bird with the sub-genus or section of A stu r: for although
its approximation to the Buteo borealis is very decided, we shall not disturb the
present situations of these two birds, remote as they now are in our systems, until
the whole family undergoes a more accurate investigation. The bill, possessing
all the characters seen in B. borealis, is yet somewhat shorter, but the upper
mandible is less sinuated. These two species further agree in the length and
general construction of their feet, excepting that in the Accipiter palumbarius the
anterior scales partake of the smooth character more peculiar to the typical
Hawks. The toes, also, are rather longer, the claws somewhat more curved, and
the middle and outer toes are proportionably smaller than in B . borealis. It may
further he remarked, that the anterior transverse scales of the toes are more
numerous in this bird. The hind and inner claws are nearly of the same size, and
very strong. The wings short, and not adapted for strong flight.—Sw.
DESCRIPTION
Of an old male (No. 1), shot in company with the female at the nest, on the plains of the Saskatchewan, May 8, 1827.
C olour.—The upper aspect of the head, the nape of the neck, cheeks, and sides of the
throat, are black, with the white bases of the feathers partially appearing. A white stripe, with
black shafts and mottlings, commences at the base of the bill, and, passing over the orbit,
widens as it proceeds backwards to the side of the neck. The dorsal aspect of the neck,
the back, the tail coverts, lesser wing coverts, and greater part of the secondaries, are bluishgrey,
without markings, the margins of the feathers being in some places merely a shade darker.
The inner webs of tfie secondaries are yellowish-grey, with a little white mottling towards their
bases. The primaries and their coverts have an umber-brown tinge, which, on the outer
webs, yields a greyish reflexion, but towards the ends of the inner webs is nearly pure: a few
bars are faintly indicated by lighter shadings, and there are some white markings towards their
bases. The tail is clove-brown, deepening gradually towards its tip into blackish-brown, with
two very obscure bars of the latter colour farther back; it is edged at the tip with soiled-
white, and the inner webs are of a paler brown. The whole ventral aspect (including the
thigh feathers and wing linings), has nearly an uniform appearance, being closely covered with
short zig-zag lines of blackish-grey on a white ground. The long lateral under-tail coverts
are white, without markings ; but there are some greyish fines on the shorter central ones.
The under surfaces of the quill feathers are clouded and mottled with brownish-white; and the
tail beneath is slate-coloured, with brown shadings.
F orm, &c.—Bill rather strong, curved from the base, but more compressed than the bills
of the true Falcons, which proceeds from the greater flatness of its sides, for the ridge is rather
obtusely rounded. Cutting margin of the upper mandible furnished with an obtuse lobe, the
centre of which is under the. anterior margin of the nostrils, Under mandible strong, and
much rounded at the end. Cere moderately long, extending, on the ridge, to about one-
fourth the length of the bill. Nostrils large, broadly oval, or nearly round, opening rather
obliquely forwards. Lores clothed with short white feathers, on which black hairs are disposed
in a stelliform manner, their ends curving upwards over the nostrils. The plumage on
the dorsal aspect of the neck and between the shoulders is particularly full and close. The
tips of the'folded wings fall five or six inches short of the end of the tail, scarcely passing the
longest tail coverts. The fourth quill feather is the longest; the fifth is two lines, the third a
quarter of an inch, and the sixth an inch shorter ; the second is intermediate between the
sixth and seventh, which are an inch apart; and the first and eighth are about equal, and
half an inch shorter than the seventh, or four inches shorter than the fourth. The outer webs
of the second to the sixth inclusive, and the inner webs of the first to the fifth, are sinuated.
The tail is rounded, the exterior feathers being three-quarters of an inch shorter than the
middle ones. The thigh feathers are long. The tarsi are robust, clothed with mottled-grey
feathers nearly half way down, and their lower portion protected by eleven transverse shield-
shaped scales both anteriorly and posteriorly, all the scales being thin and smooth, but particularly
the posterior ones, which causes them to appear as if united into one large scale. The
toes are moderately strong, the middle one being more than half an inch longer than the
others, which are nearly equal among themselves : there is a short web between the middle
and outer ones. The hind toe is the most, robust. The greater part of the outer toe, and
the first phalanx of each of the others, are reticulated with small roundish scales both on their
upper and under surfaces. The claws are very strong, much curved, acute, and grooved
beneath ; the hind one and inner fore one being much longer than the other two : the middle
one has an acute inner edge.
G