GREAT-FOOTED HAWK.
curved inwards, broad, obtuse, with an acumen. Tail-feathers broadish,
rounded, the tail rather long, and nearly even.
Bill blackish-blue at the tip, pale green at the base, cere oil-green;
bare orbital space orange. Iris hazel. Feet lemon-yellow; claws
brownish-black. Head and hind neck greyish-black, tinged with blue;
the rest of the upper parts dark bluish-grey, indistinctly barred with
deep brown. Quills blackish-brown, the inner webs marked with transverse
elliptical spots of reddish-white. Tail greyish-brown, marked with
about twelve bars, the last of which is broad, the rest diminishing in size
and intensity of tint. Throat and fore-neck white; a broad band of
blackish-blue from the angle of the mouth downwards; cheeks whitishgrey
; sides, breast and thighs reddish-white, transversely marked with
dark brown spots in longitudinal series. Under wing feathers whitish,
transversely barred.
Length 16^ inches, extent of wings 30; bill 1¿ along the ridge;
tarsus 1£, middle toe 2|.
The figure represents a male in full vigour. When the bird gets
older, the colours of the upper parts acquire a lighter tint in the male,
and sometimes the back is ash-grey; but in the female, they gradually
assume a deeper hue.
Adult Female. Plate XVI. Fig. 2.
The colour of the upper parts is more brown ; tips of the secondary
quills more or less whitish, tail tipped with brownish-white; throat and
fore neck yellowish-white; the latter longitudinally marked with guttiform
spots; general colour beneath yellowish-white, marked with longitudinal
broad spots. Vent-feathers reddish ; under tail-coverts marked
with narrow bars.
Length 19£ inches, extent of wings 36; beak \}¿ along the ridge;
tarsus 2, middle toe 3£.
THE CAROLINA TURTLE DOVE.
COLUMBA CAR0LWENS1S, LlNN.
P L A T E X V I I . MALE AND FEMALE.
I HAVE tried, kind reader, to give you a faithful representation of two
as gentle pairs of Turtles as ever cooed their loves in the green woods.
I have placed them on a branch of Stuartia, which you see ornamented
with a profusion of white blossoms, emblematic of purity and chastity.
Look at the female, as she assiduously sits on her eggs, embosomed
among the thick foliage, receiving food from the bill of her mate, and
listening with delight to his assurances of devoted affection. Nothing is
wanting to render the moment as happy as could be desired by any couple
on a similar occasion.
On the branch above, a love scene is just commencing. The female,
still coy and undetermined, seems doubtful of the truth of her lover, and
virgin-like resolves to put his sincerity to the test, by delaying the gratification
of his wishes. She has reached the extremity of the branch, her
wings and tail are already opening, and she will fly off to some more sequestered
spot, where, if her lover should follow her with the same assiduous
devotion, they will doubtless become as blessed as the pair beneath them.
The Dove announces the approach of spring. Nay, she does more :•—
she forces us to forget the chilling blasts of winter, by the soft and melancholy
sound of her cooing. Her heart is already so warmed and so swelled
by the ardour of her passion, that it feels as ready to expand as the buds
on the trees are, under the genial influence of returning heat.
The flight of this bird is extremely rapid, and of long duration.
Whenever it starts from a tree or the ground, on being unexpectedly approached,
its wings produce a whistling noise, heard at a considerable distance.
On such occasions, it frequently makes several curious windings
through the air, as if to prove its capability of efficient flight. It seldom
rises far above the trees, and as seldom passes through dense woods or
forests, but prefers following their margins, or flying about the fences and
fields. Yet, during spring, and particularly whilst the female is sitting on
her eggs, the male rises as if about to ascend to a great height in the air,
flapping his wings, but all of a sudden comes downwards again, describing