250 AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.
to catch it before it fell to the ground. The little fellow attracted
the notice of his brothers, brought up hard by, who, accompanied by
their parents, at first gave it chase, and forced it to take refuge behind
one of the window-shutters, where it usually passed the night, but soon
became gentler towards it, as if forgiving its desertion. My bird was fastidious
in the choice of food, would not touch a Woodpecker, however
fresh, and as he grew older, refused to eat birds that were in the least
tainted. To the last he continued kind to me, and never failed to return
at night to his favourite roost behind the window-shutter. His courageous
disposition often amused the family, as he would sail off from his
stand, and fall on the back of a tame duck, which, setting up a loud
quack, would waddle off in great alarm with the Hawk sticking to her.
But, as has often happened to adventurers of similar spirit, his audacity
cost him his life. A hen and her brood chanced to attract his notice, and
he flew to secure one of the chickens, but met one whose parental affection
inspired her with a courage greater than his own. The conflict,
which was severe, ended the adventures of poor Nero.
I have often observed birds of this species in the Southern States,
and more especially in the Floridas, which were so much smaller than
those met with in the Middle and Northern Districts, that I felt almost inclined
to consider them different; but after studying their habits and
voice, I became assured that they were the same. Another species allied
to the present, and alluded to by WILSON, has never made its appearance
in our Southern States.
FALCO SPARVERIUS, Linn. Sjst. Nat. vol, i. p. 128. Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 42.
—Ck. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 27-
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK, FALCO SPARVERIUS, Wits. Amer. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 117.
pi. 1G. fig. 1, Female; and voL iv. p. 57. pi. 32. fig. 2, Male. Nuttall, Manual,
part i. p. 58.
FALCO SPARVERIUS, LITTLE RUSTY-CROWNED FALCON, Swains, and Richards. Fauna
Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 31.
Adult Male. Plate CXLII. Fig. 1, %
Bill short, cerate at the base, the dorsal line curved in its whole
length ; upper mandible with the edges slightly inflected, and forming a
small projecting process, the tip trigonal, acute, descending; lower mandible
inflected at the edges, with a notch near the end, which is abrupt.
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK. 251
Nostrils roundish, with a central papilla, and placed close to the edge of the
cere. Head rather large, flattened, neck short, body of moderate size. Legs
of ordinary length ; tarsi roundish with two rows of large scales before,
three only below being transverse, with small scales on the sides; toes
scutellate above, scabrous and tuberculate beneath ; middle toe much
longer than the outer, which is connected with it by a small web; claws
longish, curved, rounded, very acute.
Plumage compact on the back, blended on the head and under parts.
Feathers of the head and neck narrow, of the breast oblong, of the back
broad and rounded. Space between the bill and eye covered with bristly
feathers. Wings long, much pointed, the primaries tapering, the second
and third with their outer webs, the first and second their inner ones
sinuated ; second quill longest. Tail long, moderately rounded, of
twelve rather narrow, rounded feathers.
Bill light blue, the tip black, the cere yellow. Iris brown. Feet
yellow; claws black. A circular patch of deep orange-brown on the
crown of the head, which is surrounded by a band of dark greyish-blue,
with which is in contact a black spot on the nape; a patch of black descends
from the fore part of the eye, another immediately behind it, the
cheek between them being white, and there is a third farther back, and
surrounded by pale brown. A narrow line between the forehead and the
bill, and another over the eye, white. The back and scapulars are
brownish-red, with a few transverse black bars, the rump unspotted and
deeper. Tail of the same colour as the rump, with a broad sub-terminal
band of black, the tips white, as is the outer web of the lateral
feather, which on its inner web has five black bars (including the subterminal
one), the spaces between them white. The next feather has also
frequently a few marks of black and white. The wing-coverts are greyishblue,
spotted with black. Quills brownish-black, their inner webs transversely
spotted with white. The throat, hind part of the belly, and under
tail-coverts, white ; the breast brownish-white, its fore part and sides, with
the lower part of the neck, marked with guttiform black spots. Under
wing-coverts white, spotted with black.
Length 1% inches, extent of wings; bill along the back ; tarsus 1 ft ;
middle toe and claw lft.
Adult Female. Plate CXLII. Fig. 3 .
The female is similarly coloured, but the crown of the head is marked