sight of him, he may attack them unawares, the sparrow-hawk no sooner appears than the alarm is given, and the whole posse of jays follow.

The AMERICAN PIGEON-HAWK, F. columbarius, is migratory in its habits, returning to the Southern States about November, and in summer extending its excursions as far north as Hudson's Bay. It is eleven inches long, the upper parts being of a dark brown; the lower parts brownish-white, streaked with dark brown; the legs are yellow; the claws black. Small birds and mice are its principal food. When, toward autumn, the reed-birds, grackles, and red-winged blackbirds congregate in large flights, it is often observed hovering in their rear, or on their flanks, picking up the weak, the wounded, or stragglers, and frequently making a sudden and fatal sweep into the very midst of their multitudes. The flocks of robins and pigeons are honored VOL. II.-4

with the same attentions from this marauder, whose daily excursions are entirely regulated by the movements of the flocks on whose unfortunate members it fattens. The bird which Audubon called the Little Corporal, in honor of Napoleon, was an old male of this species.

The MERLIN-Emerillon of the French-F. Æsalon, is a small species of hawk, nine or ten inches long, of an ashy-blue above, below white striped with brown. It builds on lofty trees, and lays five or six eggs This bird, on account of its docility, was formerly used for hawking at larks, quails, partridges, and pigeons. Its skill and courage in pursuing them excited great admiration among the sportsmen. It inhabits the south of Europe in winter and the north in summer. (See page 22.) The KESTREL, called Windhover in England-the Crecerelle of the French; F. tinnunculus of Linnæus is about a foot in length; its color is a reddish-brown above, marked with angular black spots; beneath it is reddish, with longitudinal rays on the breast. It is widely spread over Europe, and was formerly used in falconry. It lives on mice, lizards, insects, and small birds. It makes its nest in the trees of forests, and also sometimes in old towers and walls. It lays five or six eggs, and is an abundant breeder. (See page 23.)

The LESSER KESTREL-the Crécerine of the French-F. cenchris, is eleven and a half inches long, and resembles the preceding in color. It inhabits the coasts of the Mediterranean in winter, and migrates northward in summer. It makes its nests in rocks and old castles, and lays three or four eggs. There are a number of other species, variously arranged by different naturalists, but which we shall include in this genus, among which are the BLACK FALCON, F. subniger; the SULTAN FALcon, F. peregrinator, much used for falconry in India; the SALAKOO FALCON, F. peregrinoides ; the DOUBLE-BEARDED FALCON, F. cervialis; the JUGGER FALCON, F. jugger; the SEVERE FALCON, F. severus; the RED-NECKED FALCON, F. rufigularis; the PARAMATTA FALCON, F. frontatus; the UNIFORM FALCON, F. concolor; the CREAM-BELLIED FALCON, F. berigora; the NEW ZEALAND FALCON, F. Nova Zealandia; the ROCK FALCON, F. rupicoloides; the SPOTTED FALCON, F. punctatus; the NANKIN HAWK, F. cenchroides; and the CINNAMON FALCON, F. cinnamomeus.

Genus ELANUS: Elanus.-The birds of this genus resemble the falcons in the sharpness of their wings and some other respects. The BLACK-SHOULDERED HAWK or WHITE-tailed Hawk, E. leucurus—the Falco dispar of Temminck—is an abundant species in the Southern and Southwestern States: the upper parts are of a fine ash-color; the lesser wing-coverts glossy black; length of the female sixteen to seventeen inches.

The BLACK-WINGED FALCON or BLACK-WINGED SWALLOW-HAWK, Е. melanopterus, found in Africa, India, and Australia, is smaller than the preceding, with which it has been confounded. Its plumage is soft and silky, and ash-colored above; the tail is slightly forked. It lives chiefly on insects, which it captures on the wing. Other species are the AXILLARY FALCON, E. axillaris, and the LETTER-WINGED FALCON, E. scriptus.

Genus PANDION: Pandion, comprises three or four species: in these the bill is short and curved from the base; the wings are very long; tarsi short, thick, and strong, and covered with small circular scales; the claws are sharp and curved; the tail of moderate length.

The OSPREY, BALD BUZZARD, or FISHING EAGLE-Balbusard Offraye of Le Maout; Falco

haliaetus of Linnaeus-P. haliaetus, is a large and powerful bird; the female, being a quarter larger than the male, measures twentyfive inches and weighs five pounds. The plumage is white below, with a few brown streaks and speckles on the throat; the whole of the upper part is brown; the feathers on the thighs are close, and the legs short, stout, and grayish. In this part of its organization wer see a beautiful instance of adaptation to its habits. The close thigh-feathers resist the action of the water, in which it plunges for its prey, while the talon of the outer toe is much larger than the inner one, and capable of being turned backward; the under surfaces of all the toes are also very rough, and covered with protuberances, which enable it to secure its slippery prize.

This bird usually flies at a considerable height, and lives chiefly on fishes, which it seizes along the sea-shore or in ponds and lakes, by descending upon them and bearing them off in its talons. It however occasionally seizes upon sea-fowl. Its strength is so great that it will lift from the water and carry away a fish of its own weight. Its greediness is said sometimes to exceed its discretion, for it occasionally buries its talons in a fish too heavy to be borne away, and being unable or unwilling to extricate them, is carried beneath the water and drowned. This species is migratory, and is generally distributed throughout Europe, and in some places is abundant; it is also found in parts of Africa and Asia. Other foreign species of this genus are the WHITE-HEADED OSPREY, P. leucocephalus; the MARINE EAGLE, P. ichthyaetus; and the SMALL MARINE EAGLE, P. humilis.

The AMERICAN OSPREY, popularly known among us as the FISH-HAWK, P. Carolinensis, has been generally considered as identical with the European species, but it is said to be somewhat larger, the female measuring thirty inches, and the marks on the breast being heart-shaped and circular instead of narrow and lanceolate, as in the European osprey. It is abundant on the seacoasts and those of the interior waters of the United States. Wilson says: "This formidable, vigorous-winged, and well-known bird subsists altogether on the finny tribes that swarm in our bays, creeks, and rivers, procuring his prey by his own active skill and industry, and seeming no further dependent on the land than as a mere resting-place, or, in the usual season, a spot of deposit for its nest, its eggs, and its young." It is migratory, arriving on the coasts of the Middle States late in March; its arrival is regarded by the fishermen as the happy signal of the return of the vast shoals of herring, shad, and other fishes which it follows, and on which it preys. In Europe the osprey builds on the ground, or on rocks and old ruins; here it makes its nest in the top of decayed trees. This consists externally of a huge mass of sticks, each from half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter and two or three feet long; these are piled four feet high, and are intermixed with corn-stalks, sea-weed, turf, mullen-stalks, and the like, the whole being lined with grass. The huge structure is visible for half a mile.

"Unlike other rapacious birds," says Nuttall, "the ospreys may be almost considered gregari

ous, breeding so near each other that, according to Mr. Gardiner, there were on the small island on which he resided, near to the eastern extremity of Long Island, New York, no less than three hundred nests with young. Wilson observed twenty of their nests within half a mile. I have seen them nearly as thick about Rehoboth Bay, in Delaware. Here they live together at least as peaceably as rooks, and so harmless are they considered by other birds, that, according to Wilson, the crow blackbirds or grakles are sometimes allowed refuge by the ospreys, and construct their nests in the very interstices of their eyry. It would appear sometimes that, as with swallows, a general assistance is given in the constructing of a new nest, for, previous to this event, a flock have been seen to assemble in the same tree, squealing, as is their custom when any thing materially agitates them."

The eggs, from two to four, are laid in May, and are usually of a creamy white, marked with brown spots, and are somewhat larger than those of a common fowl. Wilson says: "On the appearance of the young, which is usually about the last of June, the zeal and watchfulness of the parents are extreme. They stand guard and go off to fish alternately, one parent being always within a short distance of the nest. On the near approach of any person, the hawk utters a plaintive, whistling note, which becomes shriller as she takes to wing and sails around, sometimes making a rapid descent, as if aiming directly for you; but checking her course, and sweeping past at a short distance over head, her wings making a whizzing in the air. My worthy friend Mr. Gardiner informs me that they have even been known to fix their claws in a negro's head who was attempting to climb to their nest." Many other instances are recorded of the fierceness with which these birds defend their nest and their young.

Genus HARPAGUS: Harpagus of Vigors.-This includes two species; the NOTCHED FAL

CON, H. bidentatus is found in Guiana and Brazil; it is brown above and ashy-gray beneath; its bill is short, and the upper mandible has two notches or teeth; the body is a foot in length. This bird lives in the borders of woods, feeding on birds, reptiles, and small quadrupeds. In its habits it is rather indolent, its flight being slow and never prolonged. The other species is the TWO-TOOTHED FALCON, H. diodon.

Genus IERAX: Ierax.-Under this genus the British Museum Catalogue gives the following: the BENGAL FALCON, I. cœrulescens, which we have noticed at page 24; the SILKY FALCON, 1. sericeus, and the WHITE-NAPED FALCON, I. eutolmus.

Genus NAUCLERUS: Nauclerus.-This includes the SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK or FORK-TAIL, N. furcatus; it is twenty-five inches long; the wings and tail black; neck and under parts white; the tail-feathers, twelve in number, are deeply forked, the lateral ones excessively elongated. It feeds on snakes, lizards, and frogs; it devours also grasshoppers, locusts, and wasps, making attacks on the nests of the latter. It builds its nest of dry sticks on the top of a tall oak or pine near a stream; the eggs are four to six, and of a grayish-white. The male and female sit alternately. They feed on the wing, and often soar to an immense height, their evolutions in the air being peculiarly graceful. This species is common in the Southern and Southwestern States, and also in the Western States, as far north as Wisconsin. It is also occasionally, but very rarely, found in Europe. It is migratory in this country, arriving in large flocks in April, at the same time uttering a sharp, plaintive cry; it departs in September.

There are two other species of this genus, one African, the other South American; the latter, Elanoides yetapa, resembles the fork-tail above described, and is perhaps only a variety of it.

Genus ICTINIA: Ictinia.—This includes two species. The MISSISSIPPI KITE, I. Mississippiensis, is fourteen inches in length, and has a spread of wing of three feet. The head and neck are hoary white, the back blackish-ash, the under parts whitish-ash; the rump and tail are black, the latter slightly forked. It is found in the Southern and Southwestern States, where it may be seen sailing in large circles in the air in company with turkey-buzzards.

The SPOTTED-TAILED HOBBY, I. plumbea, is a South American species, differing from the preceding, but has often been confounded with it.

Genus MILVUS: Milvus.-This includes several species, the most prominent of which is the COMMON KITE OF EUROPE—the Milan Royal of the French; Nibbio of the Italians; Rother-Milan of the Germans-M. regalis. In some parts of England it is called Puttock. Its length is twenty-six inches; its color above dark brown; rufous-brown below; the tail long and deeply forked. It sails gracefully in the air, now describing circles, and anon with outspread tail remaining stationary. It pounces on its prey, consisting of moles, mice, leverets, rabbits, unfledged birds, and the young of the gallinaceous tribe especially. It was formerly a great scourge to the poultry-yard. It will also eat frogs, snakes, and fish. The nest, made of sticks and lined with soft materials, is usually built on the fork of a tree in a thick wood. The eggs are two, sometimes