. British birds. Birds. NOTES. 217 1. A. nisus. ? imm. Shot Jan. 9, 1892. Dissected by T. E. Gunn. Both ovaries equally developed. 2. .4. nisus. ? imm. Apr. 11, 1892. Dissected by F. M. O. Both ovaries well developed, and contained numerous ova of various sizes. I think the forward condition of the ova shows the bird would have bred this season, though it was certainly only a last year's bird. 3. A. nisus. 6 and 9. Nest of 4 eggs. May 24, 1894. <? probably fully 4 years old ; a very beautiful specimen, with deep red breast and underparts. ? probably a 2nd year's birds, with light margins to
. British birds. Birds. NOTES. 217 1. A. nisus. ? imm. Shot Jan. 9, 1892. Dissected by T. E. Gunn. Both ovaries equally developed. 2. .4. nisus. ? imm. Apr. 11, 1892. Dissected by F. M. O. Both ovaries well developed, and contained numerous ova of various sizes. I think the forward condition of the ova shows the bird would have bred this season, though it was certainly only a last year's bird. 3. A. nisus. 6 and 9. Nest of 4 eggs. May 24, 1894. <? probably fully 4 years old ; a very beautiful specimen, with deep red breast and underparts. ? probably a 2nd year's birds, with light margins to the feathers of the upper wing-coverts. (This and the previous specimen show another fact, namely, that the female Sparrow-Hawk frequently breeds before attaining mature plumage.) " Both ovaries equally developed. This is the second instance of equal development of the sexual organs in the female bird I have recently come across" (T. E. G., in litt., 2/6/94). This seems to me a particularly interesting example, as the pair were certainly breeding, and foiu* eggs had been laid at the time the female was shot. The rough sketch of the ovaries shows, I think, clearly enough that the right ovary is at least as large as the left, and that both are developing ova. 4. A. nisus. 9 imm. Jan. 31, 1907. " It shows 2 ovaries nearly equal in size and ; I have intentionally confined myself in this brief note to tlie sexual glands of the female Sparrow-Hawk. This species is still common in Great Brita^in and is rigorously and legitimately persecuted by the game-preserver whenever and wherever it is met with, so that there should be no difficulty in any naturalist obtaining a large supply of material to work upon, if he wishes to investigate this point. But tlie occasional persistence of both ovaries is not confined to the Sparrow-Hawk. It may even be that this persistence is no more uncommon in the Sparrow-Hawk than in some other raptorial groups, the genus Cir
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