440 



BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



brownish drab, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with seven (one concealed) reg- 

 ular bands of dusky; inner webs almost wholly white, the black bands sharply denned 

 and continuous; shafts entirely white. Ground color of the head, neck, and entire lower 

 parts pure white ; a broad stripe from the eye back across upper edge of the ear-coverls to 

 the occiput brownish black; white head also sparsely streaked with blackish, these streaks 

 suffusing and predominating medially; nape faintly tinged with ochraceous, and sparsely 

 streaked. Breast with large cordate spots of brown, fainter ilian that of the back, a 

 median spot on each feather, the shaft black; rest of lower parts immaculate. Lining of 

 the wing white, strongly tinged with ochraceous; the brown of the outer surface en- 

 croaching broadly over the edge. Under primary coverts with broad transverse spots 

 or bars; under surface of primaries grayish white anterior to the emargination, irregu- 

 larly mottled with grayish; axillars immaculate. Wing formula, 2=3, 4-1, 5. Wing, 20.00; 

 tail, 8.80; culmen, 1.35; tarsus, 1.10-2.15; middle toe, 1.90; outer,1.75; inner, 1.40; posterior, 

 1.15; posterior outer and inner claws of equal length, each measuring 1.20 (chord); 

 middle, 1.15. "Iris yellow; feet greenish yellow." 



Adult male. Similar, but upper parts uniform dusky brown, and the breast very 

 slightly (often not at all) spotted. 



Adult female (No. 290, Carlisle, Pa., April 17, 1841, S. F. Baird). Similar to adult male 

 but breast rather more spotted. Wing formula, 3, 2-4-1, 5. Wing, 20.50; tail, 9.15; culmen, 

 1.35; tarsus,2.15; middle toe, 1.70. 



The specimens described are those having the breast most dis- 

 tinctly spotted. Many others have the breast immaculate, this 

 being the rule in the American bird, especially the adult male. 

 Specimens vary, in length of wing from 17.50 to 20.50. Contrary 

 to the usual rule in this family, the male appears to exceed the 

 female in size. 



Measurements. 



Second and third quills longest; first shorter or longer than fifth. 



The Fish Hawk is a common species on all the larger waters of 

 the State. It is a summer resident, though in the southern por- 

 tion individuals have occasionally been observed during mild winters. 

 From History of North American Birds, Vol. III., pp. 188, 189, we 

 quote the following respecting the habits of this species : 



"I can find no instance on record where our Fish Hawk has been 

 known to molest any other bird or land animal, to feed on them, 

 though their swiftness of flight, and their strength of wing and 

 claws, would seem to render such attacks quite easy. On their 

 arrival the Fish Hawks are said to combine, and to wage a deter- 

 mined war upon the White-headed Eagles, often succeeding by their 

 numbers and courage in driving them temporarily from their haunts. 



