FALCONID.E. BUTEO BOREALIS. 21 



a slight depression in the centre, hardly enough to keep the eggs from rolling out. 

 A few thin pieces of pine bark formed the bed for the eggs." 



Another nest, obtained in Randolph, Vt. by Charles S. Paine, Esq., is thns de- 

 scribed by him in a letter : " The nest was built of hemlock twigs, and lined with 

 small, thin pieces of hemlock bark, such as hang loosely on the tree. The Hawk, 

 when the nest was approached, did not whistle, as some others of that family do, 

 but uttered a cry of Ge ! ge ! ge ! ge ! This was repeated several times with great 

 rapidity, by both male and female." 



The average size of the eggs of this bird is lyf by ItV inches. The color is 

 usually a uniform dull white, but occasionally tinged with a slight bluish shade. 

 They are nearly spherical, though less so than the eggs of several species, and are 

 equal at either end. Their surface is slightly granulated. The number of the eggs 

 varies from three to four, though occasionally there are five in a nest. The egg 

 figured is from South Carolina, and from the nest above mentioned. 



BUTEO BOREALIS. 



Falco borealis, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 17S8, p. 266. 



WILS. Am. Orn. VI, 1808, pi. lii, fig. 1. 



" RICH. & SWAINS. F. B. A. II, 1831, 50. 



AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 265 ; V, 378, pi. li. 

 " NUTTALL, Manual, I, 1832, 102. 

 Falco leverianus, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 266. 



" WILS. Am. Orn. Biog. VI, 1812, 78, pi. lii, fig. 2. 



Falco jamaicensis, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 266. 

 Falco aquilinus, BARTRAM, Trav. 1791, p. 290. 

 Buteo ferruginicaudus, VIEILL. Ois. d'Am. Sept. I, 1807, 32. 

 Accipiter ruficaudus, " " " " 47. 



Buteo fulvus, VIEILL. Nouv. Diet. 1816, IV, 472. 

 Buteo americanus, VIEILL. Nouv. Diet. 1816, IV, 477. 

 Buteo borealis, BONAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838, p. 3. 



" " AUD. Syn. 1839, p. 6. 



" " Birds of Am. I, 1840, 32, pi. vii. 



" " GOSSE, Birds of Jamaica, 1847, p. 11. 



" LEMBEVE, Av. de la Isla de Cuba, 1850, p. 18. 



CASSIN, Syn. N. A. Birds (Illust. Birds of Cal.), 1854, p. 97. 



VULG. The Red-tailed Hawk. Red-tailed Buzzard. American Buzzard. White-breasted 

 Hawk. Great Eagle Hawk. The Hen-Hawk. Gavilan Coli-rojo (Cuba). 



THE Red-tailed Hawk of the Atlantic States is another of the Raptorial family 

 that appears to be very widely distributed throughout the North American conti- 

 nent. According to Richardson, it is rather common in the fur countries, which it 



