FALCONID2E. ARCIIIBUTEO FERRUGINEUS. 37 



United States. Its southern limits in the breeding season have not been determined. 1 

 Its abundance in California, as observed by Dr. Gambel, leads to the inference that 

 it is an inhabitant of that State throughout the year, as it is also of Washington and 

 Oregon Territories. It was obtained by Dr. Kennedy on the Zuni River in New 

 Mexico. From this we may very safely infer that it is to be found very nearly 

 throughout North America. 



The egg of the Rough-legged Hawk from Labrador measures 2 T 1 B - inches in length 

 by 1^1 in breadth, and is nearly spherical. The ground color is a soiled white or a 

 light drab, and is marked with a few faint, ill-defined spots of light-umber, distrib- 

 uted at intervals over the entire surface. 



Of four European specimens in my collection, two are so nearly like the American, 

 that the same description would answer for both. They are a trifle larger, but their 

 color and markings are exactly the same. These eggs vary from 2^ to 2^ inches 

 in length, and the breadth of each is l^f inches. 



In one of the other specimens the ground color is of a deeper shade of dingy 

 white, with larger blotches, and its purplish-slate markings intermingled with those 

 of umber. It measures 2 T 3 ^ by 1{| inches. 



The fourth is from Switzerland, and varies from all others of the species I have 

 seen. It is marked over a cream-colored ground with very numerous and quite large 

 blotches of different shades of umber and sepia-brown. It measures 2 T 4 g- by l^f 

 inches. 



ARCHIBUTEO FERRUGINEUS. 



Buteo ferrugineus, LIGHTEN STEIN, Trans. Berlin Acad. 1838, p. 428. 



Archibuteo regalis, GRAY, Gen. of Birds, 1849, pi. vi. 



Archibuteo ferrugineus, CASSIN, Illust. Birds of Cal. 1854, p. 159, pi. xxvi. 



Syn. N. A. Birds (Illust. Birds of Cal.), 1854, p. 104. 

 Proc. Phil. Acad. 1855, p. 277. 

 VULG. The Western Rough-legged Buzzard. 



I AM unable at present to give any illustration of the egg of this recent addition 

 to our North American Fauna. Mr. E. M. Kern was the first to bring home speci- 

 mens of this Hawk, and to establish its existence within our limits. Since then, 

 Dr. Heermann has obtained specimens in California of old and young birds, and also 

 of the eggs. 



This species was first described by Lichtenstein, in the Transactions of the Berlin 

 Academy, in 1838. It appears to be common throughout California, but of its geo- 

 graphical distribution beyond, nothing is known. The only description of the nest 

 and eggs I have seen is furnished by Dr. A. L. Heermanu. He describes the nest as 

 placed in the topmost branches of an oak, composed externally of large twigs, and 



1 In Lieutenant Eland's Catalogue of the Birds of Nova Scotia, it is given as " migratory," and " not 

 common." 



