FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 155 



berry, and on climbing the tree I found a heavy platform of sticks 

 three feet wide lined with Spanish moss. The young blundered out 

 on my approach, showing the nest to be fairly covered with bones 

 of wood rats. There were a dozen skulls, and bones, legs, skin, 

 and fur were strewn over the nest. Vernon Bailey. 



GENUS BUTEO. 



General Characters. — Size mecliimi and large, form heavy ; wings longer 

 than tail ; enuirginate primaries o or 4 ; sexes alike or similar ; female 

 larger than male ; melanism frequent. 



. KEY TO ADULT MALES. 



1. Three outer primaries with inner 



webs distinctly cut out ^^^^^^^=- 



2. Primaries exceeding secondaries 



by nearly lengtli of tail. Fig. 225. 



senuetti, p. 158. 

 2'. Primaries exceeding secondaries by much less than length of tail. 



8. Wing over 14 swains oni, p. 159. 



8. Wing under 11.50 platypterus, p. 160. 



1'. Four outer primaries with inner webs cut out. 



'2. Outer webs of primaries spotted witli white, huffy, ^jtjy ^Orw'tp 



or brownish elegans. p. 157. »X^-*-*-^fe 



2'. Outer webs of primaries without white, biiffy, or Fig. 226. 



brownish spots, but with quadrate bands. 



3. Tail black or blackish 



From Uiolt)(,'ical Sumy, U. S. Dcjit. ..f 



Atcriciilture. 



Fig. 228. 



crossed by wliite zones. 



abbreviatus. p. 157. 



'■) . Tail with more or less 



of reddish brown. Fig. 227. 



4. Upper parts strikingly marked and 

 spotted with white. 



kriderii. p. 15(i. 

 4'. Upper parts not strikingly spotted 

 with white. 

 5. Tail dark rufous. 



borealis, p. 1.55. 

 5. Tail pale rufous, caluriis.p. 15(5. 



337. Buteo borealis (Gnu!.). 

 lli.it-rAiLii) Hawk. 

 . lr/»//,s-. — Ujiper parts blackish brown, 

 u ith white and gray markings ; tail rcd- 

 i/isli hroiru. tisually with black snbter- 

 miu.-il band ; under parts white to black- 

 ish, with or without riisty on breast. 

 Youuij : tail gray, crossed by (5 to 10 

 dark bands ; belly cros-sed by blackish 

 zone. Mole : length 10.00-22.50, wing 

 1:5.50-16.50, tail 8.50-10.00, bill .05- 



