Richardson's Pigeon-Hawk 189 



mountains and a few perhaps stay out the winter. Rockwell saw an 

 example on Plateau creek in Mesa co. at about 6,000 feet, December 

 23rd, 1901. Other notices are : Estes Park, not uncommon (Kellogg), 

 Denver (McGregor), El Paso co.. May (Aiken coll.), Wet Mountains 

 to 8,500 feet (Lowe) ; Fort Lewis, breeding (Morrison). 



Habits. — The Pigeon-Hawk is a bold little bird, and 

 represents the Merlin of Europe. It preys chiefly on 

 other birds, often successfully attacking those larger than 

 itself, such as Mourning Doves, Flickers and Grackles. 

 In the summer it catches large numbers of insects, 

 especially dragon-flies and grasshoppers, Cooke stated 

 that it breeds from the plains to about 9,000 feet, but 

 the only account of its nesting in Colorado, which I 

 have met with, is that of Morrison, who took a set of 

 five eggs, June 3rd, 1887, near Fort Lewis. The nest 

 was in a clump of alders about eight feet up, and was 

 composed of small twigs loosely put together, and lined 

 with dry grass and a few feathers. 



Bendire states that the nest is sometimes an open 

 one in a spruce or other tree, sometimes placed in a 

 hollow limb, and at other times on ledges of cliffs or 

 bluffs. The eggs, generally four in number, are creamy- 

 white, blotched or sometimes wholly suffused with 

 reddish-brown, and measure I'G x 1'25. 



Richardson's Pigeon- Hawk. 

 Falco columbarius richardsoni. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 357b — Colorado Records — Ridgway 73, p. 186 

 Coues 74, p. 347 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 197 ; Drew 85, p. 17 

 Morrison 89, p. 65 ; Goss 91, p. 286 ; Lowe 94, p. 267 ; Cooke 97, p. 76 

 Henderson 09, p. 229 ; Horsey & Rockwell 09, p. 117. 



Description. — ResembUng F. columbarius, but lighter in colour, and 

 the tail with five almost white bands alternating with five black bands, 

 the broader terminal black one tipped with white ; the primaries 

 distinctly spotted on the outer webs. Dimensions the same. 



The female and young male are quite different from the corresponding 

 stages in the type species. Above earthy-brown, each feather with a 



