BIRDS OF KANSAS. 251 



with a yellowish tinse; this most perceptible ou the tibiie. Each feather with 

 a medial loiigimdinal ovate spot of blackish brown, more reddish on the lower 

 parts. The chin, throat, aud a broad superciliary stripe, are immaculate white. 

 Lower tail coverts each with a medial acumiuate spot of rusty, the shafts black. 

 Upper parts browuish black; wing coverts, scapulars and interscapulars, feath- 

 ers of the rump, and the upper tail coverts, narrowly bordered with ochra- 

 ceotis white, and with concealed quadrate spots of the same; primary coverts, 

 secondaries and primaries sharply bordered terminally with pure white. Tail 

 black (faintly whitish at the tip), with three (exposed) obscure bands of a moie 

 slaty tint; this changing to white ou the inner webs, in the form of angular 

 spots forming the bands. Lining of the wing pale ochraceous, transversely 

 spotted with rusty rufous; under primary coverts with transverse spots of 

 white." 



stretch of 



Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. Cere. 



Male 14.25 35.75 11.50 6.00 1.35 .05 .25 



Female... 14.50 36.25 11.75 6.85 l.,35 .06 .25 



Iris lake red; bill, cere and claws black; legs red; upper parts 

 of feet brownish red, bottoms yellowish. Young: Iris brown- 

 ish red; legs and feet brownish. 



This species is common in portions of the lower Mississippi val- 

 ley, westward into Texas and the Indian Territory. The birds in- 

 habit the timber skirting the streams upon our prairies. Their 

 motions in the air are graceful and easy, sailing and circling for 

 hours, in search of grasshoppers and other insects, and I have 

 seen them swoop down, and, with their claws, snatch lizards from 

 the ground, rocks and old logs, sometimes stopping to eat them, 

 but, as a rule, feeding on the wing. I never saw them chase 

 or disturb other birds, and, upon dissection, have failed to find a 

 feather. The birds do not appear to fear them in the least, 

 many nesting upon their breeding grounds. 



Their nests are placed in the forks from the main body of the 

 trees, or in the forks of the larger limbs. They range in height 

 from twenty-five to fifty feet from the ground, and are built of 

 sticks, and lined with leaves and green twigs in leaf. Without 

 the green twigs they would be taken for the nests of the com- 

 mon Crow. In the spring of 1887, I collected, on the Medicine 

 Kiver, in Barber county, Kansas, seven sets of eggs (two a full 

 set), that measure as follows: 1st, 1.55x1.33, 1.52x1.36; 2d, 

 1.76x1.48, 1.65x1.35; 3d, 1.70x1.39, 1.56x1.35; 4th, 1.70x 

 1.37, 1.68x1.30; 5th, 1.75x1.30; 6th, 1.54x1.31, 1.4.5x1.24; 



