260 IIISTOllY OF THE 



deep rufous; tail rich uniform lateritious rufous, passing narrowly into white 

 at the tip, and about an inch (or less) from the end crossed by a narrow band 

 of black. Head and neck with the feathers medially blackish brown, their 

 edges rusty rufous, causing a streaked appearance; the rufous prevailing on the 

 sides of the occiput, the ear coverts and neck. The blackish almost uniform 

 on the forehead and on the cheeks, over which It forms a broad 'mustache; 

 lores and sides of frontlet whitish; throat white, with broad stripes of pure 

 slaty brown; lower parts in general ochraceous white; tibiae and lower tail cov- 

 erts immaculate; across the abdomen and flanks ( immediately in front of the 

 tibite) is a broad interrupted belt of longitudinal black blotches, those on the 

 abdomen tear shaped; on the flanks larger and more irregular, throwing off 

 bars toward the edge of the feathers; whole pectoral area variegated only with 

 a few shaft streaks of black ( these growing broader laterally), and sometimes 

 washed with rusty. Lining of the wing ochraceous white, with sparse diamond- 

 shaped spots of pale rufous, and shaft streaks of darker; under surface of pri- 

 maries white anterior to their emargiuatiou, beyond which they gradually deepen 

 into black; the innermost ones are finely mottled with slaty, and with imper. 

 feet transverse bars of the same. Young: Above similar to the adult, but lack- 

 ing entirely any rufous tinge, the scapulars and wing coverts more variegated 

 with whitish. Tail light grayish brown (very much lighter than the rump), 

 tiuged, especially basally, with rufous, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed 

 with nine or ten narrow, curved bands of black; upper tail coverts white, with 

 broad bars of black. Head as in the adult, but the rufous wanting, leaving the 

 streaks black and white; forehead more broadly white; chin and throat wholly 

 white, the latter with a collar of dusky streaks across the lower part; whole 

 pectoral region entirely innnaculate pure white; abdominal baud as in the adult; 

 tibiae somewhat tinged with ochraceous, uuvariegated," 



Iris of adult brown, of young yellowish; bill horn blue; cere 

 greenish yellow; legs and feet light yellow; claws bluish black. 



This large, muscular Hawk is rather evenly distributed 

 throughout its range in the United States, and northward. In 

 habits it is rather sluggish, feeding chiefly upon rabbits, mice 

 and moles, which it occasionally swoops down upon from the 

 air, but generally from a perch, where it patiently watches for 

 its prey. It now and then drops upon a Duck, Bob-white, or 

 stray fowl from the yard, but is not quick enough to catch the 

 smaller birds, and never gives chase after a bird on the wing. 

 It has not the courage or dash to venture within the dooryard, 

 unless in a secluded place, I know the farmer generally looks 

 upon them as an enemy, but after a careful study of their habits, 



