BIRDS OF KANSAS. 261 



and an examination of many of their stomachs, I have reached 

 the conchision tliat they are far more beneficial than injurious, 

 in fact, one of his best friends. In flight they are slow, but 

 steady and strong, with a regular beat of the wings; they also 

 delight to sail in the air, where they float lightly, and with 

 scarcely an apparent motion of the wings, often circling to a 

 great height; and during the insect season, while thus sailing, 

 often fill their craws with grasshoppers, that during the after 

 part of the day also enjoy a sail in the air. 



Their nests are placed in the forks of the branches of the 

 tallest trees on the timbered bottom lands; a bulk}^ structure, 

 made of sticks, and lined sparingly with grass, leaves and a few 

 feathers. Eggs two to four, usually two or three, 2.30x1.84; 

 bluish white, thinly and irregularly spotted and blotched with 

 various shades of light to dark brown; in form, elliptical to 

 oval. 



Buteo borealis kriderii Hoopes. 



KRIDER'S HAWK. 

 PLATE XVI. 



I have a female in the " Goss Ornithological Collection," that 



I shot near Wallace, Kansas, and I have since met with the birds in 



the western part of the State, where they no doubt occasionally 



breed. 



B. . R. 436a. C. 519. G. , 120. U. 337a. 



Habitat. The Great Plains, from Minnesota to southern Texas; 



east casually to Illinois and Iowa. 



Sp. Char. '■''Adult: Similar to B. boi'ealis, but beneath continuous pure white, 

 witliout rufous tinge, and without distinct spots across the abdomen, or lacking 

 them entirely; above much lighter, the brown, light rufous and white being 

 about equal in amount. Upper tail coveits immaculate white; tail pale rufous, 

 the shafts pui'e white, and the webs mixed with white along their edges, its 

 amount increasing toward the base; no trace of a dusky terminal bar. or else 

 only indicated by badlj'-defined spots. Young: Differing from that of B. bore- 

 alis in the immaculate suowy white lower parts, nearly equal extent of the 

 white and dusky on the upper parts, and whitish cast of the tail." 



stretch of 

 Length. wing. IFing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. Cere. 



Male 21.50 50.00 15.35 9.50 3.10 1.00 ..50 



Female.... 23.50 53.25 16.75 10.00 .3.20 1.10 .55 



