BUTEO SWAINSONI, SWAINSON's BUZZARD. 359 



hoppers. They procure gophers, mice, and other small qnadrnpeds, both 

 by waiting patiently at the mouth of the holes, ready to claw out the 

 unlucky animals the moment they show their noses, and by sailing low 

 over the ground to pick up such as they may find away from home. 

 But I question whether, after all, insects do not furnish their principal 

 subsistence. Those that I shot after midsummer all had their craws 

 stuffed with grasshoppers. These insects, which appear sometimes in 

 almost inconceivable numbers, seem to be the natural source of supply 

 for a variety of animals. Wolves, foxes, badgers, and even rodents, 

 like gophers, supposed vegetarians, come down to them. Sand-hill 

 Cranes stalk over the plains to spear them by thousands. Wild fowl 

 waddle out of the reedy pools to scoop them up. We may kill scores 

 of Sharp tailed Grouse, iu September, to find in every one of them a 

 mass of grasshoppers, only leavened with a few grubs, beetles, leaves, 

 berries, and succulent tops of plants. It is amusing to see a Hawk 

 catching grasshoppers, skipping about in an awkward way, and looking 

 as if he w^ere rather ashamed of being seen in such a performance. 

 Food being abundant and easily procured, the birds become extremely 

 fat early in the autumn, and lazy withal. Unaccustomed to the pres- 

 ence of man in these regions, they may be approached with little diffi- 

 culty as they perch on the trees ; and they often fly unwillingly within 

 short range. When brought down winged, they show no lack of spiiit, 

 and must be prudently dealt with, as their talons are very effective weap- 

 ons of defense. 



Changes of plumage -with age affect more particularly the under parts, the back, 

 wings, and tail being more nearly alike at all times. 



Youn(j-of-thc-year (both sexes). Entire upper parts dark brown, everywhere varied 

 with tawny edgings of the individual feathers. The younger the bird, the more marked 

 is the variegation ; it corresponds in tints closely with the color of the under parts, 

 being palest in very young examples. Under parts, including lining of wings, nearly 

 unilorm fawn-color (pale, dull yellowish-brown), thickly and sharply marked with 

 blackish-brown. These large dark spots, for the most part circular or guttiform, crowd 

 across the forebreast, scatter on the middle belly, enlarge to cross-bars on the Hanks, 

 become broad arrow-heads on the lower belly and tibitc, and are wanting on the throat, 

 which is only marked with a sharp, narrow, blackish penciling along the median line. 

 Quills brownish-black, the outer webs with an ashy shade, tlie inner webs toward the 

 base grayish, ])aler, and marbled with white, and also showing obscure darii cross- 

 bars ; their siiafts black on top, nearly white underneath. Tail-feathers like the quills, 

 but more decidedly shaded with ashy or slate-gray, and tipped with whitish ; their 

 numerous dark cross-bars show more plainly than those of the quills, but are not so 

 evident as they are in the old birds. 



Adults (either sex). Upper parts dark brown, very variable in shade according to 

 season or wear of the feathers, varied with paler l)rown, or even rcddisli-lirown edg- 

 ings of the feathers, but without the clear fawn-color of the young ; tlie featiiers of 

 the ci"own showing wliitish when disturbed, and usually sliarji, dark sliaft-lines ; the 

 iijtper tail-coverts chestnut and white, with l)lackish bars. Quills and tail-feathers as 

 before, bat the iinier webs of (he former showing more decided dark cross-bars upon a 

 lighter nuirbled-whitish ground, and the latter having broader and sharper, dark wavy 

 bars. These large quills, and jtarticularly those of the tail, vary much in shade ac- 

 cording to wear, the new feathers being strongly slate-colored, the old ones jdain dark 

 brown. The tail, however, never shows ;iny trace of the rich chestnut that obtains iu 

 the adult 11. horvaVm. Mah; : Under parts showing a broad j)eetoral area of bright 

 chestnut, usually with a glaucous cast, and displaying sliarp, black shalt-lines ; this 

 area contrasting sharply with (he pure white throat. Other under parts white, more 

 or less tinged and varied, in dillerent speeimens, with light chestnut. In soiiu- males, 

 this chestnut is diminished to traces, chielly in tiank-bars and arrow-hea<ls, and the 

 white throat is immarulale ; in others, the tliroat shows l>la(kish penciiling, and tho 

 rest of the under parts are so much marked with eliestnut, chietly in eross-ltars, that 

 this color predominates over the whiti^, and appears in direct continuation of the jx-c- 

 toral area itself. Some feathers of tliis area arc eonniionly tlark lirow ii. Frmalc: Much 

 darker underneath than the male; throat pure wiiitc. but other undrr jiarts piobably 

 ntiver whitening decidedly, rcetoral area liom rich, dark chistMut (U niahogany-eolor, 

 mixed with still darker feathers, to brownish-black; and other under parts heavily 



