364 ARCHIBUTEO FERRUGINEUS, FERRUGINEOUS BUZZARD. 



ArcMhutco regaJis, Gray, List B. Br. Mus. 39. 

 Buieo califormciix, Ghayson, Hutchin's Cal. Mag. Mar. 1857. 

 Arvhibitteo sancU-johannis {partbn), Bp., Cousp. Av. i, IS.'SO, 18. 

 Buteo sancti-johannis {partim), Schl., M. P.-B. i, 1862, Buteones, p. 2. 



Hub. — Western United States, chiefly from Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. Sas- 

 katchewan {Blaklston). Little Missouri River (Hayden). Platte River ( Wood). Texas 

 {Keiuierly and Dresser). 



Lieutenant Warren, s Expedition. — 4544, Little Missouri River, Dakota. 



In uuiting this species with A. sanetijokannis, Bonaparte subsequently 

 received the high indorsement of Prof. Schlegel's authority ; and I 

 understand that Mr. Allen is also disinclined to allow its validity, tak- 

 ing it as a somewhat parallel case with that of Buteo '■^elegans,''^ in the 

 increased amount of reddish colors displayed. With my present infor- 

 mation, however, I must decide that it is a good species, and to my 

 closet-studies of the bird I add no little experience with it in the field. 

 It has aflbrded me perfectly good characters, and I have seen no indica- 

 tion of its grading into the ordinary form. In perfect plumage, not often 

 seen, the under parts are entirely pure white, excepting the rich, deep 

 chestnut legs, barred crosswise with black ; the back and wings are 

 largely ferrugineous. The young, as usual, differ materially ; the under 

 parts are white, extensively streaked and arrows-headed with dark brown, 

 including the legs. The sexes are alike in color, but the female is larger 

 than the male, being 23 to 24 inches long, spreading about 56, the wing 

 about 17; tail, 10; cere, corners of mouth, and toes, yellow; claws, black; 

 naked skin of the superciliary shield, greenish and crimson; bill, bluish- 

 black ; eye of the old birds, pale yellow ; of the young, brown. Numer- 

 ous anatomical features are given in my article of 18G6, above quoted. 



This large and handsome Hawk has been long described and nomi- 

 nally known, though until recently very little had been recorded of its 

 habits, and its extensive dispersion in the West remained unsuspected. 

 Originally described from California by Prof. Lichtenstein, in 1838, it 

 was first brought to the notice of American ornithologists by Mr. E. M. 

 Kern, in 184G, while attached to Colonel Fremont's Expedition. His 

 specimens from Tulare Valley, California, came under the observation 

 of Mr. Cassin, who, in 1851, gave us a good plate and descrii^tion, accom- 

 panied by the field-notes of Dr. Heermanu, who met with the bird in 

 California. Since then it has been very generally noticed by naturalists 

 in California, where it is the most characteristic and one of the most 

 abundant species of its family. I frequently observed it, and procured 

 several fine specimens at Fort Whipple, in Arizona, where it is resident 

 and common. Dr. T. C. Henry noticed it in New Mexico, at Fort Fill- 

 more, and Dr. Kennerly even in Texas. It has twice been observed in 

 the Missouri region : On the Platte, by Lieutenant Bryan's party, in 

 185G, and on the Little Missouri Kiver, along the western border of 

 Dakota, adjoining Montana, by Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. These 

 latter quotations may represent its real dispersion in those directions, 

 IS at any rate they do our knowledge in the matter. 



Although belonging to a group technically said to be "ruling '^Buz- 

 zards {^^Archibuteo"), it is difficult to see where the claim to royal purple 

 lies in this species and others of the same genus, for they certainly 

 lack the qualities that go to make Hawks famous. Viewing their 

 splendid presence, we wonder, as a late writer says, " that the object of 

 such an admirable organization is nothing more important than the 

 destruction of the smallest and most defenceless of quadrupeds or of 

 reptiles. Yet such is apparently the case. Many of the birds of this 

 group, though powerful in structure, and furnished with the usual 

 aj^i^aratus of strong and sharp bill and claws, and other accompaui- 



