BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 325 



in B. lagopus, more firm, with feathers distinctly outlined, in B. 

 hemilasius; loral region densely covered with antrorse feathers with 

 bristlelike tips, the latter more or less recurved terminally, those 

 on lower portion of lores straight and directed downward; tips of 

 outer and longer primaries subacuminate; plumelike feathers of thighs 

 greatly developed, the tips of longer ones reaching to base of toes; 

 tarsi (except planta tarsi) densely covered with shorter feathers to 

 base of toes. Coloration extremely variable, the colors mostly 

 brown and white, or buffy white, intermixed in adults with grayish 

 and blackish, the young more brown and buflty; tail always barred 

 or banded, at least on basal half. A melanistic phase, in which the 

 plumage (at least in adults) is deep black, with white on forehead, 

 inner webs of primaries (broader proximal portion) at basal half of tail. 

 Range. — Northern parts of Northern Hemisphere. (Two species, 

 one of them restricted to eastern Asia.) 



BUTEO LAGOPUS S.-JOHANNIS (Gmelin) 



American Rough-legged Hawk 



Adult (sexes alike). — Light phase: Extremely variable, the follow- 

 ing description based on a series rather than taken from an individual: 

 Forehead and lores buffy whitish; top of head, cheeks, auriculars, 

 occiput and nape the same, streaked with fuscous, sometimes washed 

 with cinnamon-rufous; scapulars, interscapulars, and upper back 

 similar, but each feather with a very broad medioterminal dark 

 fuscous or fuscous-black mark, making these regions much more 

 heavily streaked, and, consequently, much more blackish brown in 

 appearance than the nape and head; upper wing coverts varying from 

 dark hair brown to fuscous-black, the lesser ones usually tipped with 

 dull Saccardo's umber; the median and greater ones sometimes with 

 partly concealed indistinct bars of darker browTiish, and with (rarely) 

 the white basal part of the feathers showing; secondaries grayish 

 hair brown becoming whitish on the inner edge of the inner web, 

 narrowly tipped with whitish, and crossed with usually seven rather 

 UTegular bars of fuscous or chaetura drab; primaries externally 

 fuscous-black, very broadly tipped ^vith the same and with this color 

 extending along the shaft on the inner web where, proximal to the 

 point of emargination of the web, it sometimes forms small incomplete 

 bars on the rest of the inner webs, which are white; the fourth 

 primary (from the outside) the longest; third equal to fifth; second 

 intermediate between fifth and sixth; first equal to eighth; the four 

 outermost primaries with the inner webs strongly emarginated; lower 

 back and rump like the upper back but darker, the pale markings 

 much reduced in extent, sometimes even wholly wanting; upper tail 

 coverts whitish barred with fuscous-black, the middle ones most 



