FALCONID.E — THE HAWKS - ARCHIBUTEO. 483 



spotted with brown ; under parts pure wliite, with a few streaks of brown on the breast ; 

 and sagittate brown spots on sides and abdomen, Larger and more numerous on the flanks ; 

 tibiie wliite ; tarsi ihirk brown, mixed with white ; under wing coverts and edges of wings 



wliite. 



Lenjjth, 21.00 to 25.00 ; extent, 52.00 to 5fi.00 ; wing, 17.00 to 17.75 ; tail, 8.00 to 9.00. 

 Iris liruwn ; bill black and horn ; cere and feet yellow. 



Ilab. Western Xorth America, Mexico. 



Tliis large ami powerful liird aliminds in spring ami fall in the south- 

 western parts of California, migrating in summer through the interior 

 plains at least as far north as the Dalles of the Columbia and the Platte 

 Rivers. I found it common in December at Martinez, and few probably mi- 

 grate lieyond this State. It is usually seen slowly sailing over the plains, 

 sometimes in circles, occasionally pouncing down obliquely on its prey, 

 which consists chiefly of the large ground-squirrels. It usually alights 

 on the ground, Ijut often on trees also. I have not discovered its nest 

 and eggs, but Dr. Ileermann thus describes it as found by him on the 

 Cosunmes Eiver, in 18.51 : "While climbing a tree to examine some mag- 

 ■ pies' nests, tlie hawk in flying from her own betrayed her retreat. It was 

 placed in the centre of a bunch of mistletoe springing from the forks of the 

 oak, and was composed of coarse twigs, lined with grasses and moss ; the 

 eggs, two in number, being white, marked with faint Ijrown dashes." 



This hawk appears to attack poultry but rarely, limiting its prey to the 

 wild animals, and should therefore be considered rather as a friend than an 

 enemy to the farmer. This may be said, indeed, of all the birds of this sub- 

 family, wliich may be seen in large numbers in the thinly settled districts 

 watching from tlie tree-tops, but rarely approaching the farm-yard. 



Archibuteo lagopus, Gmeux. 

 THE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 



Fako hfjopus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I. 178S, 2G0. — Wilson, Am. Orn. IV. 59; pi. S3 

 (young). — Bideo lagopus, Audubos, Binls Amer. pi. 1C6 ami 422. — Xcttall, Man. I. 

 90.—°Arc!ubiUeo lagopus, Gk.vy, Gen. Birds, 2d ed. 3. — C.^ssin, P. 11. Rep. Birds, IX. 



32. ICexnerly, X. iv. 19. — Cooper and Suckley, XII. iii. Zool. uf \V. T. 148. — 



CouES, Pr. A. X. Sc. 1866, 48. 



Sp. Cii.vr. Head above yellowish-white, witli reddish-brown stripes ; back, scapulars, 

 and shorter quills, pale ashy, with partly concealed transverse bands of white and dark 

 brown, the latter frequently prevailing on back; rump dark umber-brown: primaries 

 ed<'ed with ashy, a large space on their inner webs at base white. Under parts white, 

 throat with dark brown stripes, breast with larger spots and concealed reddish-brown 

 stripes; abdomen with numerous narrow bars of brownish-black, most conspicuous on 

 flanks, and tinged with ashy ; tibiic and tarsi barred transversely with white and dark 



