FALCONID^ — BUTEONINJE : BUZZARDS. 545 



with reduction, interruption, or extinction of all these bars except the last one. Under parts 

 somewhat as in the adult, but, like the upper, without the fulvous or rufous shades ; usually 

 wliite, unmarked in a large pectoral area, with circlet of throat stripes, and pronounced abdom- 

 inal zone of dark or blackish markiugs; tibise spotted or not; crissum immaculate. There 

 should be no diificulty in recognizing this hawk among those of the Eastern U. S. in any 

 plumage; the red tail of tlie adult is of course distinctive; a weakly young male might raise a 

 doubt with reference to B. lineatus; in that case, notice the stout tarsi, feathered about half- 

 way down ; the decided white pectoral area, free from spots, circumscribed by dark markings, 

 especially those of the abdominal zone; and absence of any reddishness on the upper parts or 

 \nng-coverts. Such is the ordinary " hen hawk " so abundant in Eastern North America, 

 where it is subject to comparatively little variation. In the West, however, where it is equally 

 numerous, it sports almost interminably iu color, and not always conformably with geograph- 

 ical distribution. Several of these phases have received special names, as given beyond. 

 I am willing to spread them upon my page, but too much of my life is behind me for me to 

 spend much time in such trivial mutabilities. The tendency is to melanism and erythrism, the 

 extreme case of which is B. calurus of Cassin. A pure borenlis, exactly matching the normal 

 Eastern type, is seldom seen in the West. But in all its color-variation, the bird preserves its 

 specific characters of size and robust proportions, being thus readily distinguishable from the 

 smaller and weaker species, B. swainsoni, in any of the endless and somewhat parallel varia- 

 tions of the latter. The nest is usually built high in a tree, a bulky mass of sticks and smaller 

 twigs, mixed toward the centre with grass, moss, or other soft material, and often some feathers. 

 Eggs generally 3, about 2.40X2.00, dull whitish, sometimes with only a few pale markings, 

 oftener boldly and riclily blotched with warm shades of brown. The young are slow to acquire 

 their perfect plumage, being long full-gro\\Ta before the red appears upon the tail, and this 

 usually precedes the fulvous of the under parts. 



B. b. calu'rus. (Gr. koKos, kalos, beautiful; ovpd, oura, tail.) Western Red-tail. Black 

 Red-tail. The extreme case is chocolate -brown or even darker, quite unicolor, with rich red 

 tail crossed by several black bars ; fi-om which erythro-melanism grading insensibly into 

 ordinary borealis. The usual case is increase over borealis of dark rufous and dusky shades 

 in bars and spots underneath, particularly on the flanks, flags, and crissum, and presence of other 

 than the subtermiual black bar on the tail. One case is chocolate-brown, with a great reddish 

 blotch on the breast. Western N. Am. at large, particularly U. S. from R. Mts. to the 

 Pacific. 



B. b. lucasa'nus. (Of Cape St. Lucas.) St. Lucas Red-tail. A light-colored fonn, like 

 krideri, white below, tinged with rufous on the tibiae, and no black subterminal bar (ra the tail. 

 Lower Cala. 



B. b. kri'deri. (To John Krider.) Krider's Red-tail. A light-colored form, pure white 

 below, with few markings or none, and the subterminal tail-bar reduced or obliterated. High 

 central plains, U. S. This and the last hardly tenable. 



* * * Lightweights ; 4 outer primaries cut. 

 B. linea'tus. (Lat. lineatus, striped.) Red-shouldered Buzzard. Winter Hawk. 

 " Chicken Hawk." Adult ^ 9 : Feet and cere chrome yellow, the anterior tarsal scales 

 tinged with greenish. General plumage of a rich fulvous cast. Above, reddish -brown, the 

 feathers with dark brown centres, giving the prevailing tone, and black shafts; head, neck, 

 and entire under parts orange-bro\vn, mostly with dark shaft-linos and white bars, especially 

 on the lower parts posteriorly ; lesser wing-coverts rich orange-brown or chestnut, fonning a 

 conspicuous area on the bend of the wing. Quills and tail-feathers black, beautifully marked 

 with white ; the primaries and secondaries with white spots or bars on both webs terminating 

 on each edge oi the feather, the light bars which cross the feather, and the darker intervening 



