5o8 THE SWAINSON HAWK. 



of sticks occui)ii.-(l a niche ahuul hall' \\a\- up ilic lace of an eighly-fmit wall. 

 Upon our approach Ihe widowed bird dashetl at us witli aiigr\- cries, hut as 

 soon as we came near enough to mark the three hawklets, little downy, white 

 fellows a week or so old, he nidunted rapidly inln the air, and described great 

 circles of solicitude a half mile above our heails. 



While aloft, a male Prairie Falcon, wdiose eyrie we fnund later. 1i>ok it 

 into his he;id to persecute the Red-tail. He circled aliout rajiidly and htn-lcd 

 himself again and again at the Hawk, but each time, at the expected moment 

 of cont.act, the Buzzard turned deftly face up, presenting his talons to the ]ier- 

 secutor; and each time, of course, the Falcon swerved short to a\oid the iiarry. 

 Both tlie birds were very much in earnest, to judge from the harsh cries which 

 e.scaped them at the moment of "i)resent talons"; but it was evidently an nld 

 game and an idle one, too, for the Falcon, for no matter at what range or fnim 

 what angle he struck, the Red-tail was always ready, with a quick half-somer- 

 sault, to receive him. Conducted thus in the open in a fierce glare of sunlight, it 

 was surely a battle for the gods to witness — e\-en iho the issue was only ;i flraw. 



No. 206. 



SWAINSON'S HAWK. 



A. O. I'. No. 342. Biiteo swainsoni llonap. 



Description. — . Idiilt male in uoriiial f^hiiiiaiie: U]5perparts dark brown some- 

 what varied li\- ]ialer > ir reddish brown; feathers of crown white basally, with 

 narrow dark shaft-streaks: ui)per tail-coverts reddish brown and white with dusky 

 bars (area usualK mnspicuous as whitish patch in flight) ; flight feathers slaty to 

 dark hi'nwn 1 acmrding to age), more or less varied on inner webs by darker bars 

 alternating with whitish ; tail crossed by 8 or 10 narrow blackish bands : throat 

 pure white; chest crossed ljy Ijroad band of bright chestnut marked by blackish 

 shaft-lines; remaining underparts white varied more or less by reddish brown. 

 /;; iiichmistic l>Iiasc. throat pencilled with Ijlack and underparts clouded, chiefly 

 in crosswise pattern, with cliestnut ; upperparts dark sooty brown. (.All stages 

 of intergradation between this and normal plumage.) Bill bluish black above and 

 on tip, bright vellow on cere, gape, and base of lower mandible; feet blackish ; iris 

 brown. .Idiilt female: Similar to male but cbest-liand much darker, dark chestnut 

 to brownish black, and remaining undcriiarts clouded and barred with chestnut 

 or black on white ground, and white-l)arred posteriorly. In melanistic phase, 

 dark sooty brown above. Imiiiatiirc: .\bove dark brown varied by tawny edgings 

 of feathers; head, neck, and un<lerparts. including lining of wings, dull tawny or 

 light brown marked wdth lilackish, head and neck sharply and narrowly streaked, 

 breast, flanks, etc., spotted or blotched variously, with blackish ; quills and rectrices 

 somewhat as in adult but barring less distinct. Adult male, length: 19.00-20.00 

 (482.6-508) : extent 49.00 ( 1244.fi) ; wing 15.20 (386.1 ) : tail 8.50 (215.9) : tarsus 



