Henninger-Jones — On Falcones of North America. 207 



Plumage. 



Adult male : top of head, wing coverts and inner quills slate 

 blue, the former with a rufous crown patch, the latter black 

 spotted and crossed by a heavy black bar ; sides of head and 

 throat white, black stripe from lower eyelid, proceeding down- 

 ward, another transverse black bar on the side of the neck and 

 a black spot in the middle of the cervix ; rest of upper parts, 

 including tail, bright, rich chestnut rufous, black bars across 

 the middle of the back, broad black subterminal bar on the 

 tail, the central feathers tipped with rufous, the others with 

 white. Lower parts white or huffy, or even rufous, with or 

 without black spots, wing quills spotted with white on the 

 inner webs, primaries with blackish. 



Adult female : general coloration like the male, but with 

 black bars over the back, wings and tail, the tail with ten or 

 more bars ; below streaked with rusty brown, sides often barred 

 with blackish. 



Young like adults. 



Flight and Habits. 



A bold, handsome, fearless hawk, sitting erect ; swift of 

 flight, with a forward and backward tendency to the wing 

 stroke, often hovering or fluttering over prey or in search of 

 food, circling high and playing with the wind in the mating 

 season. Frequent about human habitations, nesting in cupolas 

 or other places about buildings. 



Food. 



Principally mice and grasshoppers, English Sparrows, also 

 other small rodents ; sometimes lizards, small snakes, small 

 song birds, various insects and larvae, and spiders. 



Voice. 



"Kle kle kle kle kle"— "Kee hee." 



Nest. 



In hollow trees, in crevices of rocks, in holes of river banks, 

 in buildings. Often no nesting material is placed in the hole, 

 but sometimes considerable is used. Nests from April 1 south 

 to June 1 north. 



