BIRDS OF 



The quarry of Swainson's Buzzard is of a very humble 

 nature. I never saw one swoop upon wild fowl or grouse, and 

 though they often strike rabbits like the Red-tails, their prey is 

 usually nothing larger than Gophers. Though really strong 

 and sufficiently fierce birds, they lack the 'snap' of the Falcons 

 and Asturs, and T scarcely think they are smart enough 

 to catch little birds very often, I saw ore make the attempt on 

 a Lark Bunting. The Hawk poised in the air at a height of 

 about 20 yards for fully a minute, fell heavily with an awkward 

 thrust of the talons — and missed. The little bird slipped off, 

 badly scared no doubt, but unhurt, while the enemy flapped 

 away sulkily, very likely to prowl around a Gopher hole for his 

 dinner, or take pot luck at grasshoppers." 



From the foregoing it will be seen that the home of Swain- 

 son's Buzzard is on the prairies of the Northwest, while in 

 Ontario it is only a casual visitor. I first met with it at an 

 agricultural fair in Hamilton in if^65, where a young specimen 

 was observed in a collection which was competing for a prize. 

 Being called upon to name the species to which it belonged, I 

 turned to such works of reference as were available and made 

 it out to be Bnteo Bn'trdi (Hoy.;, which is now known to be the 

 young oi Bntco Suniiisoiii. Since that time I have occasionally 

 seen birds in similar plumage flying overhead, but did not again 

 meet with it close enough for examination till the present 

 summer (1886) when I saw one in the hands of a local 

 taxidermist where it had been left to be "stuffed." It too was 

 a young bird, but in fine plumage with the characteristic 

 markings fully displaced. 



When we have more naturalists among our sportsmen, such 

 a bird as this will be more frequently brought to light. At 

 present should a hawk come along, when there is nothing better 

 in sight, it is killed in the interest of the game, but is seldom 

 picked up. 



i:i9. BUTEO LATISSIMUS (Wils.). 34:5. 



Broad-Dinged Ha^vk. 



Three outer primaries emarginnte on inner web. Above, umber-brown, 

 the feathers with pair'- or ••v.n with fulvous or ashy-white edging, those nf 



142 



