809 
species known. It was first described by Wilson, from a specimen shot by 
him, while it was feeding on a meadow-mouse. Audubon obtained the 
individual from which he made his drawing of the female, in its own nest 
while sitting on its eggs. And it did not have spirit enough to defend 
either itself or nest, but was quietly tied in a handkerchief, carried home, 
then placed on a stick, and sat for its portrait, without even moving. 
When done with, Mr. A. opened the window, and let the bird fly, when it 
sailed slowly off to the woods. 
It seldom attacks other birds of any size, contenting itself with very 
young chickens or ducklings, small birds, snakes, meadow-mice, frogs and 
insects. The little Sparrow-hawk and Kingbird drive it off without much 
effort. Its nest is built in the forks of a tree, and much resembles that of 
acrow. The eggs are generally five, of a greyish white, blotched with 
dark brown. From its peaceable habits, this hawk can do but hitle dam- 
age, for the hen can easily protect her chickens from its assaults. 
The Broad-Winged Hawk is so called from the great breadth of the 
wings through the secondary quill feathers. It flies with an easy, gliding 
motion, and in circles. The following description, taken from Cassin’s 
“‘Tilustration of Birds,” is better than any we could write, and applies to 
the specimens we have seen: 
‘t ADULT.—Entire upper-parts dark umber-brown; feathers on the back 
of the neck white at their bases; throat white, with narrow longitudinal 
lines of brown, and with a patch of brown on each side, running from the 
base of the lower mandible; breast with a wide band composed of large 
cordate and sagittate spots and transverse stripes of reddish-ferruginous 
tinged with ashy; other under-parts white, with numerous sagittate spots 
disposed to form transverse bands on the lower part of the breast, flanks, 
abdomen and tibiz. In some specimens, in winter plumage, the ferrugi- 
nous color predominates on all the under-parts, except the under tail-cov- 
erts, and all the feathers have large circular spots on each edge; under 
tail-coverts white; tail dark-brown, narrowly tipped with white, and with 
one broad band of white and several other narrow bands near the base ; 
quills brownish-black, widely bordered with pure white on their inner 
webs, Youna.—Plumage above umber-brown, edged on the head and 
back of the neck with fulvous, and with many feathers on other upper- 
parts, edged with the same color and ashy-white; upper tail-coverts spotted 
with pure white; under-parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, 
