196 Bird Studies. 



ent individuals from cream color to deep yellowish buff, and are streaked with 

 dusky or black, except on the throat. 



In immature birds the under parts are niuch the same in appearance. 

 The upper parts however are dusky brown, and the broken band on the 

 back of the neck is buff in color, as is the barring to the wings and tail. The 

 terminal bar of the tail is whitish. 



The nest is placed in trees in hollows in the limbs, and on ledges on the 

 face of cliffs. The eggs, four to five in number, are about one inch and three 

 fifths. long by nearly an inch and a quarter in their other diameter. They 

 vary much in color and markings, some being almost white, marked with 

 reddish brown and chocolate, others being deep reddish brown, marked with 

 darker shades of brown and chocolate. There is every possible gradation, 

 between these two extremes. The birds are found throughout North Amer- 

 ica. They breed from the Northern United States northward, and winter 

 from the South Atlantic and Gulf States to Northern South America. 



This hawk resembles in its habits the Broad-winged Hawk, but is much 



more shy, and is a little larger in size, being about seventeen and a half 



inches in length. It is a woodland bird, those which I 



^°^ I ^v^ „^^, 'have personally seen frequenting " hammocks "and heavy 



Buteo brachyurus VieiU. r J ^ ^ j 



cypress growths. In this country it has so far been found 

 only in Florida, though it ranges south through parts of Mexico into South 

 America. In Florida it is of recfular occurrence, though not common. 



There are two distinct color phases of this bird, and it is not improbable 

 that they may be found to correlate with the sexes on further careful study. 



In one of these, that which seems to prevail largely among male birds, 

 the entire bird is very dark in color. The upper parts being darkest, almost 

 black, have a slight lustre, the forehead is indistinctly white, and the tail 

 above is a little lighter than the back, and barred with the color of the back. 

 The lower surface of the tail and wings is silvery gray. The lower parts are 

 like the back, but not quite so dark. 



The lighter phase, wdiich so far as I have examined the birds seems to 

 prevail among females, is characterized by the upper parts being brown, with 

 a strong suffusion of gray or slate color. The tail is barred with black and 

 tipped with white, and its under surface is silver gray. The forehead is 

 obscurely whitish and the lower parts are white with chestnut brownish 

 markings on the sides of the breast. In both phases the eyes are brown. 



