*222 BUTEO PENNSYLVANICUS — BROAD WINGED HAWK. 



eggs, and it did not have spirit enough to defend either 

 itself or its nest, but was quietly tied in a liandkerchief, 

 carried home, then placed on a stick, and sat for its por- 

 trait, without even moving. When done with, Mr. Audu- 

 bon opened the window and let the bird fly, when it sailed 

 slowly oflF 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 King Bird drive it off without much effort. Its nest is 

 built in the forks of a tree, and much resembles that of a 

 Crow. The eggs are generally five, of a greyish white, 

 blotched with dark brown. From its peaceable habits 

 this Hawk can do but little damage, 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 Illustration of 

 Birds, is better than any we could write, and applies to 

 the specimens we have seen: 



''^ Adult. — Entire upper parts dark umber brown; feath- 

 ers on the back of the neck white at their bases. Throat 

 white, witli narrow longitudinal lines of brown, and with a 

 patch ol brown on each side, running from the base of the 

 lower mandible; breast with a wide band composed of 

 wide cordate and sagittate spots and transverse stripes of 

 reddish furruginous 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 tibiae. In some specimens, in winter plu- 

 mage, the ferruginous color predominates on all the under 

 parts, except the under tail coverts, and all the feathers 

 have large circular spots on the edge; under tail coverts 

 white. Tail dark brown, narrowly tipped with white, and 

 with one broad band of white and several other narrower 



