RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. 201 



For the privilege of including this sub-species among the " Birds 

 -of Ontario," I am indebted to the following notice which appears in 

 the Auk, Vol. Y., page 205 : 



'' I have obtained from Mr. J. Dodds, of St. Thomas, Ontario, a 

 fine adult male of the Western Red-tail (Bufeo horealis calurus) 

 which was killed near that place in the fall of 1885, by John Oxford, 

 This seems to be the first recoi'ded occurrence of this species in 

 Ontario." — W. E. Saunders, London, Ontario. 



Dr. Coues, who is always averse to making too many sub-species 

 after describing the ordinary Red-tail, says of this subject : " Such 

 is the ordinary Hen-hawk, so abundant in eastern North America, 

 Avhere it is subject to comparatively little variation. In the west 

 however, where it is equally numerous, it sports almost interminably 

 in color, and not always conformably with geographical distribution 

 SeA'eral of these phases have received special names as given beyond 

 I am willing to spread them upon my page, but too much of \\\y life 

 is behind me for me to spend time in such trivial mutabilities." 



As the subject may still be interesting to younger students, I 

 place the record here for their consideration. 



BUTEO LINEATUS (Gmel.). 

 145. Red-shouldered Hawk. (339) 



Four (juter primaries emarginate on inner wel); general plumage of the adult 

 ■of a rich fulvous cast; above, reddish -brown, the feathers with dark brown 

 centres; below, a lighter shade of the same, with narrow dark streaks and 

 white bars; quills and tail, blackish, conspicuously banded with pure white; 

 the bend of the wing, orange-ljroM'u. Yoinig: — Plain dark brown above; below, 

 white with dark streaks ; quills and tail, barred Math whitish. Nearly as long 

 as B. horealis, but not nearly so heavy ; tarsi, more naked. Femah .- — •22 ; wing, 

 14: tail, 9. J/a/e;— 10; wing, 13; tail, 8 (average). 



H.VB. — Eastern North America, west to Texas and tlie Plains, south to the 

 (iulf coast and Mexico. 



Nest, in trees, composed of sticks and twigs, lined with grass anil a few 

 feathers. 



Eggs, two. to four, varial>le in color-, usually didl white, lilotched with rich 

 l)rown. 



In Southern Ontario this species is a Common summer resident, 

 breeding freely in the less settled parts of the country, where it is 

 more freciuently seen than any other of the "chicken hawks." 



