226 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



young varies from two to five in such cases as I have observed, 

 but more often four. They are said to occupy the same nest 

 in successive years sometimes but did not do so in such cases 

 as I have personally observed. 



Genus BUTEO Cuvier. 



337. Buteo borealis (Gmel.). Red-tailed Hawk; Red- 

 tailed Buzzard. 



Plumage of adults : four outer primaries notched ; tail red or rufous with 

 black band near end and white tipped ; upper parts grayish brown, edged 

 with rufous, ochraceous buff and whitish, no rufous edging to wing coverts ; 

 breast rather heavily streaked with grayish brown and ochraceous buff ; a 

 rather broken band of blackish spots and bars across belly ; otherwise whitish. 

 Immature: tail not red or rufous, more or less banded with darkish. Wing 

 14.00 to 16.00 in male ; 15.50 to 16.50 in female ; tarsus 3.10. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America, north to 60°, west to the Plains ; 

 practically resident where found. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; rare summer resident, common migrant, 

 (Johnson). Aroostook; rather rare local summer resident, (Knight). Cum- 

 berland ; common resident, (Mead) ; not seen for years until fall 1901 when 

 I received four (Lord). Franklin; common summer resident, (Swain). 

 Hancock; summer resident, (Dorr). Kennebec; rare, (Gardiner Branch). 

 Knox; migrant, (Rackliff). Oxford; breeds, (Nash). Penobscot; a not 

 uncommon local summer resident, (Knight). Sagadahoc; scattering, fall, 

 winter and spring, (Spinney). Waldo; summer resident, (Spratt). Wash- 

 ington; not uncommon summer resident, (Boardman). York; (Adams). 



Though scattering throughout the entire year the species is 

 most generally noticed in fall during the hunting season, and 

 is not at all unusual locally in spring and summer as well. 

 They prefer to frequent large hardwood growth, swampy growth 

 of this kind near some body of water seemingly being preferred 

 by them in Maine. Usually they are rather slow and inclined 

 to remain on one perch for hours without moving, but are well 

 able to move quickly when occasion arises. 



They both catch their own prey and feed on offal the latter 

 a thing which any of the Accipiters do not condescend to do. 

 Their chief food seems to be mice, frogs, grasshoppers, crickets 

 and other larger insects, small birds and poultry to a lesser 



