62 BROAD-WINGED BUZZARD. 



occasionally, and that he has never met with a nest. I have not 

 myself met with either the nest or eggs of this Broad-winged 

 Hawk, and Dr. Coues remarks in his " Birds of the North-West," 

 " The nest of this species has but seldom fallen under the notice 

 of naturalists." Audubon saw and described one. Prof Adams 

 took one, which is now in the museum of Middlebury College, 

 Vermont. Another was seen and examined by Mr. Samuels in 

 West Roxbury, Massachusetts, in May, 1864. These, so far as I 

 can learn, are the only records in existence in North America. 

 Mr. Samuels states that the one examined by him was built in the 

 fork of a tall pine-tree, near the top, and was constructed of sticks 

 and twigs, lined with red cedar-bark, leaves, and feathers. It 

 contained four eggs, measuring from 2.00 to 2 15 inches in length, 

 by 1.70 to 1.72 in breadth. These were a " dirty yellowish-white, 

 covered more or less thickly in the different specimens with spots 

 and blotches of reddish-brown." The bird undoubtedly breeds in 

 Canada, and I take this opportunity of directing the special atten- 

 tion of our collectors to it. In mature plumag eit is an extremely 

 handsome little Buzzard, and quite different in its colors from any 

 other American species. 



Sp. Char. Smaller than any of the preceding. Adult. — Entire upper parts umber brown, 

 feathers on the occiput and back of the neck white at their bases. Throat white, with longitudinal 

 lines of brown, and with a patch of brown on each side running from the base of the lower man- 

 dible ; breast with a wide band composed of large cordate and sagittate spots, and transvere bands 

 of reddish ferruginous tinged with ashy ; other under parts white, with numerous sagittate spots of 

 reddish on the flanks, abdomen, and tibia;. In some specimens the ferruginous color predominates 

 on all the under parts, except the under tail coverts, and all the feathers have large circular or ovate 

 spots of white on both edges, under tail coverts white. Quills brownish-black, widely bordered 

 with white on their inner webs ; tail dark brown, narrowly tipped with white, and with one wide 

 band of white and several narrow bands near the base. 



Young. Upper parts dull umber brown, many feathers edged with fulvous and ashy white ; 

 upper tail coverts spotted with white ; under parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, and 

 having longitudinal stripes and oblong and l.mceolate spots of brownish-black; a stripe of dark 

 brown on each side of the neck from the base of the under mandible. Tail brown, with several 

 bands of a darker shade of the same color, and of white on the inner webs and narrowly tipped 

 with white. 



Total length — Female : 17 to 18 inches ; wing, 11 ; tail, b]i to 7 inches. 

 " Male: lb io ibyi " " 10 ; " 6 to 6;^ " 



