I 28 VERTEBRATES I BIRDS. 



above brownish-black, and an obscure rufous collar on 

 the neck behind. The throat and under tail coverts are 

 white, and the other under parts transversely barred with 

 light rufous and white. The tail is dark cinereous tipped 

 with white, and crossed by four wide bands of brownish- 

 black. This hawk attacks poultry, grouse, hares, and 

 squirrels. 



The Blue-backed Hawk, A. mexicanus, Sw., of Western 

 North America, is intermediate between the preceding 

 and the following species. 



The Sharp-shinned Hawk, A. fuscus, Bonap., of the 

 whole of North America, is twelve to fourteen inches long, 

 the wing seven and a half to eight inches ; the male ten 

 to eleven inches, and the wing six inches to six and a 

 half. The upper parts brownish-black tinged with ashy ; 

 throat and under tail coverts white, the former with lines 

 of black on the shafts of the feathers ; the other under 

 parts light rufous, deepest on the tibiae, and with trans- 

 verse bands of white ; the tail ashy -brown tipped with 

 white, and the secondaries and tertiaries with large par- 

 tially concealed spots of white. Younger specimens are 

 dull umber-brown above, tinged with ashy ; under parts 

 white, with stripes and spots of reddish-brown. The 

 slender legs and toes of this species will generally be 

 sufficient to distinguish it. Its flight is swift, but irregu- 

 lar and vacillating. 



The Genus Buteo Buzzards has the bill short and 

 wide at the base, the edges of the upper mandible lobed, 

 the wings long and wide, the fourth and fifth quills usu- 

 ally longest, the tarsi moderate, robust and with trans- 

 verse scales before and behind, and with hexagonal scales 

 on the sides. About thirty species are known. 



Swainson's Buzzard, B. Swainsoni, Bonap., of Northern 

 and Western North America, is about twenty inches in 

 length. 



