CiiAP. 3. 



BIRDS OF VERMONT. 



63 



THE RED-TAILED HAWK. 



THE PIGEON HAWK. 



tish. Iris and feet yellow. Female, dir- 

 ty brown above, with the feathers border- 

 ed with rusty ; beneath rusty yellow, with 

 large longitudinal brown spots ; quills 

 banded exteriorly with dark brown and 

 black ; interiorly witii black and white ; 

 rump white, with rusty spots; two mid- 

 dle tail feathers banded with blackish and 

 dark gray ; lateral feathers banded with 

 yellowish red and blackish. Length 22 

 inches. Male 1 or 2 inches less. Young 

 very similar to the female. — Kattall. 



liiSTOKy. — This very commoi, species 

 of hawk is also known by the name of Hen 

 Hawk and Hen Harrier. It is very wide- 

 ly diffused, being found in Europe, Afri- 

 ca, North and South America, and the 

 West Indies. This hawk builds its nest 

 upon the ground in swampy woods, or 

 in marshes covered with sedge or reeds. 

 It selects a spot a little elevated above the 

 surrounding marsh, and the nest is com- 

 pactly built of dry reeds and grass. The 

 eggs are usually four, bluish white, and 

 sometimes sprinkled and marked with 

 pale reddish brown. This hawk feeds up- 

 on partridges, plovers, and smaller birds, 

 and also upon lizards, frogs, and snakes. 



THE RED-TAILED HAWK. 



Falco horealis. — Gmel. 



Description. — General color dusky 

 brown tinged with ferruginous above, be- 

 neath whitish with dark hastate spots ; 

 wings dusky, barred with blackish ; tail 

 rounded, extending 2 inches beyond the 

 wings, of a bright brown or brick color, 

 with a single band of black near the end 

 and tipped with brownish white. Chin 

 white, bill grayish black ; iris, cere, sides 

 of the mouth and legs yellow, breast 

 somewhat rust colored ; vent and femo- 

 rals pale ochreous, the latter with a few 

 heart shaped spots of brown. Length 20 

 to 22 inches, spread of the wings 45 

 inches. — Xuttall. 



History. — The Red Tailed Hawk, ac- 

 cording to Audubon, is a constant resi- 

 dent in all parts of the United States. 

 This hawk feeds upon young hares and 

 other small quadrupeds and birds. He is 

 so strong and powerful as to be able to 

 overcome and bear ofl" doves, goslings and 

 dunghill fowls, and his depredations upon 

 the farmer's poultry yard are by no means 

 of rare occurrence. And yet he is so shy 

 and wary, that it is extremely difficult to 

 approach near enough to shoot him with 

 a gun, of the use of which he, like the 

 crow, seems to have an intuitive knowl- 

 edge. The best method of getting a shot 

 at these wary birds in open land is to ap- 

 proach them on horseback. The Red- 



Tailed Hawk breeds in Vermont. Its 

 nest is built in the fork of a lofty tree, and 

 is composed of sticks, twigs, coarse grass 

 and moss. The eggs are 4 or .5, of a dull 

 white color, blotched with brown and 

 black. 



THE PIGEON HAWK. 

 Falco columbarius, Linn. 



Description. — Whole upper parts of a 

 deep dusky brown except the tail which 

 is crossed by five narrow whitish bars ; 

 beneath yellowish or reddish white, spot- 

 ted and streaked with brown. The bill 

 is of a light bluish gray, tipped with 

 black ; cere and skin round the eye green- 

 ish ; iris deep hazel ; legs yellow ; claws 

 black ; feathers on the thighs remark- 

 ably long. Female with the cere and legs 

 greenish yellow ; upper parts dark gray- 

 ish brown ; the lower pale and spotted as 

 in the male. Young with the head red- 

 dish brown, streaked with dusky, in other 

 respects resembling the female. Length 

 of the male 11 inches, spread of the winga 

 23.~Kutt. Jlud. 



History. — The Pigeon Hawk is much 

 less common than several other of the 

 smaller species of hawk. Audubon in- 

 forms us that this hawk breeds in Nova 

 Scotia, New Brunswick and Labrador. 

 The nests are usually placed upon the top 

 of small firs with which those countries 

 abound, at the height of 10 or 12 feet 

 from the ground. They are built of sticks 

 slightly lined with moss and feathers. 

 The eggs are usually five, and are an inch 

 and three quarters in length. Their 

 ground color is a dull yellowish brown, 

 thickly clouded with irregular blotches of 

 dull dark reddish brown. This hawk is 

 shy and watchful, seldom being seen out 

 of the forests. It feeds upon small birds, 

 mice and reptiles. 



Genus Strix. 



Generic Characters. — Beak compressed, 

 bent from its urigin ; base surroiindtd by a cere, 

 covered wholly, or in part, liy stitf" erect hairs ; 

 head large, much feathered ; no.strils lateral, 

 rounded, open, pierced in the anterior margin of 

 the cere, concealed by hairs directed forwards ,• 

 eyes very large ; orbits surrounded by fcatheis ; 

 legs and feet fealher(d, frequently to the very 

 claws ; feet with three toes before and one behind, 

 separate ; the exterior reversible ; first quills den- 

 lated on their anterior border, the third longest. 



This Genus embraces the Owl Family, and is 

 now divided by naturalists into no less than si.x 

 genera. The owls are called nocturnal birds of 

 prey, because they seek tln-ir prey chietly by 

 night. The pupil of the Owl's eye is so larne 



