45 







Their usual place of nesting is in a tree or bush from four to fifteen feet from the 

 ground. In the bushes along the river banks their nests are eppeciaily numerous. 

 They select as a nesting site Honey-Locusts (Gleditschia) or Thorn (Cratcegus) per- 

 haps more often than all other trees with us. Occasionally nests are found built 

 upon the ground, as they are throughout the treeless region of the West, but such 

 is not often the case with us. 



ORDEK RAPTORES; BIRDS OF PREY. 



SUBORDER SARCORHAMPHI. AMERICAN VULTURES. 



FAMILY CATHARTID^. AMERICAN VULTURES. 



GENUS CATHARTES ILLIGER. 

 116. Cathartes aura ( Linn.). TURKEY VULTURE ; TURKEY BUZZARD; " BUZZARD." 



Common resident in the southern part of the State ; in mild winters over the 

 greater part of the soulhern half at least. When the winters are severe they are 

 sometimes absent for a few weeks. Northward they are common summer residents. 

 Breed. In Lake County Mr. Meyer reports it rare. " Buzzard Roosts" are to be 

 found in a number of localities in the State, to which the vultures over a consider- 

 able area of country come regularly. One of these that is well known in Southern 

 Indiana, is on the East Fork of Whitewater between Brookville and Fairfield. 

 These birds are usually known as " Turkey Buzzards " or " Buzzards." The people 

 think very much of them and protect them. 



GENUS CATHARISTA VIEILLOT. 



*117. Catharista atrata (Bartr.}. BLACK VULTURE ; CARRION CROW. 



Resident in the southern part of the State, not common. Has been reported as 

 far north as Knox, Monroe, Decatur and Franklin counties. Mr. Ridgway informs 

 me of its breeding in Knox and Gibson counties, audit has been noted as breed- 

 ing Franklin County. In the lower Whitewater Valley they are most often seen 

 in winter. Th^y are known to our people as " Carrion Crow." 



SUBORDER FALCONES. VULTURES'; FALCONS; HAWKS; ETC. 

 FAMILY FALCONLD^. VULTURES; FALCONS; HAWKS; ETC. 



SUBFAMILY ACCIPITRINJE. KITES; BUZZARDS; HAWKS; ETC. 

 GENUS ELANOIDES VIEILLOT. 



118. Elanoides forficatus (Linn.). SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 



Rare summer resident in the southern part of the State, of rare and irregular 

 occurrence northward. Has been reported from Franklin County ( Raymond, In- 

 diana, Geol. Rep'r. 1869, page 210); Monroe County two, Aug. 18, 1885 ( Ever- 

 inann); Decatur County, July, 1883 ( Guthrie); Allen County "one killed about 

 1885 and brought to me" ( Stockbridge); Clinton "one killed near Frankfort sev- 

 eral years ago and now in pofsession of a man near there" ( Newlin ); and Knox 

 County, where Mr. Ridgway says it is a summer resident, but much less common 

 than formerly. 



