

102 BOUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 



New Jersey; are frequent along the Connecticut river; and, ac- 

 cording to Pennant, inhabit England, Norway and Lapmark. 

 Their flight is slow and heavy. They are often seen coursing 

 over the surface of the meadows, long after sunset, many times 

 in pairs. They generally roost on the tall, detached trees, that 

 rise from these low grounds; and take their stations, at day- 

 break, near a ditch, bank, or hay-stack, for hours together, 

 watching, with patient vigilance, for the first unlucky frog, 

 mouse or lizard, to make its appearance. The instant one of 

 these is descried, the Hawk, sliding into the air, and taking a 

 circuitous course along the surface, sweeps over the spot, and 

 in an instant has his prey grappled and sprawling in the air. 



The Rough-legged Hawk measures twenty-two inches in 

 length, and four feet two inches in extent; cere, sides of the 

 mouth, and feet, rich yellow; legs feathered to the toes with 

 brownish yellow plumage, streaked with brown, femorals the 

 same; toes comparatively short, claws and bill blue black; iris 

 of the eye bright amber; upper part of the head pale ochre, 

 streaked with brown; back and wings chocolate, each feather 

 edged with bright ferruginous; first four primaries nearly black 

 about the tips, edged externally with silvery in some lights; 

 rest of the quills dark chocolate; lower side, and interior vanes, 

 white; tail-coverts white; tail rounded, white, with a broad 

 band of dark brown near the end, and tipt with white; body 

 below, and breast, light yellow ochre, blotched and streaked 

 with chocolate. What constitutes a characteristic mark of this 

 bird, is a belt or girdle, of very dark brown, passing round the 

 belly, just below the breast, and reaching under the wings to 

 the rump ; head very broad, and bill uncommonly small, suited 

 to the humility of its prey. 



The female is much darker both above and below, particu- 

 larly in the belt or girdle, which is nearly black; the tail-coverts 

 are also spotted with chocolate; she is also something larger. 



