Birds of Oregon and Washington 189 



PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION. Upper parts and thighs, 

 rusty-red, the former streaked, and the latter barred, by 

 dusky; secondaries and primaries on wings, lead-color ; 

 tail, white, varied with gray and rusty ; lower parts, 

 white, sometimes slightly streaked with dusky, especially 

 upon abdomen. When the plumage is melanistic (dark), 

 it is still more or less barred with rusty. 



Summer resident. 



THE PIGEON-HAWK. 



Another small Hawk ; length, 10 to n inches. 



It can be easily distinguished from the Desert 

 Sparrow-Hawk by noticing that the prevailing 

 color in the upper parts is bluish-gray and not 

 brown or reddish-brown. 



PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION. Male : Head and back, 

 bluish-gray, marked with fine black lines ; tail, slaty, with 

 three broad bands of black, and white tip ; under parts, 

 white, somewhat buffy on breast and streaked with dark 

 brown lines. 



THE BLACK MERLIN. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION : 



Upper parts : plain blackish-brown. 



Under parts : very heavily marked with dusky. 



Length, 12 to 14 inches. 



