314 SWAINSOWS HAWK. 



LIGHT STAGE. 



COLOR. Adult male. Above, dark-brown everywhere, lightest on the head, becoming darker on the wings and ashy 

 on the tail, with the feathers more or less edged with rufous, especially on the neck. The wings are obscurely barred wiih 

 dusky and the tail is tipped with whitish andiscrcssed with about twelve wavy lines of dusky. Concealed patch on <> - 

 ciput, white. Sides and base of upper tail coverts, white, barred with rufous and sooty-brown. Lneat'i, every where, 

 white, pure on the throat but tinged on the remaining under portions with yellowish-rufous, while the hreasD is banded 

 with reddish-brown, which has an ashy overwashing, but every feather of this portion is streaked in the centre with dark- 

 brown. Tlie sides, flanks, and under tail coverts, are barred with rufous. There is a spot of black on the tips of the un- 

 der wing coverts. 



Adult female. Much darker above than the above described and the lower portions are strongly tinged with ruf ms, 

 barred with, a deeper shade of the same color. The flanks are barred and streaked with dark-brown. Otherwise ;is in 

 the male. 



Young. Quite similar to the adult above but much more decidedly rufous, find the outer webs of primarifs and tail 

 are edged with ashy. Bel.iw, yellowish-rufous, tinged with ashy, thickly marked with drop-shaped spots of brown which 

 crowd together on the breast so as to form a band. The flanks are also barred with dusky. 



DARK STAGE. 



COLOR. Adult. The throat, under wing and under tail coverts are as in the light stage but the remaining portions 

 are very dark-brown, or nearly black, but the bandings on the wings and tail are as described. There are occasionally 

 rufous markings below, especially in the female. 



young. Very dark, but showing strong traces of rufous on both surfaces. Bill and iris, brown, cere, greenish, and 

 feet, yellow, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



The young is the "Bairdi" of authors, while the dark type is "insiynatus". There is considerable variation in plum- 

 age, for specimens occur in all gradations between the light and dark stages; but this species may be recognized by the 

 white throat, incision of but three outer quills, combined with the size and colors as described. Distributed throughout 

 Western North America. Rare in Illinois and accidental in Canada and Massachusetts. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of male specimens from Western North America. Length, 19'55; stretch, 47'P5; wing, lo'25; 

 tail, 7'00; bill, '82; tarsus, 2'52. Longest specimen, 20'63; greatest extent of wing, 48 50; longest wing, 15 50; tail, 8'50; 

 bill, '85; tarsus, 2'CO. Shortest specimen, 18 75; smallest extent of wing, 47'25; shortest wing, 15'OC; tail, 7 50; bill, '80; 

 tarsus, 2'45. 



Average measurements of female specimens from Western North America. Length, 20'25; stretch, 49'25; wing, IG'OO; 

 tail, 8'50; bill, '95; tarsus, 2'60. Longest specimen, 21'50; greatest extent of wing, 51'00; longest wing, lti'50; tail, 9'32; 

 bill, 1-00; tarsus, 2'70. Shortest specimen, 18'86; smallest extent of wing, 47'00; shortest wing, 15'50; tail, 8-25; bill, "85; 

 tarsus, 2'50. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed in trees or bushes; they are quite bulky structures, composed of sticks and twigs, arranged in a com 

 pact manner. 



Eyys, four to six in number, varying from spherical to oval in form, yellowish-white in color, spotted and blotched irreg- 

 ularly and rather faintly with reddish-brown, with occasional markings of purplish. Dimensions from T75x2'30 to 1 82 

 x232. 



HABITS. 



The first record of the occurrence of this species east of the Mississippi, was made from 

 a specimen taken in the vicinity of Montreal, Canada, about the year, 1854, nothing more 

 being heard of it in this section until one was obtained in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1873. 

 Then Mr. E. W. Nelson found them breeding on Fox Prairie, Illinois, in 1875 and obtained 

 four specimens, and Mr. William Brewster makes record of a specimen which was taken 

 at Wayland, Massachusetts, in September, 1876. Thus we are obliged to give Swainson's 

 Hawk a permanent place in our fauna, although it is yet very rare east of the Mississippi. 



