Across the Fields. 275 



field and meadow, where, perched like sentinels, they watch for the mice or 

 other small animals that form their staple diet. 



. The Squirrel Hawk is a Western species, ranging east 



Rough-Leg to IU m i s - ^ ls found as far north as the Saskatchewan 



Archibuteo femigineus River, and southward into Mexico. It breeds regularly 



from Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado northward, and 



leaves the more northern parts of its habitat during the winter. 



The birds are about two feet long. The feathering of the legs extends 

 to the base of the toes. 



The general color of the upper parts is rusty brown, the centre of the 

 feathers being dusky. The thighs are bright rusty brown barred transversely 

 with dusky. The tail is whitish, washed with rusty brown. The under parts 

 are white, often with rusty brown barring on the sides and belly. 



The birds nest rather low in trees or on shelves on cliffs. The nest 

 is much like that of the Red-tailed Hawk in appearance, and built of similar 

 material. Three or four eggs are laid. They are white or cream in color, 

 marked with varying amount and differing shades of brown. The eggs are 

 about two inches and a half long and an inch and nine tenths broad. 



The Rough-legged Hawk is a bird similar in build to the Squirrel 

 Hawk, but rather smaller, averaging about twenty-two inches in length. It 



is found throughout the northern portions of North Amer- 

 Amencan Rough- . *? _ F . 



legged Hawk lca ' a breeding north of the United States, winters in 

 Archibuteo lagopus sancti- the eastern regions as far south as Virginia. 



The feathering on the legs extends to the base of the 



toes. In color these birds are dusky brown above. The feathers of the head 

 and neck are broadly margined with whitish gray or light buff, and on the 

 back this edging is narrower and not so light. The tail is white or cream 

 color on its basal half. The terminal half has two or more grayish or dusky 

 bars. The under parts vary from white to cream color, streaked and barred 

 all over with dusky markings, often so concentrated as to form a dusky band 

 across the chest. 



From this phase of color there is a very wide variation toward a dis- 

 tinctly darker plumage, culminating in individuals which are almost or quite 

 black, except on the forehead and the basal part of the tail. 



The nesting sites are on trees or on shelves on cliffs. The eggs vary 

 from three to five in number. They are white in color, frequently unmarked, 



