KALCONID.E- TllK l-ALCONS. 201 



to Oiit. ]Mr. Auilulion n'fi'ivcd anollu'v, tnkcii i'mly luilos west of ( 'IuuIl'.sIoh 

 by Mr. Kraiiris Lw. Tliis ^ciitlfiiiiiii, as (judUmI l)y Aiidulioii, iia'iili(iii('(l its 

 sailing vorv licautil'iilly, and (juit;! liigii in tliu air, uvor ii wot meaddw, in 

 pursuit (tf sniiR'. It wduld jioisu itsolt' in tlio manner ot' tlii! coninii»n 

 Sparrow Hawk, and, sudik'nly closinsj; its wings, ])lungo towards its ywy 

 with groat velocity, making a jieeidiar siaind witli its wings as it passed 

 tlirougli tlie air. Its cries on lieing wounded resembled those ol' tiu! Mis- 

 sissippi Kite. It wa.s so shy that ]\lr. Lee was only aide to ai»proaeli it on 

 horse! >ack. 



Audubon states that Mr. Ward, his assistant, i'ouud tliis speeii'S lireeding 

 on the Santeo IJiver early in the montli of Ahireh. Tiieir nests wen; .said to 

 be placeil on low trees near the margin of the ri\cr, and tn be not unlike 

 those of the common Crow, Init witliout the substantial lining of its nests. 

 Mr. Ward also mentioned seeing them tlying <ner the cane-braki's, in pur- 

 suit of large insect.?, in the manner of the Mississippi Kite, and iiuding 

 the birds very sliy. 



In Southern Illinois it has been known to occur as far nortli as Mount 

 Carmel, where Mr. L'idgway saw a pair in July, Hying about among the dead 

 trees bordering a lagoon near the Wal)ash liiver. 



Mr. Audubon, in liis visit to Te:cas, saw several of these birds flying at a 

 small elevation over the large marslies, and coursing in search of its prey in 

 the manner of the common Marsh Harrier. 



Dr. Ilccrmann found the extensive mar.shcs of Suisun, Xapa, and Sacra- 

 mento Valleys the favorite resorts of these birds, especially during the win- 

 ter, and there they seemed to find a plentiful supply of insects and mict'. 

 They ranged over their feeding-grounds in sn.all flocks from a single ])air up 

 to six or seven. He fell in with an isolated couple in the mountains be- 

 tween Elizabeth Lake and Williamson's Pass, hovering over a small fresh- 

 water marsh. In July and August the young were (piite al>undant, Irom 

 which Dr. Ileermann inferred that it does not migrate for the i)urpiises of 

 incubation. Dr. Gambel, who procured his specimens at the ^lission of St. 

 John, near IMonterey, describes it as fl3'ing low and circling over the plains 

 in the maimer of a Circus, and as feeding on the small birds. It was ea.sy 

 of approach when ])erched on trees, and uttered a loud shrill cry when 

 wounded, and fought viciously. 



Lieutenant Gilliss, who found them in Chile, describes the nest as com- 

 po.sed of small sticks, and states that the number of the eggs is from four 

 to six, and that they are of a dirty yellowish-Mliite with browni.sh spots. 

 The common name of this Hawk in Ciiile is Btiilarin (from the verb hailar, 

 to dance or balance), from the graceful and easy manner in wiiich it seems 

 almost to Hoat upward or to sink in the air. 



An c\5g of this species, in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, measures 1.G4 inches in length by 1.48 in breadth. In shape it is 

 very nearly spherical, and equally obtuse at either end. The ground-color, 



vol,. HI. 26 



