rALCUMDJ: — TIIK I'ALCUNS. HU 



siiiliiijf 11 j;(i(m1 (leal miil iit a ^icat li('i,L;lit, wliicli is not tlic lialiit ol' ilic 

 liujtijHiK, ami was seen liy liim tci kill a Duck while on liic wiii^'. Il lias 

 bui!ii SUCH to sil tor an liniir at a tinu- uu a .staki; l)y tliu side of iiiaislics, 

 in nil almost iicipcuiliciilar jMisitinn, as if doziii,!,'. iL ilifs with jii'cat t'asi', 

 uml taTasionally with j,'i<'at swiltncss, and larcly with any lla|i|iini,' oi' the 

 \vinj,'s; was nmst nnmcnms on the iH'l.iwaii! in the winter, ImiI was occasion- 

 nlly to lie seen tiieie in the .sumiaer. Sueli is Wilson's account ol' its haliits 

 as observed hy hiin, ami these are partially eonlirmed liy N'ullall from his 

 own observations. It is, however, (juite probable that they are mistaken in 

 (daiminj,' an essential or spetitic dilferenee in the habits o|' tla; two former. 

 ^Ir. Audubon re^'arded it as the ailult of the Iikjoihix, and apjiears not to have 

 been familiar with its luibits. 



Captain I'dakiston mentions the occurrence of tlic dark bird on the Sas- 

 katchewan riain.s, where the ])arent bird and three clip's were obtained by 

 M. r>ourgeau, a French collector, in the summer of IS.'kS, and where it is 

 spoken of as not nncomnion. Mr. Andrew Murray, in his Contributions to 

 the Natural llLstory of the Hudson Ijay Territories, records specimens from 

 Hudson liiiy and the country lying lietween its western shore and Lake 

 Winnipeg. Dr. tlambel speaks of this bird as common in California. Dr. 

 Cooper refers to one obtained by Mr. Lonjuin at San Francisco. Mr. Law- 

 rence cites it among the birds of New York. Mr. I'xiaidman ^ives it as rare 

 near Calais. Mr. Verrill also gives it among the birds of Western Maine, 

 where the hiyopns was not observed, but where this form was a regular 

 winter visitant. 



The Storer.s found the IJlack Hawk not uncommon on the cliffs near I'ras 

 d'Or, and their observations of its habits, as contrasted with those of the still 

 more connnon Hough-legged Hawk, left no d(ad)t in their mind of their 

 specific distinction. While the Black Hawk was oUscrved to be a bold, 

 vigorous, and spirited bird, easy and swift in its motions, and ]ireying upon 

 other birds wliile on the wing, the IJ(»ug]i-legged was comparatively sluggish, 

 inofi'ensive, and subsisted only u]ion rats, mice, moles, frogs, and other small 

 game. A nest containing young birds was found, and one of the latter 

 caught alive. Both old and young wi're in the same black ])lumage. The 

 young Hawk was fierce and intractable, and its whole air and manner were 

 utterly unlike the conduct of the young of the other species. Unfortunately, 

 it broke from its confinement and escaped. 



The eggs from New Jersey, attributed to this bird by IMr. Kridcr, vary in 

 the number and de])th of coloring of their markings, the blotches in one 

 being darker and less generally distributed. They measure 2.0G by 1.G9 in- 

 ches. Their ground-color is a yellowish white, intermingled with which are 

 faint markings and blotches of a brownish-puqile. Over these are diil'used 

 continent blotches of russet-brown. 



An egg from near Wiscasset, taken \)y Edmund Smith, Esq., the parent (if 

 which was secured, measures 2.22 by 1.75 inches, has a white ground, and is 



