A Catalogue of Birds obtained in Navarro County, Texas. 236 



BuTEO BOREALIS (Gmel). Red-tailed Haivh. — This form is 

 common and resident, frequenting during the breeding season the 

 dense timber as a rule, though sometimes forming its nest in the 

 prairie creeks ; in winter tliey are much more frequently found 

 upon the prairie, where they may be seen daily perched among 

 the branches of isolated trees or upon the worm fences. Their 

 principal food at all seasons consists of grasshoppers, which they 

 seek on foot, running after them in the same manner as poultry 

 do ; meadow larks and cottontails are also a favourite prey, and 

 they are strong enough to bear off one of the latter, even when 

 full grown, with ease. I kept a young bird, which I had winged, 

 for some time ; after a while it got comparatively tame, but 

 always was jealous of observation while eating, drawing its wings 

 forward in front of its head, so as completely to conceal its 

 actions ; it swallowed the bones, fur, or feathers, along with the 

 flesh, but subsequently disgorged them in the form of pellets. It 

 drank very little and seldom. During November, 1880, I shot 

 a hawk, which corresponded in markings with the variety 

 separated as B. krideei. The Western Redtail, B. calurus 

 (Cass.), is a common winj,er visitor, arriving about the middle of 

 October and leaving during March. This bird differs in some of 

 its habits from its eastern representative. They return year after 

 year to the same locality, each one making choice of some pro- 

 minent, generally dead, tree, whence it may obtain an extended 

 view ; and, except when engaged in hunting, they may be seen at 

 all hours of the day on the favoured perch. They do not, however, 

 roost there. This form frequently hovers with gently moving 

 wings like a kestrel, which the other never does. They are much 

 more wary and are more carnivorous in their propensities, never, 

 I think, feeding on grasshoppers. 



BuTEO LiNEATUS (Gmel.) Red-shouldered Hawk — Common 

 and resident, frequenting for the most part the thickly-timbei'ed 

 districts, though young birds are occasionally killed upon the 

 prairie during the fall. With the exception of one example, 

 which had eaten a lizard, the stomachs of all those which I shot 

 contained insects only. They are not at all shy, and their pre- 

 sence may always be detected by a querulous, mewing sort of cry 

 which they continually utter both when perched and on the wing. 



BciEN. Pkoc. K.D.S. Vol. m., Pt. v, U 2 



