THE EED-BELLIED HAWK. 227 



4, 1880. Her stomach contained several small lizards, a tree frog (Hyla), 

 grubs, and insects. May 11, 1879, there were three young in the nest that 

 weighed about a pound each. Mr. Charles Moore, who climbed the large 

 oak in which the nest was placed, reported a lining of- green, but dried and 

 broken leaves in the nest, about 3 inches deep in the center. On April 4, 1880, 

 there were three, nearly fresh eggs in the nest, which this year had a lining of 

 the lace-like lichen (Bamalina retiformis) found on the oaks in the vicinity, a 

 sample of which was brought down from the nest by Mr. George Ashley, avIio, 

 with great difficulty, secured the eggs.^ 



"I saw one of these Hawks at Stockton, January 25, 1885, repairing an 

 old nest. This, too, was near a farmhouse where fowls were abundant, but I 

 doubt if they often attack poultry, though I have known them to catch small 

 birds." ^ 



Mr. A. M. Ingersoll found it nesting near Los Angeles, California, usually 

 in large sycamore or cottonwood trees, and says the nest is generally placed 

 farther out on the branches than is the case with other Buteos. 



Mr. F. Stephens writes me: "I find the Red-bellied Hawk rather rare in 

 the region I have lived in, in southern California, but I think it is probably 

 more common in the lower valleys near the seacoast. I found a single nest on 

 April 7, 1882; this was placed near the end of a large limb of a cottonwood 

 tree, about 35 feet from the ground, in San Mateo Canon, 15 miles east of 

 Colton. It was composed of twigs and lined with the inner bark of cotton- 

 wood and a few feathers; inside diameter 6 inches, depth 2 inches. The nest 

 contained three eggs, and incubation had begun." 



Mr. B. T. Gault found it common among the oak groves skirting the banks 

 of the San Joaquin River, and noticed several also among the sycamores bor- 

 dering the little stream running througli the Santa Margarita Valley, on the road 

 from San Diego to San Bernardino, California. 



Prof. B. W. Evermann reports it not uncommon in the vicinity of Santa 

 Paula, Ventura County, California, where he found their nests in sycamores, 

 live oaks, cottonwoods, and willows, near the borders of sti-eams. He says 

 that he found as many as five eggs in a nest, and gives four as the average 

 number laid to a set. 



Mr. A. W. Anthony sends me the following notes on this subspecies: "The 

 Red-bellied Hawk is not uncommon along the coast ranges of Lower Califor- 

 nia, nesting as far south at least as latitude 29°, and reaching here an elevation 

 of about 2,000 feet. Nests were frequently seen in giant cactus and candle- 

 woods, near San Fernando, Lower California. The only one I took was built 

 in a small sumac scrub, 10 feet from the gi'ound, near San Quintin, Lower 

 California. It was simply a platform of small sticks and twigs, 12 or 14 

 inches in diameter and about 3 inches in depth, lined with a few dried leaves 



' Tbese eggs (No. 18088) are now in the U. S. National Museum collection, having been kindly presented 

 by Mr. L. Belding, with numerous other valuable specimens, and measure as follows: 54 by 43, 55.5 by 4:5, 

 53 by 43 millimetres. 



^ Occasional Papers of Califoruia Academy of Sciences, ii, 1890, pp. 34, 35. 



