430 BIRDS — FALCONID^. 



Mr. Read, that it is frequently seen. Mr. Langdon says that it is not rare 

 in the vicinity of Cincinnati. Fully identified nest and eggs have been 

 taken at Yellow Springs by Mr. W. M. Wilson. The nest was built of 

 sticks and placed in the fork of a moderately large tree. The eggs were 

 white, rather sparsely blotched with light reddish-brown. The compli- 

 ment of eggs is four, and they vary in size from 2.15 by 2 00 to 1.72 by 

 1.70. 



Genus AECHIBUTEO. Brehm. 



Large hawks ; tarsi feathered in front to the toes, partly bare behind. Four oater 

 primaries emarginate on inner web. Other characters much as those of Buteo. 



Arohibdteo lagopus (Gm.) Gr. 

 var. sANCTi-JOHANNis (Gm.) Ridgway. 



I^ougli-legsed. Suzzard. 



Faleo sancUjohannis, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 161, 178. 



ArcMhuteo sanctijohannia, Kikkpatrick, Ohio Parmer, vii, 1858, 123; Ohio Agric. Bep., 



for 1858, 357.— Wheaton, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1660, 361 ; Reprint, 1861, 3. 

 Archibuieo lagopus, Kirkpatrick, Ohio Farmer, vii, 185ti, 131 ; Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1858, 



1859, 395.— Wheaton, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 361 ; Reprint, 1S61, 3. 

 Archibuieo lagopua, var. saneii-johannis, Wheaton, Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep., 



for 1874, 570; Reprint, 1875, 18.— LakGdon, Cat. Birds of Gin., 1877, 13; Journ.Cin. 



Soo. Nat. Hist., i, 1878, 116 ; Reprint, 7 ; Revised List, Jonrn. Gin. Soo. Nat. Hist., 1, 



1879, 180 ; Reprint, 14. 



Falco sancti-joTiannis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, 1788, 270. 



Archibuieo sancH-johannis, Bonaparte, Gonsp., 1850, 18. 



Archibuieo lagopus, Cassin, lUnst., 1854, 104. 



Archibuieo lagopus, var. lancii-johannis, Ridgwat, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1870, 142. 



Below, white, Tarionsly dark marked, and often with a broad blaek abdominal zone ; 

 but generally no fermgineons. Above, brown varying from dark-ehocolate in the 

 adnlt to light-nmber in the young; the back, scapulars and short«r quills strongly 

 cinereous. The head above more or less white, dark streaked ; upper tail coverts and 

 tail at base white, the former tipped with blackish; the latter barred near the tip with 

 one, and sometimes several bands of black or dark-brown. In this plumage the bird has 

 been known as A. lagopus, the Rough-legged Buzzard, while to a melanotic variety of 

 the same, found in this country only, the name sancti-johannis, has been given. This 

 variety is entirely glossy-black except the occiput, forehead, throat, inner webs of 

 quills, base of tail and broad tail-bars, white. As it is now generally conceded that 

 these are varieties of the same species, the original name, lagopus is retained and the 

 American form considered a geographical variety of the European, characterized as 

 variety sancti-johannis. Length, about 2 feet ; wing, 16-18 ; tail, 8-10. 



Habitat, typical lagopus, Europe. Var. sancti-johannis in North America at large; 

 rather northerly. The melanotic condition chiefly observed in the Middle Atlantic 

 States, New England and northward. 



