190 BIRDS 



limbs of the tree. Some nests are as inaccessible as those of 

 the eagle. 



Two to four eggs are laid, usually three. The back- 

 ground is white or pale greenish-white, and the markings 

 appear in the form of spots and blotches of brown and lilac. 

 The young do not leave the nest until they are between two 

 and three months of age. 



"Of 552 stomachs examined, 54 contained poultry or 

 game birds; 51, other birds; 278, mice; 181, other mammals; 

 47, insects." (Fisher.) 



AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED AND RED-TAILED HAWKS 



The hawks of our illustration are natives of North 

 America ranging from Mexico northward. The American 

 Rough-legged Hawk is a geographical variety of a rough- 

 legged form that is found in northern Europe and Asia. 

 It is also known by the names of Black Rough-legged and 

 Black Hawk. 



This hawk is one of the largest and most attractive of 

 all the species of North America. 



In spite of its large size and apparent strength, it does 

 not exhibit the spirit that is so characteristic of the falcons. 

 It preys almost entirely on field mice and other rodents, 

 frogs, and, probably, at times and in certain localities, upon 

 insects, especially the grasshoppers. It is said that they will 

 feed upon lizards, snakes, and toads. 



The eggs of this species vary from two to five and are 

 usually somewhat blotched or irregularly marked with choc- 

 olate brown on a dull white background 



