210 NBST8 AND E008 OF 



339o. FLOBIDA BED-SHOTJIiDEBEB HAWK. Btiten Uiieatug alleni Rldgw. 

 Geog. Dist. — Florida, Texas. 



In Texas Mc. Singley found this bird breeding in tlie densely wooded bottom 

 lands, in tall pin oaks that border the streams. He states that. the nest is placed 

 on the large limbs of the trees, and is constructed of large and small sticks, weeds 

 and moss; sometimes it is beautifully decorated with Spanish moss. A few of the 

 birds prefer the uplands for a breeding place, and select pin oaks and hickory trees 

 in the neighborhood of streams. Mr. Singley says this Hawk has the peculiar habit 

 of placing green leaves in the nest. Sometimes the leaves are bruised and often 

 stain the eggs, and by the time incubation is well advanced the nest is half full of the 

 leaves. Nest building commences about the middle of March, and fresh sets of eggs 

 may be found until the middle of April. Two or three eggs are laid. Mr. Norris 

 has seven sets collected by Mr. Singley in Lee county, Texas. Their ground-color 

 Is dull white or bluish-white and they vary from almost entirely unmarked to 

 heavily blotched, spotted and speckled with red, lilac and rich reddish-brown. They 

 vary in size from 1.96 to 2.19 long by 1.67 to 1.73 broad. 



3396. RED-BELLIED HAWK. Buteo liiieatits eUffans (Cass.) Geog. Dist.— 

 Pacific coast of the United States, south into Mexico. 



This western race, whose whole under plumage is of a rich dark reddish color, is 

 distributed from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. Nesting and eggs similar to 

 those of B. 1. alleni. Average size of the eggs is 2.19x1.71. A set of two eggs in Mr. 

 Norris' collection, taken May 2, 1887, in Los Angeles county, California, measure 

 2.12x1.75, 2.04x1.77. They are grayish-white spotted with russet. 



340. ZONE-TAILED HAWK. Buteo uhhir.rintii^ Caban. Geog. Dist.— Texas, 

 Arizona and Southern California, south into the northern portion of South America. 



The Zone-tailed Hawk is a peculiar species, unlike any other of the United 

 States. It is slenderly built with long wings and tail and in its various plumages is 

 not yet well known. The bird is a Mexican and Guatemalian species and is of quite 

 general distribution in Texas and Arizona, where it frequents the wooded districts 

 in the vicinity of streams. Its food is small birds, quadrupeds, beetles, locusts and 

 grasshoppers. In Texas and Arizona this Hawk has been found nesting in May, 

 fresh eggs being taken by the middle of the month. The nests are built on tall 

 trees,' such as cottonwood, ash, box-elders, sycamore and cypress that fringe the 

 streams. It is placed froip fifteen to forty feet from the ground, in the horizontal 

 branches; is large and bulky, made of coarse sticks, lined with cottonwood leaves 

 or Spanish moss. When disturbed while incubating the bird is said to fly off, utter- 

 ing a loud whistling cry. The eggs are two to four in number; dull white, usually 

 spotted, splashed or speckled, with rich chestnut or umber-brown, chiefly at the 

 larger end; their average size is 2.15x1.70. 



341. BENNETT'S WHITE-TAILED HAWK. Buteo alMcaudatus semetti 

 Allen. Geog. Dist. — Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, southward through Mexico, 

 Central and most of South America. 



This fine Hawk is a rather common resident on the Rio Grande of Southern 

 Texas and southward. Dr. Merrill mentions two nests which he found May 2, 1878, 

 placed in the top of a yucca growing in Palo Alto prairie, about seven miles from 

 Fort Brown. The nests were not more than eight feet from the ground, and were 

 eood-sized platforms of twigs, with scarcely any lining. While examining these 



