216 NE8T8 AND MOaS OF 



34Ta. AMIIEICAN BOUGH-LEGGED HAWK. ArcMbuteu lot/opus saneti- 

 johauiiis (Gmel.) Geog. Dist— Whole of North America, north of Mexican boundary 

 breeding chiefly north of the United States. 



The plumage of the "Black Hawk," as it is called, is subject to great variations. 

 In general, the whole plumage is dark brown or blackish and light brown, gray or 

 whitish. From these variegated stages the bird varies to more or less uniform 

 blackish; but in either plumage it is easily recognized by the feathered shank. The 

 Rough-legged Buzzard frequents swamps, marshes and the vicinity of lakes and 

 rivers. It appears to be more numerous near the coast than in the interior east of 

 the Mississippi. It is less active than most Hawks, and approaches the owls in the 

 habit of hunting by twilight. Its food consists chiefly of mice and frogs. The nest 

 of this species is placed on large trees, frequently on ledges of rocks; it is a bulky 

 structure, composed of sticks, grasses, weeds and various other materials which are 

 soft anA easily matted together. The eggs are two or three in number; they are 

 white or buffy, sprinkled, spotted or blotched with brown; the average size given is 

 2.27x1.76. Mr. Norris has a set of two eggs taken June 9, 1864, on the Anderson 

 River, in Arctic America, by R. R. MscParlane. These are of an ivory white, 

 spotted, splashed and blotched with cinnamon; they measure, 2.20x1.76, 2.22x1.81. 



348. PEBBtrGINOUS BOUGH-LEG. Arclilhiiteo ferrus/ineus (Licht.) Geog. 

 Dist. — Western United States, across the great plains, north to the Saskatchewan 

 region; south to Mexico. Occasionally to Illinois. 



Known as the Ferruginous Rough-legged Buzzard or California Squirrel Hawk. 

 A common species on the plains of the west, and one of the largest and handsomest of 

 our American Hawks. . In some localities this species builds Its large and bulky nests 

 on trees, ranging from ten to fifty feet from the ground; it is composed of large 

 sticks and lined with leaves, tufts of grass and roots. Mr. F. M. Dille, of Greeley, 

 Colorado, states the birds are not shy, and made no demonstration when he ap- 

 proached the nest. He describes a nest as measuring three feet in diameter and 

 two in depth. The eggs are two or three, rarely four, in number. The late Capt. 

 B. F. Goss informed me that he found this Hawk in Northern Dakota nesting on the 

 ground, on rocky, precipitous hillsides; this, too, being the case seemingly from 

 choice, for heavy timber was only a few miles away, and patches of brush and low 

 trees were often in the Immediate vicinity of the nest. May 4, 1884, the late Capt. 

 Goss found a nest at the foot of a rock, on a steep bluff; it was composed of sticks, 

 buffalo ribs, weed stalks and small pieces of turf, lined with dry grass. Four eggs 

 vary greatly in color, from finely spotted to heavily splashed with different shades 

 of brown; sizes, 2.44x1.96, 2.55x1.96, 2.45x2.00, 2.40x1.92. Mr. Dille states that the 

 usual date for depositing the eggs on the plains of Colorado is about May 20, but he 

 has taken fresh eggs as early as April 20. A set of two in Mr. Norris' collection, 

 taken in Comal county, Texas, March 30, 1873, are spotted, splashed with brown and 

 burnt umber. They measure 2.33x1.88, 2.33x1.88, 2.34x1.86. Mr. Crandall has a 

 series of the eggs of this species consisiting of nine sets of four eggs each, the thirty- 

 six eggs show an average measurement of 2.43x1.91 inches. 



349. GOLDEN EAGLE. Aquila chrysactos (Linn.) Geog. Dist.— Northern 

 portions of the Northern Hemisphere, chiefly in mountainous regions. 



The Golden Eagle inhabits North America at large, and also the northern parts 

 of the Old World. It may be recognized by the tarsus being wholly feathered to the 

 toes; the general color of its plumage is dafk-brown throughout, and the tone of the 



