66 



THE HAWKS AND OWLS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



fierceness towards strangers, although it was never vicious towards its 

 owner. When no other person was present it would alight on its 

 owner's shoulder and show signs of contentment and pleasure by utter- 

 ing a low musical note and by caresses, which consisted in gently pass- 

 ing his ear or a lock of hair between its bill very much as it did its 

 own feathers in the act of pluming itself. 



The flight of this Hawk, especially that of the immature birds, is 

 heavy in character and suggests that of the owls. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Outer web of outer wing feathers distinctly spotted with white, buffy, 

 or yellowish. Shoulders always more or less rusty. 



Adult. — Head, neck, and lower parts more or less rusty or cinnamon, 

 transversely spotted or barred with whitish: tail black, crossed by 

 about six bands of white. Above reddish brown, the center of the 

 feathers darker than the edges. 



Immature. — Lower parts dull whitish, longitudinally spotted or 

 streaked with dark brown ; tail dusky, crossed by numerous narrow 

 bands of dull bnffy or grayish brown. 



Length: 17.50 to 22 inches (445 to 559 mm )j extent, 39 to 44 inches 

 (990 tolll7 mm ); wing, 11.25 to 14.25 inches (285 to 362 ujm ); tail, 8 to 

 10 inches (203 to 254 mm ). 



Table showing the results of examinations of 220 stomachs of the Red-shouldered Hawk 



(Buteo lineatus). 



Locality. 



Poultry 



Date. or game Other birds, 

 birds. 



Mammals. 



Miscellaneous. 



Sing Sing. X.Y 



Alfred Center. X.Y.... 

 Do 



Oct. 3,1885 -- --- 



Flicker 







Sept. 11, 18S5 



Sept, 13, 1886 



Sept, 12, 1886 

 June 25, 1886 

 ....do 







Mouse 



4 shrews 



cricket, larva. 

 Grasshopper, 



larva, spider. 

 Grasshoppers, 



spider. 

 Grasshoppers. 

 Frogs, beetles. 



Do 









Do 





Red-hacked 



m o u s e , 3 

 shrews. 

 Meadow mouse, 

 3 shrews. 



Do 



Do 



June 28, 1886 

 .. do 







Beetles, craw- 

 fish, spider. 



Do 



July 28, 1886 









Insects. 





Aug. 30. 1886 

 Sept, 6,1886 



Mar. 15, 1886 

 Jan. 3, 1886 



Dec. 14,1886 

 Feb. 28, 1887 







Squash bug. 

 10 grasshoppers. 









Meadow mouse, 

 1 shrew. • 



Birmingham. Pa 













Cricket, larva, 









Meadow mouse . 



2 spiders. 

 Frog. 









Do. 



Do. 



Mar. 17, 1887 

 Apr. 7,1887 



Apr. 11, 1887 

 Nov. 19, 1887 

 Apr. 5, 18S7 







Frog, dragon 



Do 











dies. 

 Lizard. 2 crick- 



Do 











ets, larva of 

 beetles. 

 Snake, insects, 







earth worm. 

 Grasshopper, 





!".; 



Shrew 



crickets. 

 Garter snakp? 











bull-frog, 



