60 



ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 



slow and heavy. They are often seen coursing over the surface of 

 the meadows, long after sun set, many times in pairs. They ge- 

 nerally roost on the tall detached trees that rise from these low 

 grounds; and take their stations, at day-break, near a ditch, bank, 

 or hay stack, for hours together, watching with patient vigilance 

 for the first unlucky frog, mouse or lizard to make its appearance. 

 The instant one of these is descried, the Hawk, sliding into the 

 air and taking a circuitous course along the surface, sweeps over 

 the spot and in an instant has his prey grappled and sprawling in 

 the air. 



The Rough-legged Hawk measures twenty -two inches in length 

 and four feet two inches in extent; cere, sides of the mouth and 

 feet rich yellow; legs feathered to the toes with brownish yellow 

 plumage, streaked with brown, femorals the same; toes compara- 

 tively short, claws and bill blue black; iris of the eye bright am- 

 ber; upper part of the head pale ochre streaked with brown; back 

 and wings chocolate, each feather edged with bright ferruginous; 

 first four primaries nearly black about the tips, edged externally 

 with silvery in some lights; rest of the quills dark chocolate; lower 

 side and interior vanes white ; tail coverts white ; tail rounded, 

 white, with a broad band of dark brown near the end, and tipt 

 with white; body below and breast light yellow ochre, blotched 

 and streaked with chocolate. What constitutes a characteristic 

 mark of this bird is a belt or girdle, of very dark brown, passing 

 round the belly just below the breast, and reaching under the wings 

 to the rump ; head very broad, and bill uncommonly small, suited 

 to the humility of its prey. 



The female is much darker both above and below, particu- 

 larly in the belt or girdle, which is nearly black; the tail coverts 

 are also spotted with chocolate ; she is also something larger. 



