THE ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 
47 
feathers of the wings are nearly black. The under portions of the body are gray-white, marked 
on the neck, and chest, and abdomen, with spots and streaks of brown. The claws are black, 
the bill is a deep bine-black, and the legs, toes, and ears are yellow. 
The British Islands possess another species of Buzzard, closely allied to the bird which 
has just been described. This is the Rough-legged Falcon, so called from the manner in 
which its legs are covered with feathers as far as the margin of the toes. 
KOUGH-LEGGED EALCON — Archibuteo lagopus. 
The Rough -legged Hawk (. Archibuteo lagopus ), called also Buzzard and Falcon, is repre- 
sented by several varieties. A very dark one is called Black Hawk. This bird is regarded as 
identical with the European Rough -leg. It inhabits the whole of North America as well as 
the Old World, and breeds far in the North. Its habits are more nocturnal than other 
Hawks. 
Though large and imposing, this bird feeds on mice and small reptiles. It has none of 
the noble attitudes common to the Falcons. The editor of this edition of The Living World, 
has seen it in flocks of ten to twenty, fluttering like butterflies over a meadow, watching for 
small reptiles. These were the lighter varieties, which were readily recognized by the dark 
band over the breast, which is conspicuously contrasted with whitish below. 
It is rather a larger bird than the common Buzzard, and the coloring of the feathers is 
rather different. The beak and upper surface is like that of the Buzzard, but the head and 
upper part of the neck are of a pale yellow hue, each feather having a streak of the darker 
color down its centre. The chin, throat and breast are of a rusty fawn, and the abdomen 
nearly of the same tint as the back. The whole of the plumy legs is light fawn, spotted 
