clxxiv 
FAiiCONiDa:. BIRDS. PALCONiDa:. 
kfideri. tlie Wliite-bellied Red 'I'ail, is a resident of 
tlie Middle United States, tVoin Minnesota to Texas. 
Yar. lucasanus is found in Lower California, and 
called there the St. Lucas Red-tail. V^ariety calu- 
rus, the M'’estern Red-tail, is native of tlie region 
between the Rocky ISIountains and the Pacific. 
'These varieties differ from each other in minor par- 
ticulars, but not sufficiently to render them distinct 
sjiecies. This is a strong and powerful bird, having 
the faculty of soaring high, and at long intervals. 
Its habit is to watch cautiously its prey, and dart 
upon it from some fixed point — differing from some 
who chase and seize their prey in the air. Its cau- 
tion prevents its near approach to the barnyard, un- 
less it is considerably isolated. It has obtained a 
local name of Squealing Hawk, from a habit of utter- 
ing a harsh scream when it flies. Audubon says 
that the sexes separate after the young are reared, 
and often are quite hostile to each other. 'The Red- 
tail is twenty inches long and three feet nine inches 
in extent of wing. 
HARLAN’S HAWK {Buteo /i-arZani).— Called also 
the Rn.ACK Warrior. 'This Hawk is found in the 
South-western States, 'Texas and Guatemala. It was 
first described by Audubon, from a specimen shot by 
him in Louisiana. 'The specimen is now in the Brit- 
ish Museum. It is allied closely to the preceding- 
species, though somewhat smaller. Its flight is rapid 
and strong. In hunting, it seems to prefer poulti-y 
and the wild ducks. Professor Snow has lately cap- 
tured a S[)ecimeu in Kansas. 
COOPER’S RED-TAIL HAWK [Buteo Cooper i].— 
'I’his species is found in California. A single speci- 
nnm was shot liy Dr. Cooper. “'The nearest ally of 
this species is the 15. fero.x of the Paliearctic realm 
(Noi'thern Asia and Africa and portions of Europe), 
which has exactly the size and proportions of the 
present bird, and, in certain stages, a very similar 
plumage.” — BForth American Birds. 'There is yet 
but one specimen known to collections. 
CALIFORNIA SOUIRREL HAWK [Archibuteo fer- 
rugineas). — 'This Hawk inhabits ^Eestern North 
America, from California to the .Missouri. It was 
first described and brought to notice by Professor 
Lichtenstein, a Prussian naturalist, and afterwards 
by Colonel Eremont, in 1846, being one of the many 
instances of new discoveries since the advancement 
of ex|)editions into the newer portions of the great 
Western 'Territories. 'The adult male is twenty-two 
inches in length and fifty-four and a half in extent of 
wing. 
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK [Areliihuteo lagopus) — ■ 
Plate 3, fig. 7. — ^A variety of this Hawk, called 
Sancti-johannis, and in some quarters Black Hawk 
and Rough-legged Buzzard, is an occasional winter 
visitor in New England. It inhabits the whole of 
North America, breeding far to the north. “'The 
Rough-legged Hawk of North America bears so 
close a resemblance to the European species in 
every respect — plumage, habits, eggs- — that the two 
are generally considered to be identical.” — North 
American Birds. It is said to lie more nocturnal in 
its habits than any of our Hawks. IV'ilson's de- 
scriptioti gives an excellent idea of its character. 
“'This handsome species, notwithstanding its formid- 
able size and appearance, spends the chief part of the 
wititer among our low swamps and meadows, watch- 
ing for frogs, mice, lame ducks and other inglorious 
game. 'Ewenty or thirty individuals have regularly 
taken up their winter quarters, for several years past, 
in the meadows below this city [Ehiladelphia], where 
they spend their time watching along the dry banks 
like cats, or sailing low and slowly over the surface 
of the ditches. 'I’hey seldom fly far — usually from 
one tree to another, at no great distance — making a 
loud squealing as they arise, something resembling 
the neighing of a colt, though in a more shrill and 
savage tone.” I have seen a dozen or more of these 
birds hovering over in short circuits and intently 
watching the surface of low grounds at Nahant, a 
locality noted for an abundance of small snakes. 
'The sjiecies is readily recognized by the dark band 
or blotch upon its breast, which is conspicuously 
contrasted with whitish below. 'The variety Sancti- 
johannis is nearly black in plumage. 
GOLDEN EAGLE [Aquila chrysaetus) — ^Fig. 99, 
vol. i., p. 248. — “'This genus is almost peculiar to 
the Old World, where about seventeen species are 
known, while America has no member of the genus 
exclusively its own, the single North American spe- 
cies being the same as the European one. 'The 
American bird is darker in all its shades of color, 
the diflerence being most marked in the young plu- 
mage. 'The American bird appears to be rather the 
larger.” — North American Birds. Audubon says 
that they are occasionally seen on the Hudson 
River and in Maine. It is considered rare, however, 
in New England. Dr. Brewer says it breeds in 
the mountainous portions of Maine, New Hanqishire 
and Yermont. “Although possessed of a powerful 
fliglit, it has not the speed of many Hawks, nor even 
that of the White-head Eagle. 1 1 cannot, like the lat- 
ter, pursue and seize on the wing the prey it longs for, 
but is obliged to glide down through the air for a 
certain height to insure the success of its enterprise. 
'The keenness of its eye, however, makes u]) for this 
defect, and enables it to spy at a great distance the 
olq'ects on which it preys ; and it seldom misses its 
aim, as it falls with the swiftness of a meteor towards 
the spot on which they are concealed. 4Vhen at a 
great height in the air, its gyrations are exceedingly 
beautiful, being slow and of wide circuit, and becom- 
ing the majsety of the king of birds. 'Their notes 
are harsh and sharp, resembling at times the bark- 
ing of a dog, especially about the breeding season, 
when they become exceedingly noisy and turbulent. 
Young fawns, raccoons, hares, wild turkeys and other 
large birds are their usual food. 'J'hey are nice and 
cleaidy in habit; muscular, strong and hardy ; capa- 
ble of bearing extreme cold without injury. 'The 
species seldom removes far from its place of resi- 
dence, and the attachment of two individuals of differ- 
ent sexes appears to continue for years. 'They do 
not obtain the full beauty of their plumage until the 
fourth year. In the second year they have the ap- 
pearance which has given the name ring-tail to 
