10 
MUSEUM BULLETIN NO. 28. 
especially towards the head (usually ochres and cream tints with little 
if any reddish admixture). Below, it is ochraceous dull cream, or white 
with a pronounced broad black or dark brown band across lower breast 
and abdomen. The tail is nearly white at the base and brown towards 
the tip. Between the light and the dark phases of these birds all 
intermediates exist and often the two Rough-legs are most difficult to tell 
apart except by a comparison of the bills. Looking down (towards the 
crown) the bill of the American Rough-leg is comparatively narrow 
(Figure 4), whereas that of the Ferruginous is much broader at the base 
giving what might be described as a frog-mouthed effect (Figure 5). 
EAGLES. 
Eagles are represented by two species — the Bald-headed and the 
Golden. Size is sufficient to distinguish these birds from all other 
raptores. Any Canadian bird of prey over 30 inches long from tip of 
bill to end of tail, or over 6 feet in spread of wings, must be an eagle. 
Eagles are nowhere common enough in the prairie provinces to be of 
economic importance. The tales current of eagles taking lambs and 
even young children are either exaggerations or the reports of most excep- 
tional cases. 
Adult Bald Eagles are easily recognized by their pure white heads 
and tails, but in the juvenile plumage their even darkness is so like the 
coloration of the Golden that they are best recognized by their leg 
characters. The legs of the Golden are always feathered to the base 
of the toes (similar to Figure 3) whereas those of the Bald are bare from 
the first joint down. 
FALCONS. 
The Falcons, Long-winged or Noble Hawks, are represented by five 
species, none of which, except the Sparrow Hawk, the smallest and least 
harmful, is at all common and most of them are so rare as to be objects 
of curiosity rather than of economic interest. The principal characteris- 
tics of the Falcons are their pointed, triangular wings and long, narrow 
tail. Their flight is a succession of quickly timed wing beats, developing 
high speeds, and with little gliding. The larger members of the group 
take their prey mostly by straight pursuit, securing it by superior speed 
and strength rather than by subterfuge. They are the boldest, hardiest, 
and most sportsmanlike of all the hawks and if they were of more than 
rare occurrence would warrant uneasiness on the part of the poulterer 
or the game protector. As it is they can be practically disregarded. 
The Gyrfalcon (length 20-22 inches), the most powerful of all the 
hawks, is of Arctic distribution and comes down very rarely into civilized 
