382 
WHITE-TAILED HAWK. 
The female white-tailed hawk, is sixteen and a half inches 
long, and three feet five and a half inches in extent. The bill 
is black, and measures from the corners of the mouth one inch 
and a half, the sides of the mouth, posterior portion of the 
lower mandible, and cere, bright yellow orange ; bristles on 
the cere white, as well as those first on the lores ; those nearest 
the eye, black; irides, brownish red; eyelids, white; cilia, 
long and black ; orbits, black, wider before the eye ; front 
line over the orbits, sides of the head, neck, and body, and 
whole inferior surface of the bird, together with the thighs, 
pure white ; head, pearl grey, becoming gradually darker 
from the pure white front towards the neck and back, which 
are entirely bluish ash, as well as the rump, scapulars, second- 
aries, and greater wing-coverts; smaller and middle wing- 
coverts, deep glossy black ; spurious wing, blackish ; lining of 
the wing, and inferior coverts, pure white, the latter with a 
wide black patch ; primaries on both surfaces, slate colour, the 
shafts, black, and, the first excepted, margined exteriorly, and 
slightly at tip, with dusky, and interiorly, with whitish ; the 
margin of the inner web is of a remarkably close texture, with 
a very soft surface ; the first primary is a little shorter than the 
third ; the second longest ; the two outer ones are slightly ser- 
rated on their outer web. When closed, the wings reach 
within less than an inch of the tip of the tail. The tail is seven 
inches long, slightly emarginated, and with the outer feather 
more than half an inch shorter than the adjoining one ; the 
middle feathers are very pale bluish slate, all the others pure 
white ; shafts above, black towards the tip, and beneath, white ; 
that of the exterior tail-feather, white, tipped with dusky above 
towards the base ; feet, bright yellow orange ; tarsus, one inch 
and a half long, feathered in front half its length, the remain- 
der covered with small reticulated scales ; toes separated to the 
base; nails, -large, black, very acute, and, with the exception 
of the middle one, perfectly rounded beneath ; the middle one 
is very sharp on the inner side. 
The male is of a smaller size ; the upper surface, instead of 
