163 
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 
mainly within the country inhabited by meadow mice, and at the 
season when they are at their worst eating the roots of the crops 
and gnawing the bark of fruit-trees under the snow he devotes 
himself to their destruction. 
Dr. Fisher says that the rough-leg is one of the most nocturnal of 
our hawks, and that it “may be seen in the fading twilight watch¬ 
ing from some low perch, or beating with measured, noiseless flight, 
over its hunting ground.” 
Subgenus Brewsteria. 
348. Archibuteo ferrugineus ( Licht .). Ferruginous Rough- 
leg: Squirrel Hawk. 
Adults, normal phase : under parts white, sometimes slightly streaked 
with brown; upper parts and flanks reddish 
brown; tail white, more or less stained with 
reddish brown, and sometimes marked with 
a subterminal band. Adults , melanisticphase : 
tail normal; upper parts chocolate brown, 
marked with rusty; under parts rusty and 
chocolate. Young: upper parts grayish 
brown, feathers edged with rusty or yellow¬ 
ish brown ; flanks white, more or less spotted 
with dusky; tail whitish for basal third, the 
rest brownish gray, usually with several 
more or less distinct dark bands. Male: 
length 22.50, wing 15.90-17.00, tail 9.50- 
10.50. Female : length 24, wing 17.00-18.80, 
tail 10.50-11.00. 
Distribution. — From the eastern Dakotas 
and Texas to the Pacific, and from the Sas¬ 
katchewan to northern Mexico; casually to 
Illinois. 
Nest. — Of sticks and herbage, lined with 
softer materials. Eggs: 2 to 5, creamy or 
pale greenish, irregularly blotched with dif¬ 
ferent shades of brown and lavender. 
Food. — Almost exclusively small mam¬ 
mals and reptiles, but also crickets. 
“The squirrel hawk is preeminently a bird of the prairie, and, 
unlike the common rough-leg, shows little partiality to the vicinity 
of water, though in other respects it closely resembles the latter 
bird in habits. When this hawk is hunting its flight appears la¬ 
bored and heavy, but when circling high in the air its flight is 
graceful, and resembles closely that of the golden eagle. In fact, in 
parts of the west it is known by the name eagle.” (Fisher.) 
GENUS AQUILA. 
349. Aquila chrysaetos (Linn.). Golden Eagle. 
A bird of great size, robust form, and powerful physique. Tarsus closely 
