28 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
BUTEO LINEATUS, Gmelin. 
The Red Shouldered Hawk; The Winter Falcon. 
Falco lineatus and hyemalis, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 268, 274, (1788.) 
Falco buteoides , Nutt. Man. I, 100, (1st edition, 1832.) 
Figures.— Vieill. Ois. d’Am. Sept., pi. 5 ; Wilson Am. Orn., pi. 53, fig. 3 ; Aud. B. of Am., pi. 56, 71 ; Oct. ed. I, pi. 9 ; 
Nat. Hist. New York, Birds, pi. 6 , fig. 13. 
Adult. —Wing coverts from its flexure to the body fine bright rufous ; breast and other lower parts of the body paler orange 
rufous, many feathers, with transverse bars and spots of white, which predominate on the abdomen and under tail coverts. 
Entire upper parts brown ; on the head mixed with rufous, and with white spots on the wing coverts and shorter quills and 
rump. Quills brownish black, with white spots on their outer webs, and with bars of a lighter shade of brown and of white on 
their inner webs ; tail brownish black, with about five transverse bands of white and tipped with white. 
Young. —Entire under parts yellowish white, with longitudinal stripes and oblong spots of dark brown ; throat dark brown. 
Upper parts lighter ashy brown, with many partially concealed spots and bars of white ; quills dark brown, with wide transverse 
bars of rufous and white on both webs. Tail ashy brown, with numerous bands pale brownish and rufous white ; tail beneath 
silvery white. 
Total length, female, 21 to 23 inches, wing 14, tail 9 inches. Male, 18 to 20 inches, wing 12, tail 8 inches. 
Hab. Eastern and northern North America. 
This is one of the most abundant of the rapacious birds of the eastern and southern States on 
the Atlantic, and appears to he restricted to the countries east of the Rocky mountains. It 
presents considerable variation in plumage, the young, as described above, bearing very little 
resemblance to the adult. The latter is much the more frequently met with, and is Falco 
hyemalis of authors. 
In western North America this bird is replaced by the succeeding species, from which it can 
be easily recognized in the adult by the different shade of color of the under parts, and by the 
different markings of the young. 
List of specimens. 
Measurements. 
Catalogue number. 
Sex and age. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Point of bill to end 
of tail. 
Between tips of out¬ 
stretched wings. 
Wing from carpal 
joint. 
Remarks. 
8629 
Cape Florida_._ 
Nov. 10, 1857 
G. Wurdemann.. 
17. 75 
40. 00 
12 . 00 
8630 
9 
Indian Key, Fla_ 
Aug. 31, 1857 
..._do_ 
17. 50 
37.00 
11 . 20 
Iris, light brown ; legs 
8631 
17. 50 
37.00 
11 . 10 
and feet, green.... 
4978 
Ft. Chadbourne, Tex. 
Dr. Swift.._ 
18. 00 
38. 00 
11. 50 
BUTEO ELEGANS, Cassin. 
Buteo elegans, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philada. VII, 281, (1855.) 
Generally resembling Buteo lineatus Bill rather slender ; edges of the upper mandible with a rounded lobe ; wing moderate, 
fourth quill longest, first quill short; tail moderate wide, rounded at tip. Tarsus feathered in front slightly below the joint; 
naked behind ; in front presenting about twelve transverse scales. 
Adult female. —Resembling the adult of Buteo lineatus, but with the breast dark rufous unspotted, (nearly brick red,) and 
other under parts, including the under tail coverts, of the same color, with numerous nearly regular transverse bars of reddish 
