in the United States. Columbia River.
Cooper's Hawk, Falco Cooperii. Bonap. Amer. Orn. Young.
Falco Cooperii, Bon. Syn. App. p. 433. Young.
Stanley Hawk, Falco Stanleii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 245. Adult Male.
Stanley Hawk, Falco Stanleii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 186. Young.
25. 3. Astur fuscus, Gmel. Sharp-shinned Hawk
Plate CCCLXXIV. Adult Male and Female.
Tail even, tarsi extremely slender. Adult male bluish-grey above; the tail with four broad bands of blackish-brown, and tipped with white; upper part of head darker; lower parts transversely barred with light red and white, the throat white, longitudinally streaked. Female similar, more tinged with yellow beneath, and with the bands on the breast broader. Young umber-brown above, more or less spotted with white, the tail with four dark brown bars; lower parts white, each feather with a longitudinal narrow, oblong, brown spot. Miniature of Falco Cooperii, and intimately allied to Astur Nisus.
Male, 111/4, 201/2. Female, 14, 26.
Generally distributed. Not very abundant. Migratory.
Slate-coloured Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. vi. p. 13. Adult Male.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Falco velox, Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. vi. p. 116. Young Female.
Falco velox, Bonap. Syn. p. 29.
Falco fuscus, Bonap. Syn. Append. p. 433.
Accipiter Pennsylvanicus, Slate-coloured Hawk, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 44.
American Brown or Slate-coloured Hawk, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 87.
Sharp-shinned or Slate-coloured Hawk, Falco fuscus, Aud. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 522. Adult.
GENUS XI. CIRCUS, Bechst. HARRIER
Bill short, compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal line sloping to beyond the cere, then decurved, the sides sloping, the edge with a festoon a little anterior to the nostril, the tip acute; lower mandible with the dorsal line ascending and convex, the tip rounded. Nostrils large, ovato-oblong, with an oblique ridge from their upper edge. Head of moderate size, oblong, neck rather short; body slender. Legs long and slender; tarsi long, compressed, anteriorly and posteriorly scutellate; toes slender, scutellate unless at the base; claws long, compressed, moderately curved, flat beneath, acuminate. Plumage very soft; a distinct ruff of narrow feathers from behind the eye on each side to the chin, the aperture of the ear being very large. Wings long, much rounded, the fourth quill longest; outer four quills with their inner webs sinuate. Tail straight, long, slightly rounded. Quills and tail-feathers covered with velvety down.
26. 1. Circus cyaneus, Linn. Common Harrier
Plate CCCLVI. Fig. 1. Male. Fig. 2. Female. Fig. 3. Young.
Adult male light ash-grey; abdomen, tail-coverts, lower wing-coverts, inner webs of secondary quills and tail-feathers, white, primaries black toward the end. Female umber-brown above, head, hind neck and scapulars, streaked with light red; tail-coverts white; tail banded with light red; lower parts light yellowish-red, the neck streaked with brown. Young like the female, but lighter.
Male, 193/4, 44. Female, 201/2, 463/4.
Breeds from Texas northward. Columbia River.
Marsh Hawk, Falco uliginosus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 67. Young Female.
Falco cyaneus, Bonap. Amer. Orn. v. ii. p. 30.
Hen-Harrier or Marsh Hawk, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 109.
Marsh Hawk, Falco cyaneus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 396.
Buteo (Circus) cyaneus? var? Americanus, American Hen-Harrier, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 55.
FAMILY III. STRIGINÆ. OWLS
Bill very short, strong, cerate; upper mandible with the tip elongated and decurved; lower mandible with the end rounded and thin-edged. Head extremely large, owing to the wide separation of the tables of the cranium, roundish, more or less vertically flattened behind, feathered. Eyes excessively large, with prominent superciliary ridges, and encircled by series of decomposed feathers. External aperture of ear always very large, frequently excessive, simple or operculate. Tarsus short, very short, or of moderate length, always feathered, as are the toes, of which the outer is versatile, the first shorter than the second, the anterior free; claws very long, slender, curved, extremely acute. Plumage very full and soft. Wings long, broad, rounded, the second, third, and fourth quills longest, the filaments of the outer more or less enlarged and recurved at the end. Tail broad, rather short or of moderate length, of twelve feathers. Œsophagus very wide, without crop or dilatation; stomach very large, round, somewhat membranous, its muscular fasciculi being placed in a single series; intestine short and wide; cœca large, oblong, obtuse, narrowed at the base. Young at first covered with light-coloured down, when fledged, with the face darker than that of adults. Eggs white, somewhat globular or broadly ovate, from four to six. Nests rudely constructed, in hollow trees, on branches, in buildings, or on the ground.
GENUS I. SURNIA, Dumeril. DAY-OWL
Bill very short, strong, its upper outline decurved from the base; lower mandible abruptly rounded, with a sinus on each side. Nostrils elliptical, rather large. Aperture of ear elliptical, simple, not more than half the height of the head. Feet strong; tarsi very short or of moderate length. Plumage rather dense; facial disks incomplete above. Wings very large, the third quill longest, the first with the filaments thickened and a little free, but scarcely recurved at the end. Tail varying in length.
27. 1. Surnia funerea, Gmel. Hawk Day-Owl. – Hawk Owl
Plate CCCLXXVIII. Male and Female.
Tail long, much rounded, the lateral feathers two inches shorter than the middle. Upper part of head brownish-black, closely spotted with white, hind neck black, with two broad longitudinal bands of white spots; rest of upper parts dark brown, spotted with white; tail with eight transverse bars of white, the feathers tipped with the same; facial disks greyish-white, margined with black; lower parts transversely barred with brown and dull white.
Male, 153/4, 311/2. Female, 171/2.
From New Jersey on the east, and from Columbia River on the west, northward; but not in the central plains. Migratory.
Hawk Owl, Strix hudsonica, Wils. v. vi. p. 64.
Strix funerea, Bonap. Syn. p. 35.
Hawk Owl, Strix funerea, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 115.
28. 2. Surnia nyctea, Linn. Snowy Day-Owl. – Snowy Owl
Plate CXXI. Male and Female.
Tail rather long, moderately rounded; plumage white; head and back spotted; wings, tail, and lower parts barred with dusky brown. Young pure white. Individuals vary much in markings.
Male, 21, 53. Female, 26, 65.
From South Carolina on the east, and Columbia River on
