. The hawks and owls of the United States in their relation to agriculture . bird is quite shy and difficult to secure, and when its nest isapproached will circle about out of gun range. DESCRIPTION. Tail less than half as long as wing. Three outer wing feathers withinner web distinctly cut out. Tail, and the feathers covering it, white,crossed near the end with a broad band of black, in front of which arenumerous narrow broken lines of blackish. Above, blueish-gray orslaty; front of shoulders rufous; rump and lower parts white; throatsometimes dusky. Length: 23 to 24 inches (584 to 609); exte
. The hawks and owls of the United States in their relation to agriculture . bird is quite shy and difficult to secure, and when its nest isapproached will circle about out of gun range. DESCRIPTION. Tail less than half as long as wing. Three outer wing feathers withinner web distinctly cut out. Tail, and the feathers covering it, white,crossed near the end with a broad band of black, in front of which arenumerous narrow broken lines of blackish. Above, blueish-gray orslaty; front of shoulders rufous; rump and lower parts white; throatsometimes dusky. Length: 23 to 24 inches (584 to 609); extent, 48 to 54 inches (1220to 1372™); wing, to inches (368 to 450); tail, inches (190 to 261>). SWAINSONS HAWK. Buteo swainsoni. [Plate 9—Adult.] Swainsons Hawk inhabits western North America, ranging fromAlaska and the Mackenzie Eiver district south through middle Amer-ica and the greater part of South America to the Argentine North America it extends east to Hudson Bay, Wisconsin, Illinois, Bull No 3 Div 0 rnitholoiy F I a Le 9. iy^^ SWAINSONS HAWK, lusuin Houa SWAINSONS HAWK. 73 and Aikan«as, and is accidental in New Enj;land. Tlirouf-liout thenorthern part of its range and as far soutii as Soutii Dakota and Ne-braska it is a migratory species. A few winter near parallel 43°, butthe majority pass south of that latitude by the latter i»art of Octoberand return the following March or early April. The food of this Hawk, like that of the other Butmn, is extremelyvaried, but generally consists of more insect matter than is usually thecase in birds of prey of this group. Besides insects, it feeds exten-sively on gophers (ground squirrels) and other small rodents, re])tilcs,batrachians, and occasionally on birds. It very rarely touches poultry,though Mr. H. Nehrling says that in Texas it commits great havocamong this class of birds. (Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. vii, 1882,p. 174.) It is probable that this author has been misinformed, a
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