File:Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande Valley (1902) (14569059619).jpg

Identifier: handbookofbird00bail (find matches)
Title: Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande Valley
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Bailey, Florence Merriam, b. 1863
Subjects: Birds -- West (U.S.)
Publisher: Boston New York, Houghton, Mifflin and company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
s, and groundsquirrels; also lizards, frogs, snakes, birds, and insects. Marsh hawk and mouse hawk are both appropriate names for thesesoft-winged still-hunters. Fields, marshes, and prairies are theirhunting grounds, and you may see them sailing slowly and smoothlyjust above the surface of the grass tops, with round owl-like faceand large eyes turned to the ground beneath, and wings ready for aquick dive. Woe to the mouse or gopher that moves in the grassunder those eyes I Birds are not such easy prey, and few are cap-tured except wounded game birds. Broken-winged quail, grouse,or ducks are not left to sufier long. They are quickly discoveredand eaten. The intelligent farmer usually recognizes the value of this hawkand the fact that it almost never touches his poultry. He sees itskimming over his meadows and diving into the grass for mice, andwisely lets it live; but nevertheless he would be surprised if hecould figure out how many dollars it saves him during the year. Verkon Bailey.
Text Appearing After Image:
MAlOll HAWK FALCONS, HAWKS, P:AGLES, ETC. 151 GENUS ACCIPITER. General Characters. — Head siuall, wiug.s short, tail and legs long; threeto live outer primaries cut out on inner webs; tail square or rounded,about equal to length of wing. KEY TO ADULT MALES. 1. Under parts gray, finely barred with zigzag lines. 2. Upper parts ciear bluish gray . . . . atricapillus, p. 152. 2. Upper parts slaty blue inclining to sooty . . striatulus. p. V>:\. r. Under parts white, coai-sely barred with reddish l)r()wn. 2. Tail rounded . . . cooperii. p. l.)2. 2.Tail even or eniarginate velox, p. l)!. Length 20 or less Subgenus Accipiter.tarsus feathered for one third less of its length. 332. Accipiter velox ( HV/s.). Shakp-shinned Hawk. Adnh male. — Under parts white, heavily barred and spotted with reddishbrown; upper parts nearly uniform bluish gray; tail even or sliyhtli/ notched.witli three or four narrow blackish bands,and narrow white tip. Adult female: similar,but duller, less blue above,

Note About Images