Chapter XIII: Appendix: I. Additions and Corrections 499 (13)

var. _unicinctus_.[86]

_Adult_ with the blackish continuous and uniform. Wing, 12.35–14.50;
tail, 9.80–11.00; culmen, .90–1.10; tarsus, 3.15–3.75; middle toe,
1.65–2.00. _Hab._ Middle America, north into southern border of
United States …

var. _harrisi_.

Parabuteo unicinctus, var. harrisi (RIDGWAY).

HARRIS’S BUZZARD.

_Falco harrisi_, AUD. B. Am. pl. cccxcii, 1831.—IB. Orn. Biog. V,
30. _Buteo harrisi_, AUD. Synop. 1839, 5.—BONAP. List, 3.—DE KAY,
Zoöl. N. Y. II, 11.—_Craxirex unicinctus_, var. _harrisi_, RIDGWAY,
P. A. N. S. Philad. Dec. 1870, p. 142. _Buteo unicinctus_, var.
_harrisi_, COUES, Key, 1872, 215. “_Craxirex unicinctus_, TEMM.”
CASS. Birds N. Am. 1858, 46.—DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 329 (Texas).—COUES,
P. A. N. S. 1866, 13 (Arizona).

SP. CHAR. _Adult male_ (17,230, Cape St. Lucas, Lower California; J. Xantus). General plumage uniform sooty-black, purest on the tail, somewhat tinged with chestnut on the rump. Lesser wing-coverts and lateral half of each web of middle coverts, also the tibiæ, rich deep chestnut, perfectly uniform. Upper and lower tail-coverts, and broad basal and terminal zones of tail, pure white, the anterior band concealed (except on outer feathers) by the upper coverts, and about twice the width of the last, which is about 1 inch wide. Tail-coverts with a few irregular narrow shaft-streaks of blackish. Lining of wing deep chestnut, like the shoulders; each greater covert with a black shaft-streak; primaries beneath plain black. Wing, 14.50; tail, 10.00; tarsus, 3.25; middle toe, 2.00. Fourth and fifth quills longest and equal; third considerably shorter; second intermediate between sixth and seventh; first 3.40 shorter than longest.

_Adult female_ (42,559, Iztlan, Mexico; Colonel Grayson). Generally similar to the male; the black, however, less pure and more brownish, the chestnut more extended, the whole rump being of this color, the last feathers merely being blackish in the middle. White of tail-coverts without blackish streaks. Wing, 14.60; tail, 10.30; tarsus, 3.25; middle toe, 1.95.

_Immature male_ (second year, 50,763, Tepic, Mexico; Colonel Grayson). Upper parts similar to adult, but less uniform; the nape and back with feathers edged with rusty; sides of head and neck very much streaked. Breast and abdomen light ochraceous, with large longitudinal oval spots of black; tibiæ light ochraceous, with rather distant transverse bars of dark rusty-brown; lower tail-coverts ochraceous-white, with black shaft-lines. Rufous on the wings more extended and more broken; none on the rump. Terminal band of tail narrower and less sharply defined than in adult; inner webs of primaries with basal two-thirds white, irregularly mottled with dusky. “Iris chestnut-brown; cere, chin, and space round the eyes yellow.”

_Immature female_ (second year, 15,260, Fort Buchanan, New Mexico; Dr. Irwin). Black spots beneath larger and more irregularly defined; tibiæ strongly barred with dark rufous; posterior edge of basal band of tail much broken.

HAB. Middle, or northern tropical, America, from the Isthmus of Panama northward into the southern United States; Mississippi (AUDUBON); Texas (Mus. S. I.; DRESSER); Arizona (COUES).

Localities: Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 216).

LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED.

National Museum, 13; Philadelphia Academy, 3; Cab. G. N. Lawrence, 2; Coll. R. Ridgway, 1. Total, 19.

_Measurements._

+----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ |Sex.| Wing. | Tail. | Culmen. | Tarsus. |Middle Toe.|Specimens.| +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♂ |12.35–13.75| 9.80–10.20| .90–.95|3.15–3.20| 1.65–1.70| 8 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♀ |14.25–14.50|10.80–11.00|1.08–1.10|3.40–3.75| 1.90–2.00| 6 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+

HABITS. This Hawk has a very limited range within the United States, and Mr. Audubon, who was the first to meet with it there, obtained only a single specimen from Louisiana. Supposing it to be an undescribed species, he named it in honor of his friend, Mr. Edward Harris.

This species is occasionally found in the lower portions of the States of Mississippi and Louisiana, but becomes much more abundant in the southwestern sections of the latter State, and in Texas is common, especially about the mouth of the Rio Grande. In one variety or the other it is frequently met with throughout Mexico, and Central America, and is also said to be an occasional visitant of Cuba and Jamaica.

Mr. Dresser found this Hawk common throughout Texas to the Colorado River, beyond which he noticed but few. It was the only Hawk he noticed at Matamoras in the summer. He describes it as a heavy, sluggish bird, seldom seen on the wing, and subsisting, so far as he could see, entirely on carrion. All along the road from Brownsville to San Antonio, he noticed it either perched on some tree by the roadside, or busy, in company with Vultures and Caracaras, regaling on some offensive carrion. He found it breeding in the neighborhood of San Antonio, Medina, and Altascosa Rivers, having eggs in the month of May. A nest found on the 4th of May, near the Medina River, was built of sticks, very slightly lined, and was placed in a low hackberry-tree. The eggs were four in number, and described as white, with a faint bluish tinge, very sparingly spotted and blotched with red.

Other writers also agree in representing this Hawk as heavy and sluggish in habit, and as frequenting streams of water, and its food as consisting chiefly of the reptiles and smaller animals which frequent the banks of rivers and creeks. It builds its nests on low trees, in the immediate vicinity of its hunting-ground, and often over the water, constructing them of coarse flags and water-plants. The nests are usually not very large for the birds, are flattened or with very slight depressions, and the materials are very loosely put together. The eggs are from three to five in number, usually white and unspotted, occasionally with more or less of a yellowish or tawny tinge. In some instances they are faintly marked with light dashes or stains of a yellowish-brown, and, more rarely, are also marked with small blotches of sepia-brown, and with smaller dottings of purplish-drab. Their average measurement is, length 2.13, breadth 1.69 inches.

Our knowledge of the eggs of these Hawks is derived from the collection of the late Dr. Berlandier, of Matamoras, in the Province of Tamaulipas, Mexico. In the cabinet of that gentleman were several varieties, now in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution, and presented to it by Lieutenant Couch.

_Onychotes gruberi._]

GENUS ONYCHOTES, RIDGWAY.

_Onychotes_, RIDGWAY, P. A. N. S. Philad. Dec. 1870, 142. (Type, _O.
gruberi_, nov. sp.)

GEN. CHAR. Bill short, the tip remarkably short and obtuse, and only gradually bent; cere on top about equal to the culmen, very broad basally in its transverse diameter, and ascending, in its lateral outline, on a line with the culmen; commissure only faintly lobed. Nostril nearly circular, with a conspicuous (but not central or bony) tubercle; cere densely bristled below the nostril, almost to its anterior edge; orbital region finely bristled. Tarsus very long and slender, nearly twice the length of the middle toe; toes moderate, the outer one decidedly longer than the inner; claws very long, strong, and sharp, and curved in about one quarter the circumference of a circle. Tibial feathers short and close, the plumes scarcely reaching below the joint. Feathers of the forehead, gular region, sides, and tibiæ, with white filamentous attachments to the end of the shafts. Wing very short, much rounded, and very concave beneath; fourth quill longest; first shorter than ninth; four primaries emarginated, and one sinuated, on inner webs; five sinuated on outer webs. Tail about two thirds as long as wing, rounded. Outstretched feet reaching beyond end of tail.

This genus has no very near relatives among the American _Falconidæ_, nor, indeed, among those of other portions of the world. It is, perhaps, most closely related to the genus _Rupornis_, of South America, from which, however, it is very distinct. It is represented by a single species, the type of which, supposed to have come from California, still remains unique.

The elongated legs, reaching considerably beyond the rather short tail, the close thigh-plumes, the long and extremely acute claws (somewhat like those of _Rostrhamus_), with the short, rounded, and very concave wing, are its most striking peculiarities. Besides these distinguishing features, the short, thick bill, very deep through the base, and the filamentous attachments to the shafts of the feathers of certain parts of the body, are also very characteristic. The latter feature may possibly be a mark of immaturity, but I have seen nothing like it in other _Raptores_, and it seems to be more analogous to the nuptial ornaments seen in the Cormorants (_Phalocrocoracidæ_).

Species.

=O. gruberi.= Wing, 10.10; tail, 6.50; culmen, about .80; tarsus,
2.70; middle toe, 1.45; posterior claw, 1.00, its digit .80.
_Immature_ (?). Uniform grayish-umber, tinged with dull rufous on the
neck; lining of the wing and tibiæ dull grayish-cinnamon. Primaries
inclining to black, and showing just discernible, obscure hoary bars
on their basal half. Tail brownish-gray, with a hoary cast nearer the
shaft (not paler at the tip), and crossed with nine or ten narrow
bars of dusky, these becoming hardly distinguishable basally and
terminally. Inner webs of the primaries plain white anterior to their
emargination. Head laterally and beneath obsoletely streaked with
whitish. _Hab._ “California.”

Onychotes gruberi, RIDGWAY.

GRUBER’S HAWK.

_Onychotes gruberi_, RIDGWAY, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. Dec. 1870, p.
149.

SP. CHAR. _Immature?_ (41,703, “California”; F. Gruber). Outstretched feet reaching beyond tail. General plumage dull dark-bistre, with a grayish-umber cast in some lights, darkest on the head above and back; the posterior lower parts paler and more reddish; throat and neck much tinged with pale rusty (this obsoletely bordering the feathers, which here have fine whitish filaments attached to the shafts); primaries uniform black. Tail like the rump, but with a more hoary tinge (not paler at the tip), and crossed with seven or eight very narrow obscure bars of darker, the last of which is distant an inch or more from the end. Lining of wing dark bistre, much tinged with rusty, this prevalent toward the edge; under surface of primaries white anterior to their emargination, beyond which they are ashy, approaching black at ends; ashy portion with distant, very obsolete, dusky bars, but the cheeks and throat streaked obsoletely with this color. No distinct white anywhere about the head or neck. Wing, 10.00; tail, 5.80; tarsus, 2.70; middle toe, 1.40; inner, .90; outer, 1.10; posterior, .80; hind claw, 1.00 (chord); inner claw, .91; on front of tarsus, twelve exposed large transverse scutellæ; only 1.70 of the tarsus exposed.

The type of this species still remains unique. It was sent to the Smithsonian Institution by Mr. Gruber, who labelled it as having been obtained in California. Nothing is known of its habits.

GENUS BUTEO, CUVIER.

_Buteo_, CUV. 1799. (Type, _Falco buteo_, LINN. = _Buteo vulgaris_,
BECHSTEIN.)
_Craxirex_, GOULD, 1838. (Type, _Buteo galapagoensis_, GOULD.)
_Pæcilopternis_, KAUP, 1847. (Type, _Falco borealis_, GM.)
_Tachytriorchis_, KAUP, 1844. (Type, _Falco pterocles_, TEMM.)

GEN. CHAR. Form robust and heavy, the wings long, and rather pointed, the tail moderate and rounded, the bill and feet strong. Bill intermediate between that of _Astur_ and that of _Parabuteo_. Wing long and rather pointed, the third to fifth quill longest, the first shorter than eighth; three to four with inner webs emarginated. Tail moderate, slightly rounded.

=1750=, ♀. ½
=1750=, ♀.
=10571=, ♀. ½
=10571=, ♀. ¼

_Buteo borealis_ (1750; 10571).]

_Buteo zonocercus_ (52763).]

_Buteo swainsoni_ (58505).]

The species of this genus are very numerous, especially within the tropics, and are found all over the world, except in Australia. About thirty nominal species are known, of which about fifteen distinct species, not including geographical races, belong to America. A single species, _B. solitarius_ (_Pandion solitarius_, Peale), (Gray’s Hand List, I, 15, No. 136,) belongs to the Sandwich Islands. The genus seems to be wanting in the Australian and East Indian regions.

The following species and races belong to the North American fauna.

Species and Races.

=A.= Three outer primaries with their inner webs cut or emarginated.

1. =B. pennsylvanicus.= Wing, 9.85–11.40; tail, 6.30–8.00; culmen,
.70–.80; tarsus, 2.15–2.80; middle toe, 1.20–1.40. Third to
fourth quill longest; first shorter than seventh. _Adult._ Tail
dull black, paler at the tip, crossed by two to four bands of
dilute umber, or brownish-white, varying in width, but the last
always broadest. Upper tail-coverts tipped and barred with white.
Lower parts dull rufous-brown, nearly unbroken on the breast, but
posteriorly much variegated with roundish transverse spots of
white, forming broad transverse bars, interrupted by the dusky
shaft. Upper parts dark umber, darker on the back. _Young._ Tail
dull grayish-umber, growing darker terminally, narrowly tipped
with whitish, and crossed by about six narrow and indistinct bands
of dusky; these gradually becoming obsolete basally, the last much
broader. Lower parts white, or light ochraceous, with longitudinal
spots of dark brown or blackish on the sides of the breast and
abdomen, and roundish or transversely cordate ones on the sides,
flanks, and tibiæ. A conspicuous “mustache” on the cheeks, from
the rictus down. Upper parts much as in the adult. _Hab._ Eastern
North America, and Middle America, south to Bogota and Caraccas.

2. =B. swainsoni.= Wing, 12.00–17.00; tail, 6.50–9.00; culmen,
.80–.95; tarsus, 2.95–2.70; middle toe, 1.50–1.70. Third to
fourth (usually third) quills longest; first usually longer than
seventh. _Adult._ Tail dark grayish-brown, sometimes with a hoary
cast, crossed by five to seven, or more, narrow bands of dusky,
usually very obscure, and becoming obsolete basally. Colors of
other portions extremely variable; the upper parts, however,
continuous, unvariegated, dark brown, or blackish; the lower
parts sometimes also entirely dusky, except the tail-coverts,
which are always (?) barred with white. _Normal plumage._ A dark
area covering the jugulum and breast, dull rufous in the ♂, and
dark grayish-brown in the ♀. Other lower parts whitish, sometimes
pure, and nearly immaculate, but usually more or less tinged with
ochraceous and rufous, and transversely barred with various shades
of brown. _Young._ Tail hoary brownish-gray, crossed by numerous,
very indistinct, narrow bands of darker, and faintly tipped with
whitish. Ground-color of the head, neck, and lower parts, light
ochraceous, or cream-color (sometimes nearly white), the anterior
upper parts with large longitudinally ovate spots of black; these
assuming the form of streaks on the head and neck. Sides of the
breast with an aggregation of larger spots of the same, and sides
with sparser hastate or deltoid spots. Upper parts purplish-black,
more or less variegated with ochraceous; the relative proportion
of the two colors varying with the individual.

Wing, 14.40–17.00; tail, 8.00–9.50; culmen, .80–.95; tarsus,
2.30–2.70; middle toe, 1.50–1.70. Weight 1½–3½ lbs. _Hab._
Western Province of North America, from the Mississippi Valley,
and the region of the Great Lakes (Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, to
Arkansas, also Canada and Massachusetts) to the Pacific …

var. _swainsoni_.

Wing, 12.00–15.30; tail, 6.50–9.00; culmen, .85–.90; tarsus,
1.95–2.60; middle toe, 1.50–1.60. Colors similar, but the young
paler than that of var. _swainsoni_. Adult unknown. _Hab._
Middle and South America, and southern border of the western
United States, from New Mexico to Buenos Ayres (two specimens,
Costa Rica, and Buenos Ayres, Mus. S. I.) …

var. _oxypterus_.

=B.= Four outer primaries with their inner webs cut.

_a._ Form light, the legs slender; tail of adult without a
subterminal band of black more distinct than the others.

3. =B. zonocercus.= Wing, 15.50–17.40; tail, 8.50–10.75; culmen,
.90; tarsus, 2.50–2.80; middle toe, 1.60–1.85. Entirely deep
black, with more or less concealed pure white spotting. _Adult._
Tail carbonaceous-black, with three very broad zones, of pure
white on inner webs and ash on the outer webs. _Young._ Tail dark
brown, the inner webs more or less, sometimes entirely, white,
crossed by numerous oblique bands of black. _Hab._ Mexico (chiefly
western?) and adjacent southwestern portions of the United States
(Arizona, COUES; Southern California, San Diego, COOPER).

4. =B. lineatus.= Wing, 11.25–14.25; tail, 8.00–10.00; culmen,
.75–.90; tarsus, 2.70–3.25; middle toe, 1.30–1.50. Fourth to
fifth quill longest; first shorter than seventh. Outer webs of
the primaries with quadrate spots of whitish; lesser wing-coverts
dark rufous; lower parts rufous more or less barred with whitish,
or whitish spotted longitudinally with dusky. _Adult._ Head,
neck, lesser wing-coverts, and lower parts deep rufous, the lower
parts more or less barred posteriorly with whitish. Primaries and
tail black; the former with quadrate spots of pure white on the
outer webs, and the latter crossed by six narrow bands of pure
white, and tipped with the same. _Young._ Head, neck, and lower
parts whitish, usually more or less tinged with ochraceous, and
with longitudinal markings of dusky. Primaries and tail dusky;
the former mostly ochraceous anterior to the sinuation of their
outer webs, the latter crossed by numerous narrow bands of pale
grayish-brown, these becoming paler and more ochraceous toward the
base. Lesser wing-coverts more or less tinged with dark rufous.

_Adult._ Lower parts light rufous barred with white. _Young._
White prevailing on the lower parts. _Hab._ Eastern Province of
the United States …

var. _lineatus_.

_Adult._ Lower parts deep dark rufous, almost free from bars,
except posteriorly. _Young._ Dark spotting on the lower parts
predominating. _Hab._ Pacific Province, and southern Western
Province, of the United States …

var. _elegans_.

_b._ Form robust and heavy, the tarsus stout; tail of the adult with
a subterminal band of black broader than the other.

5. =B. borealis.= Wing, 13.25–17.75; tail, 8.50–11.30; culmen,
.90–1.15; tarsus, 2.70–3.40; middle toe, 1.60–1.95. Weight,
2½ to 4 lbs. Third to fifth quill longest; first shorter than
seventh and shorter than tenth. Colors extremely variable, ranging
from entirely pure white beneath, through various shades of
ochraceous and rusty, and greater or less amount of darker spots
and bars, to an entirely uniform brownish-black. _Adult._ Tail
deep rufous, generally paler at the tip; with or without black
bars. _Young._ Tail grayish-brown, crossed by nine or ten bands of
black, much narrower than the gray ones. Lower parts always with
white predominating.

Tibiæ and lower tail-coverts without transverse bars, at any
age. Lower parts with white always predominating. Tail never
with more than one bar of black.

Feathers of the head and neck edged laterally with rufous;
scapulars and wing-coverts much variegated with whitish; upper
tail-coverts white, barred with rufous. Throat with blended
streaks of blackish, this usually predominating; tibiæ and
lower tail-coverts plain yellowish-white. _Hab._ Eastern
Province of North America, to the Missouri plains …

var. _borealis_.

Similar, but colors much paler, the lower parts entirely pure
white, with little or no spotting on the abdomen. Tail usually
destitute of the black subterminal band. _Hab._ Plains, from
Texas to Minnesota …

var. _krideri_.

Similar to the last, but lower parts strongly tinged with
rufous on the tibiæ, and upper parts much darker. Tail
always destitute of the subterminal black band. _Young_ not
distinguishable from that of var. _calurus_. _Hab._ Cape St.
Lucas …

var. _lucasanus_.

Whole head, neck (except the throat), and upper parts,
continuously uniform unvariegated brownish-black; that of
the neck meeting narrowly across the lower part of the
throat, leaving the whole throat almost immaculate white.
Posterior lower parts fine, deep pinkish-ochraceous; tibiæ
deep reddish-ochraceous; upper tail-coverts plain rufous.
_Hab._ Central America (from Tres Marias, Western Mexico, to
Costa Rica and Veragua) …

var. _costaricensis_.

Tibiæ and lower tail-coverts always with distinct transverse
bars. Tail often with more or less complete transverse bars of
black to the base. Lower parts with an excess of ochraceous and
darker markings, frequently wholly blackish.

Varying, from individuals distinguishable from the darker
examples of var. _borealis_ only by the presence of bars on
the tibiæ and crissum, through others with various degrees
of rufous tinge and dusky spotting and barring beneath, to a
perfectly melanistic condition, in which the bird is almost
uniformly black, and the tail with continuous, regular bars of
black to the base. _Hab._ Western Province of North America,
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific …

var. _calurus_.

6. =B. harlani.= Wing, 15.00–16.20; tail, 8.80–10.50; culmen,
1.00; tarsus, 2.75–2.90; middle toe, 1.50–1.70. Lateral toes
nearly equal; tibial plumes much developed, reaching below
the bases of the toes. Entirely brownish-black (except the
tail), the concealed bases of the feathers snowy-white. _Adult._
Tail confusedly mottled with dusky and white, upon a grayish
ground; sometimes more or less tinged with rufous. _Young._ Tail
grayish-brown, with nine very regular, sharply defined bands of
brownish-black, about equal in width to the gray ones. Lower parts
wholly dusky. _Hab._ Southwestern United States, east of the Rocky
Mountains, from Kansas to Texas.

7. =B. cooperi.= Wing, 15.75; tail, 9.10; culmen, 1.10; tarsus,
3.25; middle toe, 1.70. _Adult._ Head, neck, and beneath, pure
white, the head above and nape streaked with dusky; lining of the
wing white, with a large black patch. Above nearly uniform dusky,
the primaries plumbeous. Tail longitudinally mottled with light
rufous, cinereous, and dusky; the former prevailing. _Hab._ Santa
Clara County, California.

Buteo pennsylvanicus (WILS.).

BROAD-WINGED HAWK.

_Falco pennsylvanicus_, WILS. Am. Orn. VI, 92, pl. liv, f. 1,
1812.—LATH. Gen. Hist. I, 263, 1821.—AUD. B. Am. pl. xci, 1831;
Orn. Biog. I, 461, 1831.—BONAP. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. II, 29, 434; Isis,
p. 1137, 1832.—NUTT. Man. I, 105, 1833.—TEMM. Pl. Col. 67, 1836.
_Buteo pennsylvanicus_, BONAP. Ois. Cuv. Règ. An. p. 35, 1830; Eur.
& N. Am. B. p. 3, 1838; Consp. Av. p. 19, 1850.—AUD. Syn. p. 7,
1839.—BREW. (WILS). Am. Orn. Syn. p. 648, 1852.—GRAY, Gen. sp. 8,
1844; List B. Brit. Mus. p. 16, 1844.—CASS. B. Cal. & Tex. Syn. p.
100, 1854.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 32, 1855.—DE KAY, Zoöl. N. Y. II, 11,
pl. v, fig. 11, 1844.—CASS. Birds N. Am. 29, 1858.—GRAY, Hand List,
B. 7, 1869.—DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 325 (Texas). _Astur pennsylvanicus_,
CUV. Règ. An. (ed. 2), I, 332, 1829.—JAMES. (WILS.) Orn. I, 65.
_Falco latissimus_, WILS. Am. Orn. (last ed.) VI, 92, pl. liv, f.
1, 1812. _A. ? latissimus_, JARD. (WILS.) Am. Orn. II, 294. _Falco
wilsoni_, BONAP. Obs. Wils. Nouv. Journ. Ac. Sc. N. Y. III, 348.
_Pœcilopternis wilsoni_, KAUP, Mon. Fal. Cont. Orn. p. 75, 1850.
_Sparvius platypterus_, VIEILL. Enc. Méth. III, 1273 (quot. Wils. pl.
liv, fig. 1), 1823.

SP. CHAR. _Adult._ Upper surface dark umber-brown, the feathers gradually paler toward edges; on the back, the feathers more uniformly dusky, causing a prevalent blackish appearance. Rump and upper tail-coverts blackish vandyke-brown; the latter tipped with pure white, and with a concealed bar of same, about the middle of each feather. Tail dull black, with an obscure terminal band of dull brown, this fading terminally into whitish; across the middle of the tail a broad band of dull light umber (in some individuals approaching dull white) about ¾ of an inch in width; about as far anterior to the main band as this is from the tip is another much narrower and more obscure band of the same color, crossing just beyond the ends of the coverts, or concealed by them. Primaries uniform brownish-black, fading on terminal edge into pale brown. Head above, and broad but inconspicuous “mustache,” running from beneath the lore downward across the cheek, dull black; the crown posteriorly, with the occiput and nape, having the dull black much broken, caused by the lateral streaks of dull rufous on all the feathers; this dull rufous tint prevails on the rest of the head and neck, as well as the breast, leaving the lores and chin and lateral portion of frontlet alone whitish; throat streaked with blackish. Beneath dull brownish-rufous; that of the breast almost unvaried; medially, however, are roundish spots of white on opposite webs, but these are not confluent; posteriorly these spots become gradually more numerous and more transverse, forming on the flanks transverse bands, almost continuous; on the tibiæ the white prevails, the rufous bars being more distant, and connected only by a brown shaft-line; lower tail-coverts less numerous, transverse spots of dull rufous. Lining of the wing ochraceous-white, with sparse, rather small, irregularly deltoid spots of dull rufous; under surface of the primaries unvaried white, as far as their emargination, beyond which they are black. Fourth quill longest; third a little shorter; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first about equal to the ninth. _Female_ (extremes 30,969, Brookline, Mass., and 30,895, Mirador, Mexico; the latter the larger.) Wing, 11.00–11.30; tail, 6.80–7.10; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.30. _Male_ (32,309, Moose Factory, Hudson’s Bay Territory). Wing, 10.50; tail, 6.30; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.20.

_Young male_, second year? (39,106, Remedios, Cuba, June; N. H. Bishop). Upper parts similar to adult, but a reddish tint appreciably washing the edges of the interscapulars and (less noticeably so) the scapulars. Bands on tail nearly as in adult; but very near the base is a fourth, very narrow and faintly defined, pale band, while the bases of all the feathers are much mottled with white. Dull rufous of the breast not continuous, but in the form of large longitudinal broad spots, occupying the greater middle portion of each feather; abdomen, sides, and tibiæ with smaller and more cordate spots of dull rufous; the lower tail-coverts immaculate; the decided ochraceous tinge beneath, deepest posteriorly.

_Young_, first year (11,984, Washington, D. C.). The blackish above is much variegated, being broken by the narrow rusty borders to interscapulars, rump, and lesser wing-coverts; the broader and more ochraceous borders to scapulars and greater wing-coverts, and partially concealed whitish spotting on the former. Upper tail-coverts white, with broad bars of blackish-brown; secondaries and primaries edged terminally with whitish. Tail dull umber-brown, growing darker terminally; narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with six obscure, narrow bands of dusky, the (concealed) bases of all the feathers white. Superciliary region, cheeks, chin, throat, and entire lower parts, delicate pale ochraceous, or whitish cream-color; a conspicuous “mustache,” a medial longitudinal series of streaks on the throat, with large longitudinal ovate spots on sides of breast, cordate spots on sides and flanks, and sagittate spots on tibiæ, clear blackish-brown. The ochraceous deepest on the abdomen and crissum. Wing beneath as in adult.

A very young bird, scarcely fledged (33,598, Milltown, Me.; G. A. Boardman), differs from the last in a much more continuous black shade above, the deeper ochraceous beneath, and larger, as well as more numerous, blackish spots beneath.

In the adult plumage of this species, the principal variation is in the continuity or distinctness of the anterior light band on the tail, and the extent and depth of shade of the brown beneath. The first feature is characteristic of most specimens, only one (55,980, ♂, Costa Rica) being without it; it is broadest and most conspicuous, as well as less concealed by the coverts, in the females, and this appears to be the principal sexual difference. The dull brownish-rufous of the under parts is most prevalent in a specimen from Mirador, Mexico (30,895, ♀ ? September; Dr. Sartorius), in which specimen the breast is almost continuously of this color, and the lower tail-coverts are strongly barred (or transversely spotted) with the same; the ground-color beneath is also more ochraceous than in any other individual. In the Costa-Rican specimen (the one lacking the anterior tail-band), the brown beneath is quite different from that of the others, being of a much more ashy shade; the lower tail-coverts are also immaculate. The brown markings beneath are most sparse in 20,389, from Coban, Vera Paz (January; O. Salvin); in this, also, the tail-bands are very distinct, and almost white.

A young bird from Costa Rica (30,412; Dr. Frantzius) is exactly similar to No. 27,048, from Fort Garry, Selkirk Settlement.

LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED.

National Museum, 18; Philadelphia Academy, 6; Boston Society, 3; New York Museum, 2 (Caraccas); Museum, Cambridge, 2; Cab. G. N. Lawrence, 5; Coll. R. Ridgway, 2. Total, 38.

_Measurements._

+----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ |Sex.| Wing. | Tail. | Culmen. | Tarsus. |Middle Toe.|Specimens.| +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♂ | 9.85–10.70| 6.50–7.00| .70–.00|2.15–2.80| 1.20–1.38| 11 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♀ |11.00–11.40| 7.00–8.00| .70–.78|2.20–2.70| 1.30–1.40| 14 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+

HAB. Eastern North America southward along Gulf coast through Louisiana, into Mexico and Central America; Cuba, Ecuador, Upper Amazon, Caraccas (N. Y. Museum).

Localities: Ecuador, winter (SCL. 1858, 451); Orizaba (SCL. 1857, 211); Upper Amazon (SCL. 1857, 261); Cuba (CAB. Journ. II, lxxxii; GUNDLACH, Rept. 1865, 223; resident); Panama (LAWR. VII, 1861, 288); S. E. Texas (DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 325; breeds); Costa Rica (LAWR. IX, 133).

HABITS. The Broad-winged Hawk appears to be distributed over eastern North America, somewhat irregularly, as far north as the British Provinces, and as far west at least as the Mississippi. It has been found in Florida by Mr. Wurdemann, where it was said to be not uncommon. It is a resident in Cuba, where it breeds; but it has not been taken in Jamaica. It has also been detected in Guatemala by Mr. Skinner. Audubon states that he never met with it in Louisiana, but Mr. Dresser found it not uncommon from the Nueces eastward. In September he noticed several near the Mission of San Patricio, and during the winter obtained several specimens near San Antonio. In May he shot a young bird on the Medina River, and early in June he found a nest containing young on the Colorado. It was on a high cottonwood-tree, and in an almost inaccessible position.

It is not mentioned by Mr. Downes as occurring in Nova Scotia, though I think it quite probable it may be found there; but it is quite common near Calais, both in Eastern Maine and in New Brunswick. Professor Verrill gives it as a common summer visitant in Oxford County, Me., near Norway, and as still more abundant near the Umbagog Lakes, and apparently the most common Hawk in that vicinity. He found its nest, June 12, containing two eggs nearly hatched. It is to be met with throughout Massachusetts, having been found breeding near Williamstown, Springfield, and also in the vicinity of Boston. Its nest was also met with in Middlebury, Vt., by the late Professor Adams. Mr. McIlwraith, of Hamilton, Canada, has noted extensive migrations of this Hawk in March of different years, as many as twenty or thirty being in view at one time, passing at a considerable height, and moving in circles towards the northwest. Others, that appeared to be stragglers from the main body, were met with in the woods. Dr. Hoy states it to be rather common near Racine, and Mr. Kumlien has obtained it in the vicinity of Lake Koskonong. From all these data it may naturally be inferred that this Hawk has a pretty general distribution from Florida to Texas, and from New Brunswick to the Mississippi Valley, probably extending northward into the Saskatchewan Valley and south-westerly to Central America.

The Broad-winged Hawk was first described by Wilson, who shot a single specimen that had been feeding on a meadow-mouse. On his approach it uttered a whining whistle and flew to another tree. Another of the same species was observed, and its movements were in wide circles, with unmoving wings. Nuttall never met with it, and regarded it as very rare.

Audubon characterizes this Hawk as spiritless, inactive, and deficient in courage, seldom chasing other birds of prey, but itself frequently annoyed by the little Sparrow-Hawk, the Kingbird, and the Martin. It only attacks birds of a weak nature, young chickens, and ducklings, and feeds on small animals and insects. It is usually found singly, is easily approached, and when wounded throws itself on its back, erects its top feathers, utters a hissing sound, and attempts to defend itself with its talons.

A nest of this bird, found by Mr. Audubon, is said to have been about the size of that of the Crow, and to have been placed in the larger branches of a tree, near the trunk. It was composed externally of dry sticks and briers; internally, of small roots, and lined with numerous large feathers. The nest found by Professor Adams, near Middlebury, Vt., was quite large, and was coarsely constructed of sticks, and lined only with fibrous roots and fine grass. In this instance the eggs were three. This is the more usual number, though occasionally four or five are found.

Mr. Boardman informs me that Mr. Audubon’s account of the spiritless manner in which one of these Hawks suffered him to capture it on its nest does not at all correspond with his own experience. He has, on the contrary, found it one of the most courageous and spirited of its family. On one occasion, when a man employed by him was ascending to a nest, a parent bird assailed the disturber with great fury, tore his cap from his head, and would have done the man serious injury had it not been shot. In another instance one of these birds attacked a boy climbing to its nest, and fastened its talons in his arm, and could not be removed until it was beaten off and killed with a club.

The eggs of this Hawk have an average length of 2.09 inches, and an average breadth of 1.61. The smallest egg measures 1.94 by 1.50 inches, and the largest 2.11 by 1.72 inches, showing considerable variation in their relative capacity, but not so much as is found among the eggs of other species. In shape, the eggs are of a slightly rounded oval, one end a little less obtuse than the other. The ground-color is of a grayish or dirty white, occasionally with a slightly silvery shading. These are marked, usually over the entire egg, in irregular distribution, with varying shades of brown. The more common is a light tawny or reddish-brown. Intermingled with these blotches are often found a peculiar faint purplish-brown, dull shading of a light yellowish-brown, and a deep rich shade of purplish-brown, approaching occasionally almost in intensity to black. These may occur separately, or they may all be found blended in the same egg. The size, shape, and peculiar coloring of the eggs of this Hawk make them readily recognizable, though not readily permitting a satisfactory description.

A nest of this Hawk, taken by Mr. J. P. Ritchie, May 18, 1863,—the parent female of which was secured also,—is described as having been made of large sticks, very loosely put together, lined with a few pieces of bark. It was placed in the crotch of a tree, close to the trunk, and twenty feet from the ground, and contained two eggs.

Buteo swainsoni, BONAP.

Var. =swainsoni=, BONAP.

SWAINSON’S HAWK; BAIRD’S HAWK.

_Buteo swainsoni_, BONAP. Comp. List, p. 3, 1838; Consp. Av. p.
19, 1850; Proc. Ac. N. S. Phil. p. 280, 1855; Birds N. Am. 19,
1858.—HEERM. P. R. R. Rep’t, II, 32, 1855.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 30,
1855.—DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 324 (Texas).—GAMB. Journ. Ac. N. S. Phil.
n. δ. I, 27.—COUES, Prod. B. Ariz. 9, 1866.—BLAKIST. Ibis, III, 1861,
317 (fresh eggs).—GRAY, Hand List, I, 7, 1869. _Falco buteo_, PENN.
Arct. Zoöl. II, 207, sp. 103 (♀ Juv.), 1785.—AUD. B. Am. pl. ccclxxii,
1831; Orn. Biog. IV, 508, 1831. _Falco obsoletus_, GMEL. Syst. Nat. p.
268, 1789.—KERR, Trans. Gmel. II, 501, 1792.—LATH. Ind. Orn. p. 28,
sp. 61, 1790; Synop. Supp. I, p. 30; Gen. Hist. I, p. 254, 1821.—DAUD.
Tr. Orn. II, 104, 1800.—SHAW, Zoöl. VII, 152, 1812. _Buteo cinereus_,
VIEILL. Ois. Am. 1807. _Buteo vulgaris_, RICH. & SWAINS. F. B. Am.
p. 5, 1831.—JARD. (WILS.) Am. Orn. II, 56, 1808.—BREW. (WILS.) Am.
Orn. p. 303; Synop. p. 684, 1852. _Buteo montanus_, NUTT. Man. Orn.
U. S. & Canad. I, 112, 1833. _Buteo bairdi_, HOY, Proc. Ac. Sc. Phil.
VI, 451, 1853.—CASSIN, B. of Cal. & Tex. pl. xli, 1854; Birds N. Am.
21, 1858.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 37, 1855. _Buteo insignatus_, CASS.
B. Cal. & Tex. p. 102, pl. xxxi, 1854; Birds N. Am. 23, 1858.—HEERM.
P. R. R. Rep’t, VII, 31, 1857.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 38, 1855.—COUES,
Prod. B. Ariz. 9, 1866.—BRYANT, Proc. Bost. Soc. X, 1865, 90 (=
_swainsoni_). _? Buteo gutturalis_, MAX. Cab. Journ. VI, 1858, 17 (and
eggs).

SP. CHAR. Form robust and strong, like _B. borealis_; wings long and pointed; only three outer primaries with their inner webs cut. Feet robust, the tarsi strong. Dimensions: Wing, 14.40–17.00; tail, 8.00–9.50; culmen, .80–.95; tarsus, 2.30–2.70; middle toe, 1.50–1.70. Weight, 1½–3½ lbs. Colors: Tail dark grayish-brown with a hoary cast, crossed by numerous obscure narrow bands of a darker shade. _Adult_, uniform blackish-brown above; upper tail-coverts barred with white. Throat and lower parts posterior to the breast white or pale ochraceous; a broad patch across the breast uniform brown,—reddish-rufous in the male, and grayish-umber in the female,—the whole lower surface varying to entirely uniform dull brownish-black, though intermediate shades. _Young_, with the ground-color of the plumage soft ochraceous, or cream-color; the head, neck, dorsal region, and sides of the breast, with tear-shaped spots of brownish-black, with a faint purple reflection. Upper parts purplish-black, variegated with ochraceous, sometimes almost wholly black. Tail as in the adult, but more hoary.

_a._ _Normal plumage._

_Adult male_ (53,105, Truckee River, Nevada, July; C. King, R. Ridgway). Head, neck, and upper parts blackish-brown; scapulars slightly variegated with a rufous mottling; upper tail-coverts white tinged with rufous, and with transverse bars of blackish-brown, about six on each feather. Tail dark brown like the back, approaching black terminally, basally with a slight hoary cast; crossed by about ten narrow, very obscure bands of nearly black. Front and whole throat clear white, immaculate, and sharply defined against the surrounding blackish; lores dusky. Whole breast, cinnamon-rufous (forming a wide, sharply defined band), marked laterally with the brown of the neck; each feather with a shaft-line of black; rest of lower parts, including whole lining of the wing, continuous ochraceous white, the latter region unvariegated; sides with sparse, faint, transverse bars of rufous, and shaft-lines of darker. Under side of primaries light slate anterior to emargination, beyond which they are black; slaty portion crossed by very obscure bars of darker. Fourth quill longest, third scarcely shorter; second equal to fifth; first intermediate between seventh and eighth. Length, 19.75; extent, 48.00; wing, 15.40; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.32; middle toe, 1.60. (Weight 1½ lbs.) Bill slate-black, bluish basally; cere, and angle of mouth, light dull lemon yellow; iris deep hazel; tarsi and toes deep chrome yellow, claws black.

=58505=, ♀. ½
=58505=, ♀. ½

_Buteo swainsoni_ (Nevada).]

_Adult female_ (58,507, Great Salt Lake City, Utah, May; C. King, R. Ridgway). Similar to the male, but pectoral area blackish-brown, like the back; blackish-brown of upper surface untinged with rufous, all the feathers, however, fading on edges; bands of the tail scarcely distinguishable on outer webs; white of forehead very restricted; lining of the wing barred with small cordate or deltoid spots of black; under surface of primaries plain deep slate. Abdomen and sides variegated with a few irregular longitudinal spots, and on the latter, transverse bars of dark brown; tibiæ with faint bars of rufous. Fourth quill longest; third scarcely shorter; second very slightly shorter than fifth; first intermediate between seventh and eighth. Length, 21.50; extent, 54.00; wing, 16.50; tail, 8.50; tarsus, 2.70; middle toe, 1.70. (Weight, 2¾ lbs.)

_Young_ (10,761, Rocky Mountains, September; C. Drexler). Head, neck, and entire lower parts fine delicate light ochraceous, or cream-color; feathers of the crown, occiput, and neck, each with a medial stripe of black, of less amount, however, than the ochraceous; forehead, supraoral region, and ear-coverts, with only a few very fine hair-like shaft-streaks; on the chin, and across the cheeks, are longitudinal spaces of blended streaks of black, the latter forming a conspicuous “mustache”; sides of the breast with large ovate spots of black; middle of the breast with less numerous, smaller, and more longitudinal ones of the same; sides, flanks, and abdomen, with broad hastate spots, more irregular and transverse on the former; throat, tibiæ, anal region, and lower tail-coverts immaculate. Upper surface generally, deep black; feathers bordered with pale ochraceous, the scapulars and middle wing-coverts much variegated with the same. Secondary coverts, secondaries, and primaries narrowly tipped with white. Upper tail-coverts pale ochraceous, barred with black. Tail ashy-brown, very much lighter than the rump (more hoary than in the adult), narrowly, but clearly, tipped with white, and crossed by ten or twelve narrow bands of black, more distinct than in the adult. Under surface of primaries more whitish than in the adult.

(_b._ _Melanistic condition_; = _B. insignatus_ of Cassin.)

Adult male (22,567, Onion River; R. McFarlane). Entirely brownish black, whole under surface of wings included; lower tail-coverts equally barred with white and black. Tail blackish slate, narrowly paler at the tip, and crossed with numerous oblique bars of dusky black; upper tail-coverts barred obsoletely with lighter slaty-brown. Wing, 15.00; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.20; middle toe, 1.50. Fourth quill longest; third, next; second, shorter than fifth; first, slightly shorter than eighth.

_Adult female_ (12,927, Utah Valley, July; C. S. McCarthy). Similar; lower tail-coverts white, tinged with rusty, and barred with brown; tibiæ tinged with chestnut. Wing, 16.50; tail, 8.80; tarsus, 2.60; middle toe, 1.65. Third and fourth quills equal and longest; third shorter than fifth; first equal to eighth.

LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED.

National Museum, 27; Philadelphia Academy, 2; Boston Society, 1; Museum, Cambridge, 1; Cab. G. N. Lawrence, 2; W. Brewster, 1; R. Ridgway, 5. Total, 39.

_Measurements._

+----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ |Sex.| Wing. | Tail. | Culmen. | Tarsus. |Middle Toe.|Specimens.| +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♂ |14.40–15.25| 8.25–9.00| .80–.90|2.30–2.65| 1.50–1.60| 11 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+ | ♀ |14.75–16.50| 9.00–0.00| .80–.95|2.50–2.70| 1.55–1.65| 11 | +----+-----------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+----------+

HAB. Western regions of North America, east to the Mississippi Valley, north to the Arctic regions; Wisconsin; Arkansas; Canada; Massachusetts.

Localities: S. Texas (DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 324); Arizona (COUES?); Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 216, “_insignatus_”).

The young plumage described above is the _Buteo bairdi_, Hoy, of authors. The melanistic plumage is _B. insignatus_, Cassin.

The young birds of this species are as variable as the adults; thus, No. 53,210, ♂, has the fine ochraceous of the lower parts entirely free from spots, except across the breast; on the upper parts the ochraceous spotting is so extended as to almost prevail, while another, from the same nest, has the black beneath exceeding the ochraceous, the tibiæ being thickly spotted, and the lower tail-coverts barred. Both these specimens belong to a brood of four, which were hardly able to fly, and were shot, with their parents, the male of which is the one described, while the female (No. 53,206) is a very dark example of _insignatus_, Cassin.

The type of _bairdi_, and another Wisconsin specimen, are in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy. In plumage, they are unlike any others I have seen, though there is as little resemblance between these two as between any I have compared. Dr. Hoy’s type (Racine, Wisc., January, 1854) differs from others, in exceedingly pale colors; the cream-color beneath is scarcely spotted, there being only a few triangular spots and shaft-lines of black on the sides; the lining of the wing is entirely immaculate. Above, the black is unusually continuous; the under surface of the primaries is unusually white. Wing, 15.00; tail, 8.00.

The other specimen (Menonomee Marsh, Milwaukee, Wisc., spring of 1851) is just the opposite extreme in plumage, being unusually dark, for a young bird. Beneath, the black spots are so large as to nearly cover the whole surface, while the continuity of the black of the upper part is almost unbroken. The head above, and nape, and broad “mustache” stripe from angle of mouth down to the jugulum, with nearly the whole pectoral area, unbroken black, leaving the gular region and side of the head pale, but thickly streaked. Wing, 15.00; tail, 8.80; tarsus, 2.35; middle toe, 1.50. These specimens may be said to form about the extremes of the young plumage. An Iowa skin (No. 59,052; Ricksecker) is like the average of far-western examples.

The melanistic condition bears to the normal plumage of _swainsoni_ precisely the same relation that the black _calurus_, Cassin, does to the usual style of the western variety of _borealis_ (_borealis_ var. _calurus_ = _montanus_, Cassin); the variable series, connecting these two extremes, and designated by the name _borealis_ var. _calurus_, which covers the whole, finds an exact parallel in the present species.

A specimen from the Platte (5,576, ♂, August; W. S. Wood) is entirely dark rufous-brown beneath (excepting the lower tail-coverts), with the shafts of the feathers black.

This species is entirely distinct specifically from the _B. vulgaris_ of Europe. The latter has four, instead of only three, outer primaries deeply emarginated, and is very dissimilar in every stage of plumage.

Var. oxypterus, CASSIN.

SHARP-WINGED HAWK.

(_Normal young plumage._)

_Buteo oxypterus_, CASS. P. A. N. S. VII, 1855, 282.—IB. Birds N.
Am. 1858, 30.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 1855, 28.—COUES, P. A. N. S.
1866, 9.—GRAY, Hand List, I, 8.—COOPER, Birds Cal. 1870, 480. _Buteo
albicaudatus_, “VIEILL.,” SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1869, 634, No. 22.

(_Melanistic plumage._)

_Buteo fuliginosus_, SCLATER, P. Z. S. Lond. 1858, 356.—IB. Trans.
Z. S., July, 1858, 267, pl. lxii.—RIDGWAY, P. A. N. S. Dec. 1870, 142.

SP. CHAR. _Adult; melanistic plumage_ (No. 12,117, Mazatlan, Mexico; Colonel Abert). Entirely fuliginous-black, darkest on head and back; no white on forehead. Tail cinereous-umber, crossed with seven very regular and continuous bands of black, the subterminal one of which is broadest. Lower tail-coverts, and larger under wing-coverts, with transverse bands of dull white; lining of the wing unvaried black; under surface of primaries silvery-white, that portion beyond their emargination black, the whitish portion crossed by distant, very obsolete, transverse bars. Third quill longest; fourth and fifth scarcely shorter, and nearly equal; second equal to sixth; first shorter than eighth. Tail square; scutellæ of the tarsus very faintly defined, or, in fact, scarcely detectable (probably accidental), Wing, 13.00; tail, 7.00; tarsus, 1.95; middle toe, 1.55.

_Young male; normal plumage_ (No. 8,550, Fort Fillmore, New Mexico; Dr. T. C. Henry, U. S. A.). Head, neck, and lower parts, soiled ochraceous-white. Feathers of the head above, and neck laterally and behind, with medial stripes of blackish-brown; jugulum, breast, sides, flanks, and abdomen, with large rounded spots of blackish-brown; tibiæ with transverse bars of the same; lower tail-coverts almost immaculate. A conspicuous “mustache” of blended dusky streaks, from angle of the mouth across the cheeks, the dusky suffusing the lores. Whole oral region scarcely variegated pale yellowish; whole chin and throat immaculate.

Prevailing tint above, blackish-brown, becoming purplish-black on primaries; whole outer surface of wing plain, but interscapular region somewhat variegated with partially concealed, irregular blotches of deeper ochraceous than the lower parts; upper tail-coverts with pairs of indistinct white spots. Tail grayish-brown (white at extreme base), crossed with about ten narrow, indistinct, but regular bands of dusky. Lining of the wings yellowish-white, with sparse cordate spots of blackish, this tint prevailing over the under primary coverts; under surface of the primaries pure purplish-black after their emargination, but anteriorly plain hoary brown, growing paler basally. On inner webs are very indistinct transverse spots of dusky, touching neither the edge nor shaft of the feather, and entirely concealed when the wing is closed. Shafts of primaries pure white on under side; on outer, dark brown. Wing-formula, 3–4–2–5–6–7–1, 8. Three outer primaries emarginated on inner webs; second, third, and fourth, sinuated on outer. Wing, 13.70; tail, 7.00; tarsus, 2.10; middle toe, 1.35. Primaries project beyond secondaries, 5.50. (Cassin’s type.)

=12117.= ½
=12117.= ½

_Buteo oxypterus_ (Mazatlan).]

_Young female_ (33,508, San José, Costa Rica; J. Carmiol). Differs from the type chiefly in lighter colors. The whole forehead very broadly immaculate dull white, this continuing back to the occiput in a broad unstreaked superciliary stripe; along the upper edge of the ear-coverts is a rusty suffusion, with condensed, fine dusky streaks, forming an indistinct stripe separating the wholly white ear-coverts from the supraoral stripe; the “mustache” is very conspicuous; the breast has a few large tear-shaped spots of clear blackish-brown, and the sides have very sparse, irregular, and more sagittate spots of the same; the whole posterior parts are immaculate. The upper parts are more variegated with paler, the wing-coverts and rump having the feathers irregularly bordered with whitish. The upper tail-coverts are white, barred with dark brown. Tail, hoary brown, crossed by nine or ten nearly obsolete, narrow bands of dusky. Whole lining of the wings immaculate, except the conspicuous patch on the primary coverts. The whole under surface of the primaries is uniform slaty, gradually deepening into black towards ends. Wing-formula, 3–4–2–5–6–7, 1. Wing, 15.00; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.45; middle toe, 1.55. Primaries project beyond secondaries, 6.00.

HAB. Tropical America, from the southern border of the United States to Buenos Ayres.

The melanistic specimen described above agrees perfectly with Mr. Sclater’s excellent figure of his _B. fuliginosus_ above cited, and the only discrepancy in the description is in the measurements,—those given for the _B. fuliginosus_ being, wing 12.00, tail 6.50, and tarsus 2.60. This difference—certainly not great—very likely indicates the proportions of the sexes, while the discrepancy as regards the length of the tarsus, it is probable, results from a different mode of measurement.

The present form is very nearly related to the true _B. swainsoni_, and, though distinguishable, we find it difficult to express points of absolute difference. The essential distinctions, however, are the longer primaries and lighter colors of the present bird, there being in the immature plumage of _oxypterus_ no approach to the deep, fine ochraceous, the characteristic and prevalent tint of the young _B. swainsoni_. The spots beneath are more sparse, and there does not appear to be that tendency to their aggregation on the sides of the breast as generally seen in _swainsoni_.

Both agree, however,—and differ from all other species,—in the unbarred slate-color of the under surface of primaries, the plain black of the outer surface, conspicuous “mustache,” obscurely barred gray tail, etc. In fact, the general pattern is almost exactly the same, while there is little difference in relative proportions.

In view of the very appreciable, though rather indefinite, differences above indicated, and the obscure history of the present bird, we prefer, at least until more familiar with its different stages, to recognize it under the above name.

A third specimen, from Buenos Ayres (Conchitas; William H. Hudson),—exactly similar, in all particulars, to the two specimens described,—was labelled by Mr. Sclater, _B. albicaudatus_, Vieill., which is usually placed as a synonyme under B. pterocles, an exclusively South American species; though belonging strictly to the same section of the genus with the present bird and _B. swainsoni_, it is quite distinct, the Smithsonian Collection containing numerous examples illustrating the several stages of plumage.

HABITS. Taking the two varieties together, this species appears to range over the entire continent of America, from the Arctic regions to the cold-temperate portion of South America. In Arctic America it appears to have a western distribution, though extending far to the north during the breeding-season, and being more or less nomadic during the winter. A single well-marked specimen was taken by Mr. Brewster, in the winter of 1871–72, in the eastern part of Massachusetts. It was first noticed by Dr. Richardson, and was by him supposed to be identical with the common Buzzard of Europe. It was met with in the fur country, where it was migratory, arriving there early in April, and departing again about the end of September. It frequented the low alluvial points of land which stretch out under the high banks of rivers, where it might be observed sitting for a long while motionless on the bough of a tree, waiting patiently for some small birds or quadrupeds to pass within its reach. As soon as it perceived anything of the kind, it would glide silently into the air and sweep easily but rapidly down upon its prey. One of Dr. Richardson’s specimens was found to have two whole toads in its stomach.

Dr. Richardson states that this Buzzard builds its nest on a tree, of short sticks, lining it sparingly with deer’s hair. The eggs, from three to five in number, are described as equalling in size those of the domestic fowl, and as having a greenish-white color, with a few large dark brown blotches at the larger end. It was seen by the doctor as far to the north as the 57th parallel.

Mr. Audubon’s drawing and description of this bird were taken from a specimen obtained by Dr. Townsend from the Columbia River. A number of specimens have been obtained by the various government exploring expeditions. A single specimen was taken by Mr. Dresser near San Antonio, in Texas.

Captain Blakiston (Ibis, 1861, p. 317) obtained several specimens of this Buzzard at the forks of the Saskatchewan River, in the stomach of one of which he found three toads. He states that it was quite abundant in that neighborhood. He adds that Mr. Bourgeau procured several specimens of the eggs, identified by also obtaining the parents. These eggs are said to have been white, more or less blotched with red. Mr. Bernard Ross also obtained this bird on the Mackenzie River, where it was rare.

This Hawk was observed by Mr. Dall, in Alaska, a skin having been obtained at Koyukuk, May 26, from an Indian. Mr. Dall states that it prefers the thickets and woody places, is not so often seen as some of the other species. It generally builds a very large nest of sticks, and begins to lay about the last of April. The young are hatched out about the 30th of May. It was only a summer visitor. He found not only the bones of rabbits, squirrels, and mice about its nest, but also those of ducks, and in one instance part of a white-fish.

Dr. Heermann obtained an egg of this species in Northern California, which had a yellowish-white ground-color, marked with obscure cloudings of a purplish-gray, and irregular patches of a light tone of umber brown. It measured 2.31 inches in length, and 1.84 in breadth.