FALCUMD.E — THE FALCUXS. 147 



are young males mnulting, scattered feathers appearing on tlie upper parts 

 indicating the future blue plumage. 



Vnr. Buckloyu Rn>GWAT. 

 BLACK MERLIN. 



Sp. Cn.VR. A miniature of F. peregrinus, var. pealei. Above, uniform fuliginons-black, 

 the secondaries and tail-featlior.^ very narrowly lint sharply tipped with white, and the 

 primaries i)assing into wdiitish on their terminal margin ; nuchal region with concealed 

 spotting of pale rusty or dingy whitish. Beneath, longitudinally striped with fuliginous- 

 black, or dark sooty-brown, and pale ochraceous; tlie former predominating on the breast, 

 the latter prevailing on the throat and anal region. Sides and flanks nearly uniform 

 dusky, with roundish white spots on both webs; lower tail-coverts with a broad .sagittate 

 spot of dusky on each feather. Lining of the wing fuliginous-dusky, with sparse, small 

 roundish spots of white. Inner webs of primaries plain dusky, without spots, or else 

 with them only faintly indicated. Tail plain dusky-black, narrowly tipped with white, 

 and without any bands, or else with them only faintly indicated. 



Male (No. 4,477, Shoalwater Bay, Washington Territory ; J. G. Cooper). Wing, 7.35 ; 

 tail, .5.25 ; culmen, .50 ; tarsus, 1.30 ; middle toe, 1.25. 



Female (No. 5,832, Fort Steilacoom, Washington Territory, September, 185G ; Dr. 

 George Suckley). Wing, 8.50 ; tail, 5.70 ; culmen, .55 ; tarsus, 1.G2 ; middle toe, 1.35. 



Hab. Coast region of Northern Cahfornia, Oregon, and Washington Territory (prob- 

 ably northward to Alaska). Puget Sound, Steilacoom, Yreka, California (Oct.), and 

 Shoalwater Bay (^National Museum). 



The plumage of this race is the chief point wlierein it differs from tlie 

 other forms of the species; and in its peculiarities we find just what should 

 be expected from the Oregon region, merely representing as it does the melan- 

 istic condition so frec^uently observable in birds from tlie northwest coast. 



The upper parts are unicolored, being continuous blackish-plumbeous from 

 head to tail. The tail is tipped with white, but the bars are very faintly 

 indicated, being in No. 4,499 altogether wanting, while in 21,3.33 they can 

 scarcely be discovereil, aial only four are indicated ; in the others there is 

 the usual number, but they are very obsolete. In No. 4,499, the most 

 extreme exampli;, the sjiots on the inner webs of the primaries are also 

 wanting ; the sides of the head are very thickly streaked, the black predomi- 

 nating, leaving the superciliary stripe ill-defined ; the throat is streaked, 

 and the other dark markings beneath are so exaggerated that they cover aU 

 portions, and give the prevailing color ; the under tail-coverts have broad 

 central cordate black spots. 



Another specimen from this region (4,476, Puget Sound) is similar, but the 

 spots on primaries are conspicuous, as in examples of the typical style ; 

 indeed, except in the most extreme cases, these spots wiU always be found 

 indicated, leading ns to the unavoidable conclusion that the specimens in 

 question represent merely the fuliginous condition of the common species ; 

 not the condition of melanism, hut the peculiar darkened plumage charac- 

 teristic of many birds of the northwest coast, the habitat of the jiresent 



