|i;(, NORTH A>rEIUCAX Biiins. 



reduced to tlie niiik of goographical races. America possesses three species, 

 two of which are restricted to the West India islands, wliih- the other 

 extends over tlie entire continent. 



There is no reason whatiiver for separating the American species from 

 tliose of the Okl W'orkl, and the subgenus Pcecilornis, established upon tliese 

 by Kaup, is not tenable. 



Since tlie iniblication of my iirst paper upon the American forms of 

 Tinnunculm} a large amount of additional material has fallen under my 

 observation; the total number of examples critically e.Kamiued and compared 

 together amounting to over three hundred and fifty skins of which I have 

 kept a record, besides many others which have come casually to my notice. 

 This abundant material merely confirms tlie views I first expressed, in the 

 paper alluded to, regarding the number and definition of the forms ; their 

 comparatis e relation to each other being the only respect in which I have 

 reason to modify my arrangement. 



In my first paper on the American Tinninirun, tliree distinct species were 

 recognized ; one (spao'verius) belonging to tlie whole of Continental America 

 and the Lesser Antilles, one (leuco2:ihr>js, Uidgway) to Cuba and Hayti, and 

 one {simrvcroidcs, Vig.) peculiar to Cuba. The first is one modified in dif- 

 ferent climatic regions into several geographical races, as follows: Var. 

 sparverius, L., North and Middle America, exclusive of the gulf and Carib- 

 bean coast region); var. isahcUinu&, Swains., the eastern coast region of 

 Tropical ^\jnerica, from Guiana to Florida ; var. dominiccmis, Gmel. (Lesser 

 Antilles) ; ^•ar. aust.ralis, Eidgw. (South America in general) ; and var. 

 cinnamominus, Swains. (Chile and Western Brazil). That each of these 

 races is well characterized, tlie evidence of a series abundantly sufficient to 

 determine this point enables me to assert without reserve ; for I iind in each 

 instance that the characters diagnosed in my synopsis hold good as well 

 with a large series as with a few specimens. 



The following synopsis, essentially the same as that before puhlished, 

 may, to most persons, explain satisfactorily my reasons for recognizing so 

 many races of T. sinirvcrius, — a proceeding which, I am sorry to say, does not 

 meet with favor with all ornithologists.^ Though there are at the present 

 time three well-characterized or permanently differentiated species of 

 Tinnuncidus on the American continent, yet it is, to my mind, certain that 

 these have all descended from a common ancestral stock, for evidence in 

 proof of this is found in many specimens which I consider at least strongly 

 " suggestive " of this fact; some specimens of var. isahdl in us i'rom Florida, 

 having blue feathers intersjiersed over the rump, thereby showing an ap- 

 proximation toward the uniformly blue upper surface of the adult male of 

 T. aparveroidcs of the neighboring island of Cuba ; while in the latter bird 

 the embryonic plumage of the male is very similar to the permanent condi- 

 tion of the male of sparvcrius. 



1 Proceedings Philadelphia .Vi'adi'iny uf Natural .Scieiice.s, Dee., 1870, pji. 147 149. 

 ^ See l.oiulon Ibis. 



