166 NORTH AMEKICAX BIRDS. 



About two hundred and lilty specimens form the basis of the following 

 synopsis. 



A. Tail tipped with white ; outer t,iil-feathers (one or more) variegated. 



a. (J. Head above, and wiiigtJ, fine bluish-ash ; usually one tail-feather only 

 (the outer) variegated. 



1. Vertex with a conspicuous patch of rufous. ^. Black zone of the 

 tail 1.00 in width ; breast strongly tinged with ochraceous ; spots of 

 black on the breast or sides circvdar. 9 • Above fulvous-rufous, the 

 whole breast and sides with longitudinal dashes of a lighter tint of the 

 same. Hab. Continent of North America north of Panama (except 

 Caribbean and Gulf coast) ...... var. sparv erius. 



2. Vertex with only a trace of rufous, or none at all. ^. Black zone 

 of tail only .GO in width ; breast nearly pure white ; spots of black 

 usually only on the sides, elliptical. 9- Above vinaceous-rufous; longi- 

 tudinal markings beneath deeper brown. Hab. Continent of South 

 America (except North Atlantic and Caribbean coast) . var. australis.^ 



1 Fako sparvcru(s, var. mistralis. Faico gracilis (not of Lessok '), Sw.\ixs. An. Menag. p. 

 281, 1838. Fa!co sparvenus (not of Lixxiics !), TscHfDi, Fauu. Per. An. p. 110. Tinnuncuhis 

 sparverius (not of ViEillot!), D.\rw. Zool. Beag. pt. iii, 29. Sideiis sparverius, Spix, Av. Bras. 

 I, 16. Bideiis doininicensis (not F. (lominicensis of Gmelin !), Spix, Av. Bras. I, 16. Tinnun- 

 culics dominicciisis, Stkickl. Oru. Syn. I, 100, 18.55 (in part). T. sparverius, var. australis, 

 RiDGW.\Y, P. A. N. S. Phil. Dec. 1870, 149. 



Hab. Most of continental South America, except the North Atlantic and the Caribbean 

 coasts, where replaced by the var. isahellimcs. In Chile and Western Brazil, mixed with, but 

 not replaced by, var.? cinnamomimis. 



Adult (f (20,937, Parana; Coll. of the U. S. Paraguay Exp.). Similar to var. sparverius. 

 Head above with the rufous entirely wanting ; rufous of the plumage more vinuceous ; black 

 bars of the .scapulars almost transversely cordate, and nearer the end of the feather ; black zone 

 of the tail only .60 of an inch wide. Beneath continuously white, with elliptical spots or streaks 

 of pure black on sides, becoming somewhat ciicular on the flanks. Wing, 7.70 ; tail, 5.30 ; tar- 

 sus, 1.40 ; middle toe, .92 ; culmcn, .48. In all respects, except the points described, resembling 

 the true spar^'crius of North America, of which it is nothing more than a geographical race, and 

 a not very strongly marked one, though the differences indicated are very constant. 



9 (50,942, Brazil; Sr. Don Fred. Albuquerque). Very similar to .iparvcrius ; the rufous, 

 equally pale, is, however, more vinaceous ; the tail decidedly less rufescent. The black bars are 

 about the same, but on the tail there are thirteen, and the subtenninal one is scarcely broader 

 tluin the rest ; the lateral tail-feather has the bars only on inner web, and here almost wanting. 

 Head aliove as in the male, being without the rnfous tinge on the vertex. Beneath yellowish- 

 white, about like sporrcrius ; the whole breast and side with numerous longitudinal dashes of 

 deep brown, similar in form to sparverius, but of much deeper tint. Inner web of longest 

 ]irimary with twelve transverse bars of white, these scarcely exceeding the dusky ones. AVing- 

 fornnda, 2, 3-4- 1. Wing. 7.80 ; tail, 5.20 ; tansus, 1.30 ; middle toe, .95 ; culmen, .55. 



Jnv. g (16,570, Bogota ; W. EvansV Didcring from the adult in deeper rufous and broader 

 black bars ; those on the tail twelve in number, more than doubling in width those of the adult ; 

 markings beneath more blended, darker brown. Differs from young of var. s/Mrvcritis in much 

 lighter rufous above ; less purely black bars ; entire absence of rufous on crown, and narrower 

 shaft-streaks here ; less ochraceous-white beneath, and less blended markings. 



List of Spccime}is examined. — Nat. Mus., 16 ; Bost. Soc, 3 ; Philad. Acad., 16 ; N. Y. JIus., 

 4; Mus. Comp. Zool., 2; R. Ridgway, 1. Total, 42. 



Measurements. — g. Wing, 6.80-7.90; tail, 4.75 -5.90 : culmen, .48- .50 : tai'sTis, 1.40- 

 1.50; middle toe, .90-1.00. Specimens, 17. 9. Wing, 7.20-8.15; tail, 5.10-5.80; cul- 

 men, .48 -.52; tarsus, 1.20-1.52; middle toe, .90. Specimens, 25. 



