FALCOXIDJi; — THE FALCOXS. ]69 



Falco (Tinnunculus > sparverius, Linn. 



V;ir si>arverius, Linnjeos. 



AMERICAN SP ARROW HAWK; AMERICAN KESTREL. 



Accipitcr (jfSsalon) caroluicnsis, Briss. Om. I, 385, 1760. Accipiler minor, C.\tksb. Carol. 

 I, 5, 1754. Falco sparverius, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 128, 1766. — Penx, Arct. Zoiil. pp. 

 211, 212. — Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 284. — L.\Tii. Iiid. Orn. p. 42; Synop. I, 110, sp. 

 94; Gen. Hist. I, 290. — Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 142, pi. xii. — Shaw, Zool. VII, pi. 

 xxvi. — WiLS. Am. Orn. pi. xvi, f. 1, pi. x.wii, f. 2. — .Iames. (Wils.) Am. Orn. I, 

 56, 60. — Less. Tr. Orn. i). 95. — Bexx. gard. Zobl. Soc. II, 121. — Stepii. XIII, ii, 

 38. — Cuv. Reg. Anini. (ed. 2), I, 322. — Jard. (Wils.) Am. Orn. I, 262 ; II, 51. — 

 Rich. & Swaixs. F. B. A. pi. xxiv. — Wagl. Isis, 1831, 517. — Boxap. Ann. Lye. 

 N. Y. II, 27 ; Isis, 1832, 1136. — Vieill. Enc. Meth. Ill, 1234 (in part). — AuD. Birds 

 Am. pi. cxlii ; Om. Biog. II, 246, pi. cxlii. — Brew. (Wils.) Synop. p. 684; Am. 

 Oology, p. 16, pi. xi, figs. 13audl5a. — De Kay, ZooI. N. Y. II, 16, pi. yii. f. 16. — 

 Peab. Birds Mass. Ill, 69. — Nutt. Man. I, 58. Tinnuncuhis sparverius, Vieill. 

 Ois. Am. Sept. pis. xii, xiii. — Bridg. Proo. Zobl. Soc. pt. xi, 109. — Gray, Gen. B. 

 fol. sp. 10 ; List Brit. B. Mus. p. 60. — WooDU. Sitgr. Exp. Zuni & Colorad. p. 60.— 

 Cass. Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1855, 278. — Birds Cal. & Tex. p. 92; Birds N. Am. 

 1858, 13. — RiDGW. P. A. N. S. 1870, 148. — Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 99, 1855. Ccrch- 

 iicis sparverius, BoNAP. List Eur. & N. Am. B. p. 5, 1838. Pcecilornis sparverius, 

 Kavp, Monog. Falc. Cent. Orn. 1850, 53. Tiiinunculus p/uilamu, Lesso.v, Mam. et 

 d'Ois. 1847, 178 (San Bias & Acapulco). 



Sp. Char. ^cZmH mn?e (12,02.5, Washington, D. C; W.Wallace). Forehead, lateral and 

 posterior regions of the vertex, occiput, and wings, bluish-ash. Vertex, nape, .scapulars, 

 interscapular.^, rump, upper tail-covert.s, and tail, fine cinnamon-rufous ; scapulars and 

 back barred witli black, the bars broadest and most conspicuous posteriorly. Tail tipped 

 with white, and with a broad sharply defined subterminal zone of black, about one inch 

 in width ; lateral feather, wdth outer web and terminal half of inner, ashy-white, the 

 latter with one or two distinct transverse spots anterior to the subterminal one. Wing- 

 coverts with more or less conspicuous cordate spots of black, rather sparsely distributed ; 

 basal two-thirds of secondaries and whole of primaries deep black ; the latter whiti.sh 

 around the terminal margin and with nine transverse bands of white on inner web of 

 longest (second), the white rather exceeding the black, th§ points of which do not reach 

 the edge of the feather ; lining of the wing white with conspicuous cordate spots of 

 black. Front and superciliary region more hoary than the forehead, almost approaching 

 white. Whole lateral region of the head, with chin, throat, and lower parts, white ; the 

 neck, breast, and sides, however, with a deep tinge of ochraceous, the tint hardly approach- 

 ing the depth of color seen on the nape. On the head there are (considering botli sides) 

 seven black spots ; the first originating in front of the bare anteorbital space (leaving the 

 lores white), and extending in a stripe downward across the maxilliB, forming a conspicu- 

 ous " mustache " ; the second crosses the tips of the ear-coverts, in form of an oblong 

 transverse spot; the third is smaller, situated as far behind the last as thi.s, and is posterior 

 to the " mustache," crossing the side of the neck ; the last is an odd nuchal spot separat- 

 ing the ash of the occiput from the rufous of the nape. Breast and sides with circular 

 or cordate spots of pure black ; these varying in size, but generally larger on the sides. 

 Other lower parts immaculate. Wing-formula, 2 = 3-4, 1. AVing, 7.10; tail, 4.50; tar- 

 sus, 1.32 ; middle toe, .98; culmen, .45. 



Adult female (10,7 ol,Y Oft Bridger, Utah ; C. Drexlcr). Blue above confined to the 

 head, which shows the rufous patch as in the male ; entire upper parts rufous, lighter and 



vol. III. 22 





