230 NORTTI AMERICAN BIRDS. 



a barred tail, entirely continuous black above, plain white throat patcli, and 

 other minor differences, besides having a quite difl'erent young plumage. As 

 to the young plumage of var. lucasamis, I cannot find any character by 

 ■which it can with certainty be distinguished from that of \ar. calurus. 



Var. caluruB, Cassin. 



WESTERN RED-TAIL; BLACK RED-TAIL. 



Buteo calurus, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. VII, 281, 1855 ; Birds N. Am. 1858, 22. 

 — Steickl. Oin. iiyn. I, 38, 1855. — Coue.s, Prod. Orn. Ariz. p. 8, 1866. — Gr.\y, 

 Hand List, I, 7, 1869. Buteo montamis (not of NuTTALL !), Cassin, Birds N. Am. 

 1858, 26. — Newb. P. R. R. Rept. VI, iv, 1857. — Heerm. P. R. R. Rcpt. VII, 31, 

 1857. —Coop. & Suck. P. R. R. Rept. XII, ii, 147, 1860. — CouES, Prod. Orn. Ariz, 

 p. 7, 1866. — Buteo swainsoni (not of Bonap !), Cass. B. Cal. & Tex. p. 98, 1854. 



Sp. Char. Adult. Similar to v.ir. bore.alis, but darker, with more rufous and blackish 

 in the plumage : tibiie always, and flanks and crissum usually, barred with rufous ; throat 

 with the dark streaks suffused and widened, so as to form the prevailing color. Tail with 

 indications of transverse bars anterior to the usual subterminal one, these varying in num- 

 ber and distinctness with the individual. Whole plumage sometimes sooty black, the 

 breast, however, covere'd by an appreciably paler patch, usually of a somewhat rufous hue. 

 Tail sometimes with regular and continuous narrow bands to the very base. 



Young. Very much darker than that of var. horealis, the pattern being similar, but the 

 dark markings much expanded and more numerous ; tibia? with heavy transverse spots of 

 dusky. 



Hab. Western region of North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific ; 

 south into Mexico ; West Indies (Jamaica and Cuba, Mus. S. I.). 



Localities quoted : (?) Xalapa (Sci.ateb, P. Z. S. 1859, 368) ; Oaxaca (Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, 

 .389) ; (?) Cuba (Cab. Journ. II. Ixxxii ; GvsDu Rep. 18G5, 223 ; resident. - B. borealis ") ; 

 S. E. Texas (Dresser, Ibis, 1865. 324). 



LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED. 



National Museum, 44 ; Philadelphia Academy, 18 ; Boston Society, 6 ; Coll. G. N. Law- 

 rence, 2 : R. Ridgway, 5. Total, 75. 



in general appearance, liut (lill'ering in the follnwing particulars : Tail deep umber, with about 

 twelve or thirteen narrow bands of black, and very narrowly tipped with whitish ; lateral lower 

 parts tliickly spotted with blackish, and tibi.'e spotted transversely with the same ; lower tail- 

 coverts with distant bars of blackish. Upper tail-coverts blackish-bro^ni barred with wdiite, this 

 not touching the shaft. 



Hab. Central America and Southw^estern Mexico ; Costa Rica. Ver.i^ua, and Tres Marias 

 Islands (Mus. S. I.). 



Localities : (?) Guatemala (Sci,. Ibis, I, 217, B. borealis) ; Costa Rica (Lawr. IX, 133, "var. 

 jnontantis"). 



List of Specimens Examined. — National Museum, 4. 



Measurements much tlie same as in the other varieties. 



