342 FALCO COMMUNIS, PEEEGRINE FALCON. 



Falco peregrinua var. b. anatum, Bi.AS., List B. Eur. 3. — Ridgw., Pr. Phila. Ac. 1870, 139. 



Falco pere(jnnus, Wils., Am. Oni. ix, 1814, 1*20, pi. 76. — James., ed. Wils. i, 51. — Jahd., 

 ed. Wils. ill, 2.")1.— Bkew., cd. Wils. G77, t)8:3.— Sab., Linn. Trans, xii, 529. — Bp., 

 Jouru. Phila. Acad, i, 1824, 342; Svn. 1828, 27; Isis, 1832, 1136.— Sw. & RiCH^ 

 F. B. A. ii, 1831, 23.— Rich., App. Parry's 2nd Voy. 342.— Nutt., Man. i, 1832, 

 53.— Aui>., Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 85; v, 1839, 365; pi. 16; Svu. 1839, 16; B. Am. i, 

 1840, 84. pi. 20.— GiK., B. L. I. 1844, 14.— Hald., Pr. Pbila. Acad, i, 1841, 54 

 (breeding in United States).- DeKay, Nat. Hist. N. Y. 1844, 13, pi. 3, f. 8.— 

 Lemb., Av. Cubpe, 1850, pi. 1, fig. 2. — WooDii., Sitgr. Rep. 1853, 60.— Aleen, 

 Am. Nat. iii, 1^69, 514.— Taylor, Ibis. 1864, 80 (Trinidad).— Tbippe, Pr. Es.s. 

 Inst, vi, 1871, 113 (Minnesota).— Allen, Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1871,316; iii. 1872," 

 180.— Russ, J. f. O. 1871, 49.— Phillippi, Cat. 1869 (Chili). 



Falco anatum, Bp., List, 1838, 4 ; R. Z. 1850, 484 ; Cousp. i, 1850, 23.— GossE, B. Jam. 

 1847, 16.— Cass., 111. 1854, 86.— Bkew., N. A Ool. 1857, 8.— Bd., B. N. A., 1H58, 7.— 

 Bry., Pr. Bost. Soc. vii, 1859 ; 1&()7, 66 (Bahamas). — Cab., J. f. O. ii, p. Ixxxiii. — 

 GUNDL., Repert. 1865, 225.— Newt., Ibis, i, 1859, 63 (Santa Cruz).— Wood, 

 "Hartford Times," June 24, 1861.— Blakiston, Ibis, 1861, 315.— Boabdal, Pr. 

 Bost. Soc. ix, 1862, 122 (Grand Menan, breeding). — March, Pr. Phila. Acad. 

 1863, 304 (Jamaica).— Allen, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, 50; 1865, 153 (breeding).— 

 Salv., p. Z. S. 1867, 158 (Veragua).— Coues, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 254 (New 

 England).— MclLWR., Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1866, 80 (Canada West).— Tubnb., B. 

 E. Pa. 1869, 6 (breeding on AUeghanies and clitfs along Susquehanna). — Dali 

 & Bann., Tr. Chic. Acad, i, 1869, 270 (Alaska).— Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, 457.— 

 Snow, B. Kans. 1873 ; and of most late American writers. 



Falco nigrieeps, Cass., 111. 18r.3, 87 (California); Pr. Phila. Acad. 185.5, 277; Gillis' U. S. 

 • Astron. Exp. ii, 1855, pi. 14 (Chili); B. N. A. 1858, 8, pi. 11.— Stbickl., Orn. 

 Syn. 1855, 85.- Coop. «& Suck., N. H. Wash. Ten 1860, 142, pi. 11.— Gbay, 

 Hand-list, i, 1869, 19, No. 166.— Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, 456. 



(?) Falco communis Yar. pealei, Ridgw., B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 137 (northwest coast; 

 melanotic ; may require varietal recognition). 



{^ Falco cassini, Sharpe, Ann. Mag. N. H. Mar. 1873 (Straits of Magellan). 



e. minor. 



Falco covimunis minor, Sohl., Traitd Faucon. ; M. P.-B. i, 1862, 4. 



Falco minor, Bp., Consp. Av. i, 1850, 23; R. Z. 1850, 484.— Strickl., Orn. Syn. 1855, 83.— 



Gray, Hand-list, i, 1869, 19, No. 168. 

 Falco peregrin ns, S^nxH, S. Afr. Quart. Jouru. 236 (Striclcland). 

 Falco peregrimis \ax. capensin, Sund. (Graij). 

 Falco peregrinoides, Aliq., (Bp.) — Smith, l. c. 235 (Striclcland). 



Eal). — Nearly cosmopolitan. Var. communis, from most parts of the Old World. Var. 

 melanogenys, from Australia and Java. Var. anatum, generally distributed in America. 

 Var. minor from South Africa. 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. — 5166, mouth of Vermilion River. 



Without feeling at all assured of even varietal distinctions in this case (excepting 

 var. minor), I arrange the synonymy as above. The several sets of names may be 

 readily combined if desired, while it would be less easy to separate them if the 

 synonymy were compiled indiscriminately. I quote several names, for the identifica- 

 tion of which I am not responsible, on the authorities cited in the respective cases. 



The American Duck Hawk appears to have been first separated from the Old World 

 Peregrine by Prince Bonaparte, in 1838; but no characters were, to my knowledge, 

 then ascribed to it, and it is very doubtful that any exist. It may be presumed 

 that this author was misled by a then supposed, but since proved groundless, ditier- 

 ence in thenidification ; more likely, however, he proceeded upon some theory respect- 

 ing geographical distribution. The name has, however, been very generally adopted, 

 even by those who have demurred against it. One of the highest authorities on birds 

 of prey. Dr. Schlegel, states, after examination of various examples from North and 

 South America and Mexico, that '' le Faucon commun de l'Am6rique ne ditiere en au- 

 cune fa^on du notre.'' Such is nearly my own view ; and even Bonaparte, in 1850, 

 confesses that bis anatum is '■ forsan a F. communi spec, baud diversus." Mr. Eidgway, 

 however, claims good varietal characters for our bird A later candidate for recogni- 

 tion is found in the F. n'lgr'icrps of Cassin, which, like F. analnm, rests upon some 

 ascribed characters, being said to be smaller, darker, &c. But these features appear 

 to be fortuitous, belonging to the category of individual peculiarities; and since pure 

 anatum has been determined to occur within areas supposed to be occui)ied by nigriceps, 

 eveu its character as a geographical race disappears. Of the Australian F. melanogenys. 

 Dr. Schlegel has remarked : " La varietd accideutelle foucde de I'Australie » * * * 

 ne mdrite pas meme le nom de couspecies." 



