122 BULLETIN 5 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



inner web; entire underparts whitish, much tinged with buff and pale 

 tawny on the breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, thighs, and under tail 

 coverts; each feather with a conspicuous central patch of brown 

 (varying from russet margined with black to mummy brown), the 

 feathers of the chin and throat with only narrow fuscous-black shaft 

 streaks; the dark median spots largest on the breast and abdomen, 

 smaller and less conspicuous on the under tail coverts; under wing 

 coverts light pinkish cinnamon to cinnamon-buff, each feather broadly 

 barred with russet-brown to mummy brown, the bars not quite reach- 

 ing the edge of the feathers, being really large, rounded median 

 blotches. 



Natal down. — Snow white, the hindneck, back, and upper surface 

 of the wings tinged with brownish; a facial "mask" dull grayish. 



Adult male.— Wing 286-305 (295); tail 149-166 (157.1); culmen 

 from cere 14.5-15.5 (15.1); tarsus 35-37 (35.9); middle toe without 

 claw 26.5-27 (26.9 mm.) (6 specimens). 



Adult jemale. —Wmg 300-315 (309.5); tail 154-172 (163); culmen 

 from base 15-17 (16); tarsus 36.5-40.5 (38.3); middle toe without 

 claw 28-29 (28.4 mm.).^^ 



Range. — Breeds from northeastern Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa 

 (formerly southern Illinois and southern Indiana) , and South Carolina 

 south to Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and 

 Florida; winters in Florida and southern Texas, south to Guatemala 

 (one record, near Cohan) ; casual or accidental in Colorado, Nebraska, 

 Wisconsin, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pemisylvania, and North Carolina 

 (Cherokee County); formerly in Ohio (bones found); doubtfully re- 

 corded from Jamaica. 



Type locality. — Below Natchez, Miss. 



Falco misisippiensis Wilson, Amer. Orn., iii, 1811, 80, pi. 25, fig. 1 (below Nat- 

 chez, Miss.; type now in coll. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia; see Stone, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1899, 11; Auk, xvi, 1S99, 1C9; Faxon, Bull. 

 Mus, Comp. Zool., lix, 1915, 127). 



Falco mississippiensis Wilson, Amer. Orn., iii, "1811" (Ord reprint, 1824), 80 

 pi. 25, fig. 1 (a few miles below Natchez, Miss.). — Latham, Gen. Hist. Birds, i, 

 1821, 275.— Bonaparte, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, iii, pt. 2, 1824, 

 349; iv, pt. 2, 1825, 270 (crit.); Obs. Wilson's Amer. Orn., 1826, [9, 129].— 

 Jameson, ed. Wilson's Amer. Orn., i, 1831, 72. 



Nertus mississippiensis BoiE, Isis, 1828, 314. 



Milvus mississippiensis Cuvier, Rfegne Anim., ed. 2, 1829, 335. 



Ictinia mississippiensis Gray, Gen. Birds, i, 1845, 36; List Spec. Brit. Mus., pt. 1, 

 Accip., ed. 2, 1848, 48; Hand-list, i, 1869, 28, No. 266.— Kaup, Isis, 1847, 

 84 bis (monogr.), 365, 377; in .lardine's Contr. Orn., 1850, 57. — Bonaparte, 

 Consp. Gen. Av., i, 1850, 22; Rev. Mag. Zool., vi, 1854, 535. — Brewer, ed. 

 Wilson's Amer. Orn., 1852, 685; North Amer. OoL, i, 1857, 41.— Hoy, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vi, 1853, 304 (Wisconsin). — Pratten, Trans. 



" Five specimens, except for culmen length, where four specimens. 



