BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 239 



and crossed by a sub terminal band of fuscous-black, the band some- 

 times almost wanting, sometimes as much as 13 mm. in width; occa- 

 sionally there are a few other incomplete fuscous-black bars on the 

 tail feathers, but not in the majority of specimens; lores whitish with 

 black shafts to the feathers; a malar stripe of dark fuscous present, 

 depending for its conspicuousness on the darkness or lightness of the 

 brownish cheeks (which, in turn, depend on the width of the cinnamon 

 margins on their feathers); chin and middle of throat usually plain 

 whitish, sometimes streaked with dark olive-brown; sides of throat 

 and breast dark ohve-brown to fuscous in the middle of the feathers; 

 bordered w-ith ferruginous, and edged with whitish; rest of underparts 

 whitish with the upper abdomen and sides barred and streaked with 

 bister or warm sepia; the feathers of the lower breast sometimes with 

 pale brown shafts; the thighs often washed with pale buff and some- 

 times (but not in the majority of cases) indistinctly barred with pale 

 snuff brown to pale hazel; under tail coverts whitish; under wing 

 coverts whitish occasionally marked with dark brown; iris brown; 

 bill bluish horn color; tarsi and toes yellow; the claws dark. 



Immature. — There is no true, definite, immature plumage, but only 

 a rather prolonged change from the juvenal to adult stage. These 

 birds are very variable combining in different degrees and combina- 

 tions the characters of the two plumages. 



Juvenal (sexes alike) .^ — ^Similar to adult but with little or no cinna- 

 mon-brown or russet margins on the feathers of the head, cheeks, 

 scapulars, or interscapulars; the entire upperparts dark fuscous to 

 fuscous-black with much white showing on the head, nape, upper 

 wing coverts and inner secondaries and tertials; rump and upper tail 

 coverts grayish white barred with fuscous; the rectrices hair brown 

 crossed by nine fuscous bands and narrowly tipped with whitish; chin, 

 throat, breast, thighs, flanks, and under tail coverts white, usually 

 unmarked; the throat and thighs sometimes spotted with fuscous; the 

 upper abdomen heavily spotted with large oval- or pear-shaped fuscous 

 spots; iris dull yellow; bill bluish horn color; tarsi and toes yellow, 

 claws dark. 



Natal down. — Buffy white to grayish white. 



Adult male.~Wmg 337-396 (369.6); tail 197-240 (215.6); culmen 

 from cere 23.5-28.5 (25.5); tarsus 78-91 (82.1); middle toe without 

 claw 39.2-47 (42.9 mm.).^^ 



Adult female.—Wing 370^27 (388.8); tail 214.5-254 (230.3); 

 culmen from cere 25.5-31.3 (26.9); tarsus 76.7-92.5 (84.2); middle toe 

 without claw 41.2-55.5 (47.0 mm.).^^ 



" Thirty-five specimens from all parts of the range. 

 '• Twenty-seven specimens from all parts of the range. 



