410 BULLETIN 5 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



secondaries large, but primaries somewhat abbreviated, the longest 

 primary exceeding distal secondary by much less than one-fourth the 

 length of wing; fourth or fourth and fifth primaries, longest, the third and 

 sixth, successively, a little shorter, the first equal to ninth, inner webs of 

 five outer primaries shallowly obliquely sinuated. Tail more than 

 two-fifths (but much less than half) as long as wing, its tip truncate or 

 very slightly double-rounded. Tarsus more than one-fifth as long as 

 wing, more than half as long as tail, feathered above (except on planta 

 tarsi) for about two-fifths its length, the naked portion of acrotarsium 

 with about seven large, obliquely transverse scutella, the planta tarsi 

 with similar scutella except on extreme upper and lower portions, when 

 broken into irregular sm.all scales; middle toe much more than half as 

 long as tarsus; outer toe about as long as inner toe, both extending to 

 or beyond middle of third phalanx of middle toe; hallux decidedly 

 shorter than inner toe, its claw slightly longer than the digit; trans v^erse 

 scutella of toes large and very prominent; under surface of toes 

 spiculate; no trace of web between basal phalanges of outer and 

 middle toes; claws relatively long, strongly curved, much compressed, 

 acute, strongly grooved (concave in transverse section) beneath, 

 distinctly but not excessively graduated in size, that of outer toe about 

 three-fourths as long as that of hallux. 



Plumage and coloration. — Plumage moderately firm, the feathers 

 distinctly outlined, those of head and neck sublanceolate; loral region 

 densely covered with short, downlike feathei's with small and slender 

 bristlelike tips; secondaries relatively large; plumage of thighs short, 

 not plumelike. Adults mostly cinnamon-rufous, the head and upper 

 neck whitish, a patch across lower forcneck, the remiges and greater 

 part of tail black. Young essentially similar, but whole chest blackish, 

 thighs under tail coverts, back, etc., barred with black, and a blackish 

 postocular stripe. 



Range. — Continental tropical America, from southern Mexico to 

 Paraguay and Peru. (Monotypic.) 



BUSARELLUS MGRICOLLIS NIGRICOLLIS (Latham) 



Fishing Buzzard 



Adult (sexes alike). — Top and sides of the head, chin, and upper 

 throat, and nape whitish to cream to pale ochraceous-buff, darkening 

 to warm buff on the nape; the feathers of the crown, occiput, and nape 

 with dusky shaft streaks which increase in width posteriorly; inter- 

 scapulars, scapulars, back, rump, upper wing coverts, and upper tail 

 coverts bright orange-cinnamon to bright amber brown, the inter- 

 scapulars wath narrow, the scapulars, median upper wing coverts, and 

 tertials with broad black shaft streaks, the greater upper wing coverts 

 with the blackish shaft streaks diffused over much of the inner web, 



