Birds- buteoninae — asiukina nitida. 

 List of specimens. 



35 



Locniity. 



Wlien collected. , Whence obtiiined. 



o 



o 



Bodega, Cal February, 1855.. Lieut. Trowbridge 



Los Angeles valley, Lt. R. S. William- 



Califomia. I son. 



Fort Fillmore, N. M^ Dr. Henry 



Fort Uavig, Texas.' Nov., 1854 ! Maj. W. H. Emory.! 



1854. 



Platte river i Sept. 16, 1856 



Little Mo. river, Oct. 12, 1855... 

 Nebraska. 



Lieut. Bryan.. 

 Lieut. Warren. 



338 



Measurements. 



Collected by- 



T. A. Szabo 



Dr. Heermann 



a 

 S 



M 



Dr. Kennerly 



W. S. Wood 



22 54 



21.00 52 00 

 25.00 61.25 



17 



ASTURINA, Vieill. 



.islurina, Vieillot, Analyse, p. 24, (1816.) 



Size. — Smaller than in tlie preceding two genera. General form compact, and adapted to greater activity of kabits and 

 swifter fligbt. Bill rather thick, strong ; cere lirgc, extending somewhat into the feathers of the forehead ; wings moderate, 

 tliird and fourth quills longest ; tail rather long ; legs rather long ; claws strong, fully curved. This genus contains a few 

 species, all ot which are South American. 



ASTURINA NITIDA, Latham. 



Falco nilidui, Lath. Ind. Orn. I, 41. 



.'hturina cinerea, Vikill. Anal., p. 68, (1816.) 



Jilur striolatus, Cuv. Rig. An. I, 333. 



FiccRES.— Temm. PI. Col. 87, 294 ; Vieill. Gal. I, pi. . 



Jidull. — Upper parts light cinereous ; darker, and sometimes nearly black on the rump ; upper tail coverts white ; quills ashy 

 brown, with obscure dark bands, and widely edged with white on their inner webs ; tail brownish black, with about three 

 transverse bands of white. Under parts with numerous narrow transverse bands of cinereous and white, the former predomi- 

 nating and darker on the breast ; under tail coverts white ; cere and legs yellow. 



Young. — Entire upper parts umber brown ; darker on the rump, and much mixed with white on the head ; upper tail coverts 

 white; tail light brown, with about eight bands of brownish black. Under parts while, with longitudinal stripes of umber 

 brown ; under wing and tail coverts white ; cere and legs yellow. 



Total length, female, about 18 inches ; wing 10, tail 1\ inches. Male smaller. 



Hab. — Northern Mexico and South America. 



This handsome hawk was found in the State of New Leon, one of the most northern provinces 

 of Mexico, by Lieutenant D. N. Couch, United States army, and very probably extendn its range 

 northward into the territory of the United States. It is a well known species of South America. 



List of specimens. 



