FA LCOXID.E —FAL CONIX.E : FA L CONS. 673 



around one or the other end, or even both ends. The quarry is chieHy birds, even up to the 

 size of a Ptarmigan. 



F. {JE.) c. suck'leyi. (To Dr. Geo. Suckley.) Suckley's Pigeon Hawk. Black Meki.in. 

 Size of the last; general coloration blackish; thn.at of $ streaked with black, the rest of 

 lower surface brownish-black with tawny and whitish markings; lower parts of adult ? and 

 young $ heavily marked with dusky. Barring or spotting of wings indistinct or (dis(dete, also 

 of tail in 9 , exx-ept the terminal liglit tail-bar. N. W. coast region, N. California to S. Alaska, 

 and E. in Oregon and Wasiiington. A dark form of F. columbarias, formerly queried in Key, l)Ut 

 wliicli has proved entitled to subspecitic recognition. Falco columharius var. siicklei/i Riuow. 

 Bull. Essex Inst, v, Dec. 1873, p. 201 ; A. 0. U. Lists, 1st and 2d eds. 1886 and 1895, No. .'J57 a; 

 F. lithofako var. suckleyi, Bu. Brew, and Ridgw. Hist. N. A. B. iii, 1874, p. 143. 

 F. (>E.) rich'ardsoiii. (To Sir J. Richardson.) Richardson's PiGEOX Hawk. American 

 Merlin. "Adult ^ : Upper plumage, dull eartli-brown, eacii feather grayish-umber centrally, 

 and with a conspicuous black shaft-line. Head above, approaching ashy-white anteriorly, tlie 

 black shaft-streaks being very conspicuous. Secondaries, primary-coverts, and primaries, mar- 

 gined terminally with dull white ; the primary-coverts with two transverse series of pale ochra- 

 ceous spots; primaries, with spots of the same, corresponding with those of the inner webs. 

 Upper tail-coverts, tipped and spotted beneath the surface with wliite. Tail, clear drab, much 

 lighter than the primaries, but growing darker terminally, having basally a slightly ashy cast, 

 crossed with six sharply defined perfectly continuous bands (the last terminal) of ashy-white. 

 Head frontally, laterally, and beneath — a collar round the nape (interrupting the brown above) 

 — and entire lower parts, white, somewhat ochraceous, this most perceptible on the tibiae; 

 cheeks and ear-coverts with sparse, fine, hair-like streaks of black ; nuchal collar, jugulum, 

 bre.ist, abdomen, sides, and tiauks with a median linear stripe of clear ochre-brown on each 

 feather ; these stripes broadest on tlie Hanks ; each stripe with a conspicuous black shaft-streak ; 

 tibiae and lower tail-coverts with fine shaft -streaks of brown, like the broader stripes of the other 

 portions. Chin, and throat, only, immaculate. Lining of the wings spotted with ochraceous- 

 white and brown, in about equal amount, the former in spots approaching the shaft. Inner 

 webs of i)rimaries with transverse broad bars of pale ochraceous — eight on the longest. Wing 

 7.70; tail .").00; cuhnen 0.50; tarsus 1.30; middle toe 1.25; outer 0.85; inner 0.70; posterior 

 0..50. Adult 9 : Differing in coloration from the male only in the points of detail. Ground- 

 color of the upper parts clear grayish-drab, the feathers with conspicuously black shafts; all 

 the feathers with pairs of rather indistinct rounded ochraceous spots, these most conspicuous on 

 the wings and scapulars. Secondaries crossed with three bands of deeper, more reddish-ochra- 

 ceous. Bands of the tail, pure white. In other respects e.vactly like the male. Wing t>.00; 

 tail 6.10; culmen 0.55; tarsus 1.40; middle toe 1.50; Young $ : Differing from the adult only 

 in degree. Upper surface with the rusty borders of the feathers more washed over the general 

 surface; the rusty ochracectus forming the ground-coh)r of the head, — paler anteriorly, where 

 tile black shaft-streaks are very conspicuous; spots on the primary coverts and priuiaries deep 

 reddish ochraceous; tail-bands broader than in the adult and more reddish ; the terminal one 

 twice as broad as the rest (0.40 of an inch), and almo.«<t cream color. Beneath pale ochraceous. 

 tliis deepest on the breast and sides; markings as in \\\i' adult, but anal region and lower tail- 

 coverts immaculate; the .shaft-streaks on the tibije, ahso, scarcely (liscerniblc. Wing 7.00 ; 

 tail 4.60." (Ridgway.) Interior N. Am., esjtecially from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mts., 

 but also extending to the Pacific, and from the region of the Saskatdiewan to the Mexican 

 border; very near columharius, both being closely related to F. retjulus, the fewer bars on the 

 wiuirs and tail a])parently tlie principal diaracter; and in this respect lichunlsnui seems to bo 

 exactly interme<liate bitween voliinihdiius and rcfjiilus, with a tail-band mori' tlian the former, 

 and with fewer tiian tlie latter. A 9 I tooli in Daiiota measures : lengtli 12.75; extent 26.75 ; 

 wintr 8.50. 



43 



