144 BUBONTD^. 



sandy brown, these bars decreasing in width on the lower part of 

 the body, and being entirely absent on the under tail-coverts, the 

 sides of the npper breast more thickly barred with brown ; thighs 

 ycUowish buff, perfectly uniform, the tarsi also clothed near the top 

 with feathers of the same colour ; under wing-coverts yellowish 

 buff, the outermost white, as also the edge of the wing, the greater 

 series dark brown at tip ; quills brown, barred across with lighter 

 brown, inclining to sandy buff, the bases of the inner webs entirely 

 of the latter colour ; bill greyish yellow, darker at base ; feet dusky 

 grey, claws black ; iris yellow. Total length 9 inches, wing 6-8, 

 taQ 3-6, tarsus 1"95. 



The above is probably a female, as a sexed male measures — total 

 length 8 inches, wing 6-5, tail 3"1, tarsus 1'65. 



Young (Corrientes, D'Orbigny), More uniform than the adults both 

 above and below ; ear-coverts dark brown like head ; throat and 

 cheeks white, the latter as well as the sides of neck with a silvery 

 gloss ; rest of under surface covered with creamy buff down, the 

 ordinary feathers on the chest commencing to appear ; wings and tail 

 apparently like the adult ; leg-feathers white, and reaching nearly to 

 the base of the toes. {Mus. Paris.) 



Hah. The same as that of the genus. 



a, h, c. Ad. sk. Western side of the Rocky J. K. Lord, Esq. [P.]. 

 Mountains. 



d. Ad. sk. Magdalena Bav, California. Capt. Kellett and Lieut. 



Wood [P.]. 



e. Ad. St. California. Purchased. 

 /. Ad. sk. California. Piu-chased. 

 ff. Juv. sk. California. Purchased. 

 h. (J ad. sk. Mexico. Piu'chased. 



i. Ad. sk. Puebla, Mexico. M. A. Boucard [C.]. 



A-.. Ad. sk. Peru. H. Whitely, Esq. [C.]. 



1,7)1. c^ 5 ad.st. Tambo vallev, Peru. H. Whitely, Esq. [C.I. 



71. ? ad. sk. Tinta, May 21, 1868. H. Whitely, Esq. [C.]. 



o,2},q,r,s. Ad.sk. Chili. E. C. Reed, Esq. [C.]. 



t Ad. st. Maldonado. Charles Darwin, Esq. [C.]. 



Obs. The Chilian birds are much larger than those from Central 

 America or the United States, and measure in the wing 6-95-7-4 

 inches (Mr. Eidgway even gives 7'5 inches ; and the Tinta specimen 

 in the collection reaches to 7*8 inches) ; whereas the wing of the 

 northern bii'd varies from 6'45-7'2.5 inches. Specimens, however, 

 from the Tambo valley are somewhat intermediate in plumage, and 

 measirre 6-6-6'7 inches in the wing ; their tarsus, however, is the 

 shortest of any, viz. 1-5 inch. Mr. Pddgway, however, has examined 

 one which measured 1-8 inch in the tarsus ; and therefore we come to 

 the conclusion that the species is subject to great variation, and that 

 it is impossible to define distinct races by constant characters. The 

 bands on the tail are generally six in the North- American birds, and 

 seven in the Chilian ; but of nine specimens examined by me, two had 

 six and two had only five bands : so this character is equally inconstant. 

 The following are a few notes on the scries examined by me :— 

 British Columbia. Three specimens from the western side of the 



