482 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



northern of the South-American races, R. rnagnirostris, ex- 

 tends across the continent from Columbia to Guiana. 



Many years ago I saw a specimen of Rupornis from the 

 island of Martinique, which I considered to belong to this 

 species ; but I am not sure that it may not have been really 

 referable to one or other of the two Central -American races 

 to which I have now to allude, and which, at the period 

 to which I refer, had not been distinguished from R. rnag- 

 nirostris. 



Mr. Sharpe gives but one North-American species of Ru- 

 pornis, viz. R. ruficauda, of Sclater and Salvin, extending 

 from Panama to Mexico ; but Mr. Ridgway has separated the 

 race found to the north of Guatemala under the title of " var. 

 griseocauda," mainly distinguished from R. ruficauda by the 

 absence of rufous colouring from the tail. As mentioned in 

 the article on R. ruficauda in ^Exotic Ornithology,' p. 176, 

 Panama specimens are decidedly more rufous on the tail than 

 those found in Guatemala, the latter being, in this respect, 

 intermediate between the phase of colouring existing in Pa- 

 nama and that occurring in Mexico. 



The Guatemalan birds, though less rufous on the tail, are 

 somewhat more rufous on the upper breast, and less grey on 

 that portion of the plumage than those found in Panama"^. 



As Mr. Sharpe does not describe the immature plumage of 

 R. ruficauda, I may add that it is represented by the hinder 

 figure on pi. 88 of ^ Exotic Ornithology/ where a succinct 

 description is also given. 



For a description of R. griseocauda, I would refer my readers 

 to Mr. Ridgway's ' Catalogue of the Falconidse in the Boston 

 Museum,' p. 49. 



According to De Saussure's notes on the birds of Mexico, 

 published in the Rev. et Mag. de Zool. for 1859, p. 120, the 

 iris in this species is yellow;, but according to Sumichrast 

 (Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. No. 4, p. 39) it is '' bright orange- 



* An adult specimen in the Norwicli Museum, resembling the Guate- 

 malan examples of R. rrificauda, is said to have been obtained in Hon- 

 duras ; but I have not entire confidence in the accuracy of the ticket which 

 was attached to the skin, and which assigned to it that locality. 



