Mr. R. B. Sharpens Cataluyue 0/ Accipitres. 299 



The Peregrine of Japan, if distinct, would be entitled to 

 the specific name of " orientalis," Gmelin, ex Latham ; but 

 that it is not distinct from the ordinary F. peregrinus appears 

 to me to be certain. Mr. Ridgway, in his summary of sub- 

 specific races of F. peregrinus*, speaks of "var. orientalis" 

 as being " beneath pure white, the breast and middle of abdo- 

 men without markings/^ basing his description an " two 

 specimens examined from Japan ; " but in Japan, as in India, 

 these characters arc not constant. An adult specimen from 

 Japan and another from Formosa, both preserved in the 

 Norwich Museum, have the breast and the middle of the 

 abdomen abundantly sprinkled with numerous, though not 

 large, spots, which, on the abdomen, are mingled, especially 

 in the Japanese example, with imperfect, but very perceptible 

 transverse bars, the general aspect of both specimens corre- 

 sponding closely with some European and West-Asiatic speci- 

 mens in adult, and probably rather aged, plumage of the 

 paler type. 



Mr. E-idgway gives some interesting measurements of 

 twenty-nine male and twenty-eight female American Pere- 

 grines f, from which I extract the following, given in inches 

 and tenths : — 



The following measurements of Peregrines of a typical 

 character, taken by myself from various Old- World specimens, 

 will serve to show that these correspond generally in size 

 with those of America, but apparently are, on an average of 

 specimens, slightly larger : — 



Norfolk, collection of Mr. J. H . 



Gurney, Jun 



Beyroiit, Nor. Mus 



* Vide ' L-md-Birds of North America,' vol. iii. p. 128. 

 + Ibid. vol. iii. p. 137 



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