THE OSPREY. 



141 



THE OSPREY OR FISHHAWK; ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS.- VIII. 



By Theodore Gill, Washing-ton, D. C. 



Continued from I ol. I '. />. 125. 



VALUE OF VARIATIONS. 



The question arises, what is the systematic 

 value of these variations? Attentive considera- 

 tion has not revealed any constant difference 

 between any of the geographical races or any 

 morphological characteristics coincident with 

 differences of range. While, as a rule, the 

 American form is distinguished from the Eura- 

 siatic by the coloration of the breast, the differ- 

 ence is not constant. As to the Australian form, 

 it is generally smaller, but a few European and 

 Eurasiatic individuals fail to attain a larger size 

 than the average Australian and, on the other 

 hand, giants of the latter race may exceed 

 dwarfs of the northern forms. In view, then, of 

 what is known at present no more than sub- 

 specific rank at most need be given to the several 

 races. To equal rank, perhaps, the almost un- 

 known Bahaman race may be provisionally as- 

 signed. 



So far as the remarks just made concern the 

 northern forms, the writer can corroborate the 

 conclusions already reached by others from per- 

 sonal observation. As to the Australian form 

 he has to rely entirely upon others, and espe- 

 cially Mr. Ridgway. as no specimen is in the 

 collection of the United States National Mu- 

 seum. Under these conditions, it seems best to 

 adopt the conclusions as expressed by Mr. Ridg- 

 way in the "History of North American Birds" 

 liii, p. 182). Mr. Ridgway had especially studied 

 the question of variation in the genus Pandion 

 for that work and examined the specimens in 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel- 

 phia, as well as those in the National Museum. 

 Among them were the specimens of Pandion 

 leucocephalui obtained by Gould in Australia. 



As to the Pandion ridgwayi, no definite infor- 

 mation can be given, and it is retained here 

 simply on account of the impression left on Mr. 

 Ridgway's mind after examination many years 

 ago. 



The essential or primary synonyms remain to 

 be named and may be given in the following 

 form. 



THE EUROPEAN OSPREY. 



(PANDION HAI.IABTUS HALIAETUS.) 



Falco haliaetus Linne Svst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 91, 



1758; ed. 12, t. 1. p. 129, 1766. 

 Pandion (Falco haliaetus L.) Cuvier Regne 



An., i. p. 316, 1817. 

 Pandion haliaetus Baird, Brewer and Ridgway 



Birds N. Am., vol. iii, p. 183, 1875. 



An Osprey of normal size ("wing, 17. 00 

 20.50; tail. 7.00 10.00; oilmen. 1.20 1.15; tarsus, 

 1.95-3.15; middle toe. 1.50 1.90" 1: witli "second or 

 third quills longest (in eighteen specimens from 

 Europe and Asia); first longer then fifth; breast 

 always (?) spotted with brownish, or uniformly 



so; top of head with the black streaks usually 

 predominating; tail with six or seven narrow 

 black bands, continuous across both webs". 



An inhabitant of the Palaearctic and 1 hiental 

 and A frican realms. 



THE AMERICAN OSPREY. 

 (PANDION HALIAETUS CAROLINENSIS.) 



Falco Haliaetos y carolinensis Gtnelin Linnaei 

 Syst. Nat., ed. 13, t. i. p. 263, 1788. 



Pandion carolinensis "Nob." Bonaparte List 

 Birds Europe and N. Am., pp. 3, 1838. 



An Osprey of normal size ("wing, 17.50- 

 21.50; tail, 8.70-10.50; oilmen. 1.25 1.40; tarsus. 

 2.00 2.40; middle toe, 1.70-2.00"); with "second 

 and third quill longest; breast often entirely 

 without spots: top of head and nape usually 

 with dark streaks predominating; all with six 

 to seven narrow black bands, continuous across 

 both wills". 



An inhabitant of America. 



THE BAHAMA OSPREY. 

 (PANDION HALIAETUS RIDGWAYI.) 



Pandion ridgwavi Maynard, Am. Exchange and 

 Mart, ii, p.'—, Jan. is. 1887; p. 69, Feb. 5, 



1**7. 



An Osprey apparently of reduced size; (wing 

 17); with relatively large and tumid bill ("bill. 

 1.35") and tarsi, ("2.35"); "entire lower parts 

 white" and bark paler than in /'. carolinensis. 



An inhabitant, so far as recorded, only of the 

 Bahama Islands; a doubtful subspecies. 



THE AUSTRALIAN OSPREY. 

 (PANDION HALIAETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS. ) 



Pandion leucocephalus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 London, pt. 5. p. 138. 1838; Syn. Birds Aus- 

 tralia, pt. 5. p. 22, pi. 6, 1838. 



An < isprev of reduced size ("wing, 17.50- 

 19.50; tail, 9.00 In. no; oilmen, 1.25-1.40; tarsus. 

 2.10; middle toe, 1.70-1.95"): witli "third quill 

 longest, but second just perceptibly shorter 

 (right specimens, including Gould's types); 

 breast with the markings sometimes (in two out 

 of the eight examples) reduced to sparse shaft- 

 streaks, but never (?) entirely immaculate; top 

 of the head with white streaks usually predomi- 

 nating, sometimes (in three out of eight speci- 

 mens) immaculate white (the occiput, however, 

 always with a few streaks); tail with six to 

 seven white bands on the inner webs, which v 

 (according to Kaup) do not touch the shaft". 



Inhabit- Australia and the Moluccas. 



THE END. 



