46 



U. S. p. E. E. EXP. AND SUEVETS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL EEPOET. 



List of specimens. 



^ Iris, light brown ; bill, blue; feet, yellow. 



CRAXIREX, Gould. 



Craxirex, Gould, Voy. Beagle, Birds, p. 22, (1841.) 



Size smaller than the preceding ; legs long ; tarsi and toes strong. Bill rather long, abruptly curved at the tip ; edges of 

 upper mandible festooned ; wings and tail long. Tarsi with wide transverse scales in front ; claws moderate. 



CKAXIREX UNICINCTUS, Te rami nek. 



Harris' Buzzard. * 



Falco unicinctus, Temm. F1. Col. I, (not paged, liv. 53 about 1827.) 



Buleo Harrisii, Audubon, Orn. Biog. V, 30, (1839.) 



Polyborus taeniurus, Tschudi, Fauna Peruana.' 



Craxirex galapagoensis, Gould, Voy. Beagle, Birds, p. 23-' 



Figures.— Temm. PI. Col. 313 ; Aud. B. of Am. pi. 392 : Oct. ed. I, pi. 5 ; Tschudi, FaunaPor. Orn. pi. l.> ; Voy. Beagle, 

 Birds, pi. 2.' 



Jldult. — Shoulders, wing coverts, and tibise reddish chestnut ; upper and under tail coverts white, tail white at base and 

 tipped with white, presenting the appearance of a very wide band between of brownish black with a violet tinge. Body above 

 and below dark brown, in some specimens nearly black on the under parts. 



Younger. — Upper parts dull umber brown, much mixed with fulvous ; shoulders chestnut red, spotted with dark brown; 

 entire under parts yellowish white, with large oblong and circular spots of brown ; upper and under tail coverts white ; tail 

 brown, with many b:\nds of a deeper shade of the same color, and with the inner webs yellowish and reddish white ; base and 

 tip of tail yellowish white. 



Total leng!h, female, 22 to 24 inches ; wing, 15 inches ; tail, 10 inches. Male, total length, 20 inches ; wing, 13 to 14 

 inches ; tail, 9 to 9i inches. 



Hab. — Southern States, Mexico, South America. Spec, in Nat. Mus. Washington, and Mus. Acad. Philada. 



The observations of naturalists attached to the late expeditions demonstrate this bird to be of 

 common occurrence in Texas, on the Rio Grande. It is a dull and heavy bird in its habits, 

 and subsists for the greater part on dead animals. 



This bird appears to belong to the genus Craxirex, as given by Mr. Gould, if not identical 

 with his species. 



