FALCONID^ — THE FALCONS. 123 



Palco lanarius. 



Var. polyagrus, Cassin. 

 AMERICAN LANNER; PRAIRIE FALCON. 



Falco polyagrus, Cassin, B. Cal. & Tex. 1853, 88. — Ib. P. A. N. S. 1855, 277; B. N. 

 Am. 1858, 12. — Heerm. Pacific R. Rep't, II, 1855, 31. — Kennerly, P. R. R. Ill, 

 1856, 19. — Coop. & Suckl. P. R. R. XII, 1860, 143. — Coues, P. A. N. S. 1866, 7. 

 — Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 1855, 85. — Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 323. —Gray, Hand List, 

 I, 1869, 20. Falco lanarius, var. mexicanus, Ridgway in Coues' Key, 1872. 



Sp. Char. Adult {$, No. 59,063, Wahsatch Mountains, Utah, May 23, 1868; parent 

 of eo-o-s ; L. E. Ricksecker). Above cinereous-drab, becoming gradually paler and more 

 bluish posteriorly, barred, indistinctly, everywhere with a more dusky tint, the shafts of all 

 the feathers blackish ; anteriorly the darker shade predominates, while posteriorly the bluish 

 prevails ; on the anterior portions the light bars are much restricted in width, and of a 

 more ochraceous tint. Tail plain, very pale ashy-drab, narrowl)' tipped with reddish- 

 white, this changing to pale rusty on the middle pair; the concealed portion of the 

 feathers outside the shaft show obsolete, or faint traces of, darker bars, which on the 

 middle pair are apparently about eleven in number. On the inner webs the paler bars 

 become broader than the darker ones, and incline to ochraceous in tint, the lateral feather 

 being edged externally with this color. Primaries plain ashy-drab, with a hoary tinge, 

 growing insensibly darker terminally, and with a slightly paler apical margin. Head 

 and neck above, dark umber-brown, with conspicuous shaft-streaks of black. Lores, a 

 broad superciliary stripe (somewhat interrupted above the eyes), white, finely and sparsely 

 streaked, the two stripes confluent across the occiput ; a broad heavy "mustache" from 

 the lores and rictus downward and obliquely backwards, across the maxilla, and a wider 

 postocular stripe, like the crown. Beneath continuous white, with a faint ochraceous 

 tinge on the abdomen and crissum ; abdomen and sides of the breast with a few scattered, 

 small, ovate spots of vandyke-brown ; sides transversely spotted with vandyke-brown, 

 the spots coalesced into a broken patch on the flanks; outside of the tibise with trans- 

 verse spots of the same. Axiliars plain, clear vandyke-brown, with a few nearly obsolete 

 rusty specks near their ends ; lining of the wing clear white, the feathers with central 

 spaces of dusky-brown, which toward the edge become aggregated into a longitudinal 

 patch ; inner webs of the primaries with broad transverse spots of white, which reach 

 nearly to the shaft ; they are about thirteen in number on the longest quill. Feet yellow ; 

 base of the bill tinged with the same. Wing-formula, 2, 3 - 1. 4. Wing, 12.00 ; tail, 

 7.50; tarsus, L90 ; middle toe, 1.70; outer, 1.22; inner, 1.12; posterior, .77. 



9 (not adult? 18,258, Fort Buchanan, New Mexico; Dr. Irwin). Above continuous 

 umber-drab, growing gradually lighter posteriorly, the tail being pale drab ; no transverse 

 bars (except a few concealed obsolete ones on back and secondaries), but all the feathers 

 faintly bordered with paler rusty-brown, these edgings being on upper tail-coverts 

 almost white. Tail tipped with creamy-white, and with many transverse spots or broad 

 bars of the same on inner webs, outer feather irregularly skirted with the same, and all 

 decidedly paler than the ground-color along their edges. Head as in the male, but fore- 

 head white, and superciliary stripe more continuous. Breast and abdomen with longitudi- 

 nal lanceolate or cuneate streaks of dark vandyke-brown ; patch of same on flanks more 

 continuous than in the male ; axiliars unvariegated clear dark vandyke-brown ; longest 

 primary Avith eleven transverse spots of Avhite ; posterior outer face of tibiaj with sagittate 

 spots of dark brown. Wing-formula, 2, 3-1, 4. Wing, 14.25; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.10; 

 middle toe, 2.00. 



