FALCONID.E — THE FALCONS. 135 



most favorably received opinion, however, seems to be that there are two 

 species on the American continent, and that one of these, the northern one, 

 is identical with the European bird. Both these views I hold to be entirely 

 erroneous ; for after examining and comparing critically a series of more 

 than one hundred specimens of these birds, from every portion of America 

 (except eastern South America), including nearly all the West India Islands, 

 as well as numbers' of localities throughout continental North and South 

 America, I find tliat, with the exception of the melanistic littoral race of the 

 northwest coast (var. pealei), they all fall under one race, which, though itself 

 exceedingly variable, yet possesses characters whereby it may always be dis- 

 tinguished from the Peregrine of all portions of the Old World. 



There is such a great amount of variability, in size, colors, and mark- 

 ings, that the F. nigricxps, Cassin, must be entirely ignored as being based 

 upon specimens not distinguishable in any respect from typical anatum. 

 Judging from the characters assigned to the F. cassini by its describer (who 

 evidently had a very small series of American specimens at his command), 

 the latter name must also most probably fall into the list of synonymes of 

 anatiifii. 



Slight as are the characters which separate the Peregrines of the New 

 and Old World, i. e. the immaculate jugulum of the former and the streaked 

 one of the latter, they are yet sufficiently constant to warrant their separa- 

 tion as geographical races of one species ; along with which the F. mela- 

 nogenys, Gould (Australia), F. minor, Bonap. (South Africa), F. orientalis, 

 Gmel. (E. Asia), and F. ccdidus, Lath. (Southern India and East Indies), must 

 also rank as simple geographical races of the same species. Whether the F. 

 calichts is tenalde, I am unable to state, for I have not seen it ; but the others 

 appear to be all sufficiently differentiated. The F. radama, Verreaux (Gray's 

 Hand List, p. 19, No. 170), Mr. Gurney writes me, is the young female of 

 var. minor. Whether the F. pcregrinator, Sundevall (Gray's Hand List, No. 

 169), is another of the regional forms of F. communis, or a distinct species, I 

 am not able at present to say, not having specimens accessible to me- for 

 examination. 



Mr. Cassin's type of " nir/ricejjs" (13,856, ^, July), from Chile, is before 

 me, and upon comparison with adult males from Arctic America presents no 

 tangible differences beyond its smaller size ; the wing is a little more than 

 half an inch, and the middle toe less than the eighth of an inch, shorter than 

 in the smallest of the North American series, — a discrepancy slight indeed, 

 and of little value as the sole specific character ; the plumage being almost 

 precisely similar to that of the specimen selected for tlie type of the descrip- 

 tion at the head of this article. In order to show the little consequence to 

 be attached to the small size of the individual just mentioned, I would state 

 that there is before me a young bird, received from the National Museum of 

 Chile, and obtained in the vicinity of Santiago, which is precisely similar in 

 plumage to the Nevada specimen described, and in size is even considerably 



