FALCONID.E — THE FALCONS. 



137 



fore, if this conspicuous streaking of the breast is found in all European 

 specimens, the American bird is entitled to separation as a variety ; but if 

 the breast is ever immaculate in European examples, then anatum must 

 sink into a pure synonyme of communis. The var. melanogenys is dis- 

 tinguished from both communis and anatum by the black auriculars, or by a 

 greater amount of black on the side of the neck, and by more numerous 

 and narrower bars on the under surface. In the former feature examples 

 of anatum from the southern extremity of South America approach quite 

 closely to the Australian form, as might be expected from the relative 

 geographical position of the two regions. The var. minor is merely the 

 smaller intertropical race of the Old World, perhaps better characterized 

 than the tropical American form named F. nigriccps by Cassin, the charac- 

 ters of which are so unimportant, and withal so inconstant, as to forbid 

 our recognizing it as a race of the same rank with the others. 



LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED. 



National Mu.'?eum, 45 ; Boston Society, 4 ; Philadelphia Academy, 22 ; Museum Comp. 

 Zool. 5 ; New York Museum, 3 ; G. N. Lawrence, 6 ; R. Ridgway, 3. Total, 88. 



Var. pealei, Ridgway. 



BLACK PEREGRINE FALCON. 



? ? Accipiter falco niger, Briss. Orn. I, 337. ? ? Falco niger, Gmel. S. IST. 1789, 270. Falco 

 polyagrus, Cass. B. Cal. & Tex. jil. xvi (dark figure). 



Sp. Char. In colors almost exactly similar to F. gijrfaico, var. labradora. Above con- 

 tinuous dark vandyke-brown, approaching brownish-black on the head, which is variegated 

 only on the gular region, and inclining to grayish-brown on the tail ; the whole surface 

 entirely free from spots or markings of any kind. Beneath similar in color to the upper 

 parts, but the feathers edged with whitish, this rather predominating on the throat; flanks 

 and tibifB with roundisli white spots ; lower tail-coverts with broad transverse bars of 

 white. Lining of the wing with feathers narrowly tipped with white; inner webs of 

 primaries with narrow, transverse elliptical spots of cream-color ; inner webs of tail- 

 feathers with badly defined, irregular, similar spots, or else with these wanting, the whole 

 web being plain dusky-brown. 



No." 12,022 (9, Oregon; T. R. Peale). Wing, 15.00; tail 8.50; culmen. .95; tarsus, 

 2.10; middle toe, 2.15. (Figured by Cassin as F. poliingrus, in Birds of California and 

 Texas, pi. xvi.) 



No. 45,814 (9, Sitka, Alaska, May, 1866; F. Bischolf). Wing, 14.90; tail, 8.50; 

 tarsus, 2.10 ; middle toe, 2.20. The two similar in color, but in the latter the white 

 streaks on the lower parts a little broader, and the middle of the auriculars slightly 

 streaked. 



Hab. Northwest coast of North America, from Oregon to Sitka. 



VOL. III. 18 



