FALCONID^ — THE FALCONS. 14 7 



are yoimg males moulting, scattered feathers appearing on the upper parts 

 indicating the future blue plumage. 



Var. guckleyi, Ritgwat. 

 BLACK MERLIN. 



Sp. Char. A miniature of F. peregrimcs, var. pealei. Above, uniform fuliginous-black, 

 the secondaries and tail-feathers very narrowly but sharply tipped with white, and the 

 primaries passing into whitish on their terminal margin ; nuchal region with concealed 

 spotting of pale rusty or dingy whitish. Beneath, longitudinally striped with fuliginous- 

 black, or dark sooty-brown, and pale ochraceous; the former predominating on the breast, 

 the latter prevailing on the throat and anal region. Sides and flanks nearly uniform 

 dusky, with roundish white spots on both webs ; lower tail-coverts with a broad sagittate 

 spot of dusky on each feather. Lining of the wing fuliginous-dusky, with sparse, small 

 roundish spots of white. Inner webs of primaries plain dusky, without spots, or else 

 with them only faintly indicated. Tail plain dusky-black, narrowly tipped with white, 

 and without any bands, or else with them only faintly indicated. 



Male (No. 4,477, Shoalwater Bay, Washington Territory ; J. G. Cooper). Wing, 7.35 ; 

 tail, 5.25; culraen, .50; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, 1.25. 



Female (No. 5,832, Fort Steilacoom, Washington Territory, September, 185G ; Dr. 

 George Suckley). Wing, 8.50 ; tail, 5.70; culmen, .55; tarsus, 1.62; middle toe, 1.35. 



Hab. Coast region of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington Territory (prob- 

 ably northward to Alaska). Puget Sound, Steilacoom, Yreka, California (Oct.), and 

 Shoalwater Bay {National Musewn). 



The plumage of this race is the chief point wherein it differs from the 

 other forms of the species ; and in its peculiarities we find just what should 

 be expected from the Oregon region, merely representing as it does the melan- 

 istic condition so frequently observable in birds from the northwest coast. 



The upper parts are unicolored, being continuous blackish-plumbeous from 

 head to tail. The tail is tipped with white, but the bars are very faintly 

 indicated, being in No. 4,499 altogether wanting, while in 21,333 they can 

 scarcely be discovered, and only four are indicated ; in the others there is 

 the usual number, but they are very obsolete. In No. 4,499, the most 

 extreme example, the spots on the inner webs of the primaries are also 

 wanting ; the sides of the head are very thickly streaked, the black predomi- 

 nating, leaving the superciliary stripe ill-defined ; tlie throat is streaked, 

 and the other dark markings beneath are so exaggerated that they cover all 

 portions, and give the prevailing color ; the under tail-coverts have broad 

 central cordate black spots. 



Another specimen from this region (4,476, Puget Sound) is similar, but the 

 spots on primaries are conspicuous, as in examples of the typical style ; 

 indeed, except in the most extreme cases, these spots will always be found 

 indicated, leading us to the unavoidable conclusion that the specimens in 

 question represent merely tlie fuliginous condition of the common species ; 

 not the condition of melcmisrn, but the peculiar darkened plumage charac- 

 teristic of many birds of the northwest coast, the habitat of the present 



