260 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



reduced to the rank of geographical races. America possesses three species, 

 two of which are restricted to the West India islands, while the other 

 extends over the entire continent. 



There is no reason whatever for separating the American species from 

 those of the Old World, and the subgenus Pcecilornis, established upon these 

 by Kaup, is not tenable. 



Since the publication of my first paper upon the American forms of 

 Tinnunculus} a large amount of additional material has fallen under my 

 observation ; the total number of examples critically examined and compared 

 together amounting to over three hundred and fifty skins of which I have 

 kept a record, besides many others whicli have come casually to my notice. 

 This abundant material merely confii-ms the views I first expressed, in the 

 paper alluded to, regarding the number and definition of the forms ; their 

 comparative relation to each other being the only respect in which I have 

 reason to modify my arrangement. 



In my first paper on the American Tinnunculi, three distinct species were 

 recognized ; one (sparverius) belonging to the whole of Continental America 

 and the Lesser Antilles, one {leucoi^hrys, Eidgway) to Cuba and Hayti, and 

 one {sparveroides, Vig.) peculiar to Cuba. The first is one modified in dif- 

 ferent climatic regions into several geographical races, as follows : Var. 

 sparverius, L., North and Middle America, exclusive of the gulf and Carib- 

 bean coast region) ; var. isahellinus, Swains., the eastern coast region of 

 Tropical America, from Guiana to Florida ; var. dominicensis, Gmel. (Lesser 

 Antilles) ; var. cmstralis, Ridgw. (South America in general) ; and var. 

 cmnamominm, Swains. (Chile and Western Brazil). That each of these 

 races is well characterized, the evidence of a series abundantly sufficient to 

 determine this point enables me to assert without reserve ; for I find in each 

 instance that the characters diagnosed in my synopsis hold good as well* 

 with a large series as with a few specimens. 



The following synopsis, essentially the same as that before published, 

 may, to most persons, explain satisfactorily my reasons for recognizing so 

 many races of T. sparverius, — a proceeding which, I am sorry to say, does not 

 meet with favor witli all ornithologists.^ Though there are at the present 

 time three well-characterized or permanently differentiated species of 

 Tinnuncidus on the American continent, yet it is, to my mind, certain that 

 these have all descended from a common ancestral stock, for evidence in 

 proof of this is found in many specimens which I consider at least strongly 

 " suggestive " of this fact ; some specimens of var. isaljcllinus from Florida 

 having blue feathers interspersed over the rump, thereby showing an ap- 

 proximation toward the uniformly blue upper surface of the adult male of 

 T. sparveroides of the neighboring island of Cuba ; while in the latter bird 

 the embryonic plumage of the male is very similar to the permanent condi- 

 tion of the male of sparverius. 



: 



Proceedings Pliiladelpliia Academy of Natural Sciences, Dec, 1870, pp. 147 -149. 



2 See London Ibis. 



