FALCONID.E — THE FALCONS. 197 



Species and Races. 



Common Characters. Above pearly ash, becoming white or whitish on tlie 

 head and tail, with a large black patch covering the lesser-covert region. Lower 

 surface continuous pure white; a black spot on front of, and partly around, the 

 eye. 



L E. leucurus. A large black patch on the lining of the wing, in the region 

 of the primary coverts. First quill very much shorter than the third; 

 second quill longest. 



Black patch on lining of the wing restricted to the primary coverts; 

 lesser coverts, on outer surface, not conspicuously bordered anteriorly 

 with white. 



Above deep bluish-ash, with the inner webs of the secondaries 

 appreciably paler, sometimes abruptly white. Wing, 1L60 - 12.65 ; 

 tail, 6.80-7.80; culmen, .65 -.80; tarsus, L20-1.50; middle toe, 

 .94 - L20. Hah. Tropical and subtropical America . var. leucurus. 



Above pale ash, with the inner webs of the secondaries hardly, 



or not at all, appreciably paler than the outer. Wing, ILOO- 



12.50; tail, 6.20-7.00; culmen, .70-. 77; tarsus, 1.10-1.66; 



middle toe, 1.05 - 108. Hah. Western Australia . var. axillaris} 



Black patch on the lining of the wing extending over the whole of 



the lesser coverts ; lesser coverts, on the outside, conspicuously bordered 



anteriorly with white. 



Similar to yar. axillaris, except as above. Wing, 11.75-12.30; 



tail, 6..30-7.00; culmen, .75 -.80; tarsus, 1.10-1.40; middle toe, 



1.15-1.25. Hah. Southern Australia . . . var. scrip tus? 



2. E. caeruleus. No black on lining of the wing. First quill usually 



longer than the third, never very much shorter ; second longest. Colors 



darker than in E. leucurus. 



Wing, 12.00; tail, 6.10; culmen, .75; tarsus, 1.25; middle toe, 1.20. 

 No ashy tinge on side of breast. Hah. Southern Europe and North 

 Africa .......... var. cceruleus.^ 



Wing, 9.50-10.70; tail, 5.40 -.5.75; culmen, .65 -.70; tarsus, 1.05- 

 1.10; middle toe, 1.00- 1.10. Sides of the breast strongly tinged with 

 ashy. Hah. Southern Africa and India .... var. minor.* 



.1 Elanus leucurus, var. axillaris (Latham). Falco axillaris. Lath. — N. S. Wales, Draw. 

 I. No. 49, 1801. Circus axillaris, Vieill. N. D. IV, 453. Elanus axillaris, Ghav, Ann. X. 

 H. XI, 189. — Ib. Hand List, I, 28, No. 261. El anus notatus, Gould, B. Aust. 1, pi. xxiii. 



Specimens examined. — Nat. Mus., 3 ; Boston Soc, 1. 



2 Elanus leucurus, var. scriptus (Gould). Elanus scriptus, Gould, P. Z. S. pi. x, 1842, 80. 

 — BoNAP. Con.sp. 22. — Kaup, Monog. Falc. in Jardine's Coutr. Oni. 1850, (30. — Gi:.\v, Hand 

 List, I, 28, No. 262. 



Specimens examined. — ^Iiis. Coinp. ZooL, Cambridge, 1. 



^ Elanus ccerideus, var. caeruleus (Desfontaines). Falco ccemleus, Desfont. Mein. Ac. So. 

 1787, 503, ]>I. XV. Elamts cceruleus, Strickl. Oni. Syn. I, 1855, 137. Falco melanojUerus, 

 Daud. Tr. Oni. II, 1800, 152. Elanus melavopterus. Leach, Zool. Misc. pi. cxxii. — Gould, 

 B. Eur. pi. xxxi. -^ Gray, Hand Li.st, I, 28, No. 258. Falco clamosus, Shaw, Zool. VII, 200. 

 Elanus ccesius, Savig. Descr. Egyp. pt. i, ]). 98. Elanoides ccesitis, Vieill. Enc. Meth. Ill, 1206. 



Specimens examined. — Nat. Mus., 2 (Southern Europe). 



* Elanus coirulcus, var. miiwr (Bonap.). Falco vociferus. Lath. Ind. Orn. 1790, 16. ? Falco 

 sonninensis. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. 1801, 12. Elanus minor, Bonap. Coiisp. 1850, p. 22. — 

 Gray, Hand List, I, 28, No. 259. 



Spccijncns examined. — Am. Mus., N. Y., 4 (2 India, 2 Africa); Bcston Soc, 4 (3 Juv.) ; 

 Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, 2. Total, 10. 



