284 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



inal belt of large black spots, and in having the tibiae lighter ochraceous 

 than the breast ; from the var. hicasanus and var. krideri, it is distinguished 

 by having the black tail-band, more spotted under parts, and in the upper 

 tail-coverts being white, banded with rufous, instead of plain white, or 

 deep rufous, uniform with the tail. 



A specimen (No. 1,750, Carlisle, Pa. ; S. F. Baird) appears at first sight 

 much like the var. calurus, being very dark ; the tibiae, anal region, and 

 the lower tail-coverts are, however, not barred as in this, and the tail 

 possesses but the subterminal band. 



An immature specimen (No. 21,488 ; John Krider) from Philadelphia has 

 the tibiae quite distinctly barred, but less conspicuously so than in young of 

 var. calurus. 



Var. krideri, Hoopes. 

 WHITE-BELLIED RED-TAIL. 



Buteo krideri, Hoopes, P. A. N. S. Pliilad. 1873, p. — 



Sp. Char. Adult. Similar to var. borealis, but beneath continuous pure white, without 

 rufous tinge, and without distinct spots across the abdomen, or lacking them entirely ; 

 above much lighter, the brown, light rufous, and white being about equal in amount. 

 Upper tail-coverts immaculafe white ; tail pale rufous, the shafts pure white, and the 

 webs mixed with white along their edges, its amount increasing toward the base ; no 

 trace of a dusky subterminal bar, or else only indicated by badly defined spots. 



Young. Differing from that of var. borealis in the immaculate, snowy-white lower 

 parts, nearly equal extent of the white and dusky on the upper parts, and whitish cast 

 of the tail. 



Two females (one shot from nest of two eggs, near Alexandria, Minn., May 8, 1872,* 

 and the other, also shot from nest of two eggs, near Pelican Lake, Minn.. May 21, 1872") 

 are entirely absolutely pure white beneath, there being but the faintest indications of mark- 

 ings in the region of the usual abdominal belt ; even the whole under side of the wing is 

 almost immaculate. The ground-color of the upper parts is pale grayish-brown, about 

 equally variegated transversely, on the scapulars and tertials, with white. In one of them,^ 

 the sides of the head and neck are pale fawn-color, the " mustache " from the rictus 

 brownish-black in conspicuous contrast ; the upper parts are nearly equally variegated 

 with brown, light rufous, and white, the latter predominating posteriorly. The upper 

 tail-coverts are immaculate white. The tail-feathers are light rufous, with pure white 

 shafts, considerably mixed Avith white along the edges of tlie feathers, the white consid- 

 erably increasing towards the base of the tail. Of the subterminal dusky band there is 

 no trace in one specimen, while in the other it is indicated by transverse spots, while the 

 inner webs along the shafts are much variegated with transverse dusky spots. The male 

 specimen (shot at Chippewa Lake, Minn., from nest (!) of two eggs May 19, 1872') is 

 considerably darker, nearly like the average plumage of eastern var. borealis. Still the 

 white of the lower parts is remarkably pure, being of an almost snowy clearness, with- 

 out any trace whatever of an ochraceous tinge. 



No. 8,532, Devil's River, Texas (Nov. 1855 ; Dr. C. B. Kennerly), differs only in being a 



^ " Nest in oak-tree, in edge of wood, by lake." 

 Nest twentj'-five feet high, in oak-tree." 

 Nest at top of broken poplar-tree near lake." 



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