BIRDS. 29 



TiNNUNCuLus Sparverius. Vieill. 



Falco sparverius, Lin7i. et Auct. 



I obtained specimens both from North and South Patagonia (Rio Negro and 

 Santa Cruz), and Captain King found it at Port Famine in Tierra del Fiiego. I 

 saw it at Lima in Peru ; and Mr. Macleay (Zoological Journal, vol. iii.) sent 

 specimens from Cuba. According to Wilson it is common in the United States, 

 and Richardson says its northern range is about 54°. The Tinnunculus therefore, 

 ranges throughout both Americas over more than 107 degrees of latitude, or 6420 

 geographical miles. It is the only bird, which I saw in South America, that 

 hovered over one particular spot, in the same stationary manner, as the common 

 English kestrel {Falco tinmmcuhis, Linn.) is so frequently observed to do. 



Sub-Fam.— CIRCIN^. 

 1. Circus megaspilus. Gould. 



Circus megaspilus, Gould, in Proceedings of tlie Zoological Society, Part V. 1837, p. 10. 



C. vertice corporeque supra intensh fuscis, lined stramined a narihus supra oculos ad 

 occiput tendeide ; hoc rtifescenti-fusco ; primariis intensh ftiscis ad basin cinereis, 

 lineis nigris cancellatis ; caudce tectricihus albis ; rectricihus intermediis cinereis, 

 externis cinereo-stramineis, omnibus lineis latis fuscis transversim notatis, lined 

 ultima latissimd, apice sordidh stramineo ; guld pectoreque stramineis, fusco varie- 

 gatis ; corpore subtus stramineo ; plumis pectoris laterumque strid centrali fused 

 notatis ; rostro nigro ; cerd tarsisqueflavis. 



Long. tot. 22 unc. ; rostri, \^; alw, 17; caiidw, 10^; tarsi, 3 J. 



Colour. — Head, back of throat, whole back, and wing-coverts umber brown, of 

 a nearly uniform tint, and not very dark. Front, over the nostrils, with few 

 fulvous bristly feathers ; over the eyes, extending backward, a pale almost 

 pure white streak, which joins an irregular band, extending across the nape 

 of the neck, from below ear to ear, of brown feathers, edged with pale fulvous, 

 giving a streaked appearance to that part. The wing-coverts are just tipped 

 with dirty white. Wings : primaries of the same brown as the back, the inner 

 ones assuming a gray tinge ; these, and the basal parts of the inner webs of 

 all, are obscurely barred ; secondaries and tertiaries of a paler brown than 

 the interscapular region. Tail grayish brown, with five well-defined bars, 



