Buteo Swainsoni, Bonaparte. 



B U T E O I N S I G N A T U S , C a s s i x . 



SWAINSON'S BUZZARD; CANADA BUZZARD ^ 

 NO PtATE. 



This species appears to inhabit chiefly the western portions 

 of America, and is particularly abundant in the Missouri region, 

 but it has been taken several times in Canada, once, according to 

 Coues, in Massachusetts, and was observed by the expeditions 

 with which Sir John Richardson was connected " as far north as 

 the fifty-seventh parallel of latitude, and it most probably has a 

 still higher range." Dr. Bernard J. Gilpin of Halifax informs me 

 that it is common in that Province, but generally confounded — as 

 it has been nearly everywhere — with the Red-tail {B. dorealis), 

 which very closely resembles it. Unfortunately I was not able to 

 secure a specimen for the present work. There should have been 

 one at my disposal in the Museum of the Nat. Hist. Soc. oT 

 Montreal, for on turning up Cassin's figure and description of his 

 B. insignatus — this same bird in a melanotic condition — I read as 

 follows : — ■' Of this very remarkable little Buzzard one specimen 

 only has come under our notice, and is that above described. It 

 belongs to the collection of the Nat. Hist. Soc. of Montreal, by 

 whom it was most kindly sent to Philadelphia for examination at 

 my request, through the good offices of M. M'Culloch, M.D., a 

 distinguished physician and naturalist of that city. . . . It was 

 captured in the vicinity of Montreal." Considering myself sure 

 of this specimen I did not think it necessary until recently to 

 make further inquiries concerning it. On visiting the museum, 

 however, to get the bird I was greatly surprised and disappointed 

 to find that it had vanished ; neither the present curator nor 

 taxidermist knew anything about it, and the former gentleman 

 positively asserts that no such specimen has been in the collection 

 during his term of office — about thirteen years. Previous to this 

 term, however, I had myself several times seen this bird, and had 



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