434 



and tipped with white ; wings reaching to the second band ; 

 second quill much shorter than the sixth ; third than the fifth. 

 Length about one foot. 



Adult, slate-color, beneath white, barred with ferruginous. 



Young, dark brown, skirted with ferruginous ; beneath 

 white, with oblong ferruginous spots. 



Falco pensylvanicus, and Falco velox, Wilson. Falco 

 dubius, Gm. Lath. Dubious Falcon, Perm. Arct. Zool. 

 Lath. Syn. Falco fuscus, (Miller. III. pi. is?) Gm. Lath. 

 American Brown Hawk, Lath. Syn. 



Note 2. Falco boeealis. It will be proper to remark, that this 

 species is almost as much an Astur of the first section as a Buteo. 

 Falco hyemalis on the contrary, is decidedly a typical Buteo : the 

 very young of these two species are so similar, that they can only 

 be distinguished by the slight differences of the bill and claws, and 

 by the length of the primaries, the fourth being the longest in F. 

 borealis, while it is the fifth in F. hyemalis. To one or other of 

 these species, in their various states, most probably to the former, 

 must be referred Buteo fen'uginicaudus, B. fuscus, and B. galli- 

 nivorus, of Vieill. Ois. d" 1 Amerique. This conjecture is founded 

 on the examination of a fine series of specimens of Falco borealis 

 in my collection, of all ages, and exhibiting all the gradations of 

 color. The changes of F. hyemalis are not yet satisfactorily ex- 

 plained, and we would direct the attention of American Ornitholo- 

 gists to the subject. 



The Broad-winged Hatch of Wilson, Falco pensylvanicus, of 

 which we lately examined several specimens, is erroneously referred 

 to Astur ; it is a typical Buteo. The young wants the white on 

 the tail, that part being obsoletely banded with black and dusky, 

 the inferior parts are pure white, with rare blackish oblanceolate 

 spots. It may at once be known from the two other Buteones, by 

 its much smaller size, and wider, though more obscure tail-bands. 

 The female is, however, even more than is usual, larger than the 

 male. The adult is clouded beneath ; tail barred with white. 



Falco melanoftebus. We are now of opinion, that the bird 

 described by us under this name, is a distinct species peculiar to 

 America, and may be characterised as follows. 



