248 Hotes on some Cuban Birds, 



The following extract from a letter written by Dr. Gimdlach 

 gives some valuable facts : 



"In your letter of the 15th Aug., 1857, you allow that our bird 

 (Sparrowhawk) is different, and you add, ' it is of course sparveroides, 

 Vig., but whether Dominicensis is uncertain.' I am convinced that the 

 species of St. Domingo is the same, for Mr. Saussure has described the 

 dark female with the name oi ferrugineus^ see Rev. et Mag. de Zoologie 

 de Guerin, 1859, No. 3, llY. I read in the Pacif. R. R. Reports, p. 14, 

 ' younger male, upper parts as above, wing-coverts and tail ferruginous 

 and with numerous transverse bands of brownish black,' etc. It seems 

 strange that Mr. Cassin is not aware of the sexual difference, for always, 

 even from the nest, the male has only one transverse band on the tail^ 

 and the female has several ; the male has always the wing-coverts blue, 

 and the female has them ferruginous, with transverse blackish bands. 

 The only difference from age is, that the young have more spots^on the 

 ripper and lower parts, and the adults have none. The varieties in 

 color are not caused by age, they exist from the very first time the birds 

 are fledged, and very often may be seen a very clear bird matched with 

 a dark one. As this species is so common in Cuba, and perpetually 

 resident, it seems strange that Mr. Gosse does not mention it among the 

 birds of Jamaica." 



As Dr. Gnndlach states that " even from the nest the young 

 male has only one transverse bar on the tail," it seems an 

 important feature in the Cuban bird, for Audubon and Nuttall 

 both speak of the young male of sparverius as having the tail 

 marked with numerous transverse bars of black, which agrees 

 with Mr. Cassin's account. 



I have always thought, as stated by Wilson and Audubon, 

 that the female of sjparverius differed from the male in having 

 the back, wings, and tail rufous with numerous transverse bars 

 of black, but, as noticed by Dr. Gundlach, Mr. Cassin makes 

 no difference in the sexes of the adult. 



Dr. Gundlach's specimens of sparveroides are, without doubt, 

 accurately marked, and the sexes differ in plumage in the same 



