Ridgway on a Tropical American Hawk. 21^ 



to the general plumage; frontlet usually more or less distinctly white. 

 but this sometimes wholly absent ; occipital feathers pure white beneath 

 the surface; outer surface of primaries plain black, without the slightest 

 indication of spots or bars. Tail browish-gray. or grayish-brown, crossed 

 by about six or seven narrow bands of black, of which the subterminal 

 is much the broadest, the grayish bands becoming gradually narrower 

 toward the base of the tail ; under surface of the tail appearing silvery 

 white, with cross-bands of slate-color. Under surface of the primaries 

 chiefly white anterior to their emargination. but this broken bv irregular 

 bars, or, as is sometimes the case, confused mottlings of grayish : rest 

 of under surface of the wing uniform dark brown or black, the under 

 primary-coverts sometimes spotted or barred with white. Bill black, 

 bluish basally: cere and feet yellow ; iris brown. J: Wing, n. 20-11.70; 

 tail, 7.00-7.30; culmen. .70-.75; tarsus, 2.05-2.25; middle toe, 1.35-1.40 

 (4 specimens). $ : Wing, n. 90-13. 10; tail. 7.50-S.oo; culmen, .7S-.S5 : 

 tarsus. 2.50-2.65; middle toe. 1. 50-1.60 (6 specimens). 



Young: Very similar to the adult, but tail dull brown with more numer- 

 ous, narrower, and much less distinct bars of dusky, usually S-9 in num- 

 ber. Contour feathers (both above and below) with much concealed 

 white on the basal portion of the feathers, the lower parts sometimes 

 slightly varied with white or ochraceous spots and streaks, the axillars 

 and under wing-coverts with small round spots of the same, and the under 

 tail-coverts spotted with ochraceous. 



Specimens of this form are exceedingly constant in their char- 

 acters, the eleven which have come under my notice being so 

 much alike that all variations are covered bv the terms of the 

 above diagnoses. 



A specimen from Mazatlan (12. 117. U.S.Nat. Mus. ; Col. 

 Abert), appears to very exactly resemble in coloration the type 

 of B. fuliginosus^ as described and figured by Dr. Sclater. The 

 dimensions also agree rather closely, as may lie seen below : — 



Wins. Tail. Tarsus. Middle toe. 



Type of B. fuliginosus. 12.60 4.10 2.0, 1.50 



Mazatlan specimen. 12.90 3.65 2.2^ r.;o 



The specimen from Oyster Bay. Florida, being an adult female 

 in perfect plumage, a detailed description of it is given herewith : — 



Adult ? (No. 81,757, U. S. Xat. Mu-.. Oyster Bay. Florida. Jan. 28, 

 1S81 ; W. S. Crawford): General color uniform brownish-black, deeper 

 black and more uniform on the lower parts, which show no markings 

 whatever, though the concealed bases of the feathers are white: frontlet 

 and anterior portion of the lores white, and occipital feathers pure white 

 beneath the surface, showing wherever the feathers are disarranged ; inter- 



