282 HISTORY OF THE 



SUBGENUS RHYNCHODON NITZSCH. 



Tarsus not decidedly longer than middle toe without claw, often shorter; 

 first quill longer than third; first and second quills equal and longest; second 

 with inner web slightly sinuated near tip; adult and young very different in 

 color, the latter with stripes instead of bars beneath, and without bars on upper 

 parts. (Ridyicay.) 



Falco peregrinus anatum (BONAP.). 



DUCK HAWK. 

 PLATE XVIII. 



Resident; not uncommon in the eastern part of the State. 

 Begin laying early in March. 



B. 5, 6. R. 414. C. 503. G. 192, 132. U. 356. 



HABITAT. The whole of America, south as far at least as 

 Chili; eastern Asia. 



SP. CHAR. "Adult: Upper parts dark bluish plumbeous, approaching black 

 anteriorly, but on rump and upper tail coverts becoming fine bluish plumbeous 

 ash. On the head and neck the continuous plumbeous black covers all the for- 

 mer except the chin and throat, and the back portion of the latter; an invasion 

 or indentation of the white of the lower parts up behind the ear coverts separ- 

 ating that of the cheeks from the posterior black, throwing the former into a 

 prominent angular patch; forehead and lores grayish. All the feathers above 

 (posterior to the nape) with transverse bars of plumbeous -black, these most 

 sharply defined posteriorly, where the plumbeous is lightest. Tail black, more 

 plumbeous basally, very faintly paler at the tip, and showing ten or eleven 

 transverse narrow bands of plumbeous, these most distinct anteriorly; the bars 

 are clearest on inner webs. Alula, primary and secondary coverts, secondaries 

 and primaries, uniform plumbeous black, narrowly whitish on terminal margin, 

 most observable on secondary and inner primaries. Lower parts white, tinged 

 with delicate cream color, the deepest on the abdomen; sides and tibia tinged 

 with bluish. Chin, throat and jugulum immaculate; the breast, however, with 

 faint longitudinal shaft streaks of black; sides, flanks and tibiae distinctly barred 

 transversely with black, about four bars being on each feather; on the lower 

 tail coverts they are narrower and more distant; on the abdomen the markings 

 are in the form of circular spots; anal region barred transversely. Lining of 

 the wing (including all the under coverts) white tinged with blue, and barred 

 like the sides; under surface of primaries slaty, with elliptical spots or bars of 

 creamy white on inner webs, twelve on the longest. Young: Above plumbeous 

 black, tail more slaty. Every feather broadly bordered terminally with dull 

 cinnamon; these crescentic bars becoming gradually bordered posteriorly, nar- 

 rower and more obsolete on the head above. Tail distinctly tipped with pale 

 cinnamon, the inner webs of feathers with obsolete transverse spots of the same, 

 these touching neither the edge nor the shaft; scarcely apparent indications of 

 corresponding spots on outer webs. Region round the eye and broad 'mus- 

 tache' across the cheeks pure black, the latter more conspicuous than in the 

 older stages, being cut off posteriorly by the extension of the cream color of the 



