222 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the Peregrine Falcon 



with the same colour, except the upper tail-coverts and inner 

 secondaries, which are tipped with buff ; quills blackish, the 

 inner webs half barred with clear rufous 5 tail blackish, tipped 

 with creamj buff, and crossed with several indistinct grey- 

 bars, becoming rufous on the inner web ; forehead whitish, 

 the feathers under the eye, fore part of the cheeks, and mous- 

 tachial stripe deep black ; throat creamy buff; rest of the 

 under surface deep ferruginous, paler on the lower abdomen, 

 all the feathers mesially streaked with a longitudinal black 

 spot, much larger and more arrow-shaped, on the flank- 

 feathers. Total length 16 inches, wing 12. 



Mr. Gurney, in writing to me on the subject, observes that 

 he has seen two distinct Falcons from Chili, one being my F. 

 Cassinij and the other coming from the north, and called by 

 Cassin F. nigriceps^ but which he considers to be only F. 

 communis. I agree Avith Mr. Gumey in considering that F. 

 nigriceps does not go to Chili ; and the migratory bird is 

 therefore probably the common Peregrine, which visits South 

 America, as it does India and Africa in the Old World, while 

 the resident southern form is F. Cassini. 



The typical specimen of the latter is mounted in the 

 national collection. 



I may add a few words as to the Peregrine Falcons and 

 their geographical distribution. No two ornithologists agree 

 as to whether the Peregrines of the world are to be considered 

 races or subspecies of one particular form, or whether there 

 are several species to be designated by different specific 

 names. I incline to the latter view, as rendering the subject 

 less intricate than by merging some of the very different forms 

 under one name. Taking, then, F. communis as the typical 

 form, I would characterize the various allied Falcons as 

 follows. Adult specimens of all the birds, excepting F. minor 

 (of which there is at present only a young one), are to be seen 

 in the British Museum. 



1. Falco communis. (The Peregrine Falcon.) 

 The whole of the Palgearctic region, migrating into India, 

 to the Malay archipelago, and South Africa (more rarely). 

 The entire Nearctic region, except the western coast of North 

 America, where replaced by F. nigriceps. I cannot find any 

 difference in the North-American Peregrine, and consider F. 

 anatum to be identical with the European bird. 



2. Falco Broohii. (The Sardinian Peregrine Falcon.) 

 Very much smaller than F. communis, with the bars on 



