KALCON)n.K — TIIH FALCONS. 12o 



Faloo lanarius. 



Vnr. polyHfcmi, Cassin. 



AMERICAN IJINNEB; PBAIRIE FALCON. 



Fa!m jwhjmirus, ('Assix, I!. Ciil. & Tex. 18.';;i. h». — In. I'. A. N. S. 18.'.'., 277; 15. X. 

 Am. 185t<, 1:2. — Hkkum. rmilic! II. \W\>{, II, 18.-..-., :tl. — Ki;sskiii.y, I'. I!. I!. Ill, 



isnii, ID. — c'Diii'. & .srcKi,. 1'. 1!. 1!. xii, iHtio, na. -('ori-.s, r. a. n. .s. iMit;, 7. 



— Stuh.'KI,. Oiii. Syii. I, 18.-)-., 8.-.. — Ditr.ssr.ii, Iliis, ISiJ.-., 'Aii. - (lit.w, lluinl List, 

 \, 186y, 20. F(tU-i) hiniirhtx, viir. iiic.ficdiiiis, UiniiWAY in r.nKs' Key, l.'*72. 



Sp. CiiAR. AdiiH ( $,^(0. ")"J,0():5, Waiis.itch Momitaiiis, Utiili, Miiy •-';'., IHOS ; piirpnt 

 of efrK.>< ; L. E. Hiuiisci'kor). Al)ovc ciiicrt'oiis-ilriih, iH'i'oniiiii,' f^rmliialiy |mlt'r niiil iiioi'(^ 

 bluish postL'riorly, bancil, indistinctly, cvi'i'y whole with a more dil.sky lint, tiio .slml'ts ol' uU 

 tlio fL'!illi(.'i-sl)la(-'kish ; untciiDi'ly tliu darker sliadu iirudoniinalt's, whik; imslcriorly I lie hiiii>li 

 pi'uvails; on the nnturior portions the lifrht hats are inn(;h rcstiicicd in widtii, and oC a 

 more ochraccous tint. Tail plain, very pale a.shy-dral), narrowly tip|)e(l with rcildish- 

 white, this changing to pale rusty on the middle pair; the concealed portion ol' the 

 feathers ontside the shaft show obsolete, or faint traces of, darker bars, which on the 

 middle pair are apparently about eleven in number. On the inner webs the paler bars 

 become broader than the darker ones, and incline to ocliraceons in tint, the lateral fcailu'r 

 beinj; edged externally with this color. Primaries plain ashy-drab, with a hoary tinge, 

 growing insensibly darker terminally, and with a slightly paler apical margin. Head 

 and neck above, dark undier-brown, with conspicuous .shai't-streaks of black. Lores, a 

 broad sui)erciliary stripe (.somewhat interrupted aliove the oye.s), white, finely and sparsely 

 streaked, the two stripes confluent across the occiput ; a broad heavy "nmstachi!" from 

 the lores iuul rictus downward and obliquely backwards, acro.ss the maxilla, and a wider 

 postocular stripe, like the crown. Beneath continuous white, with a faint ochraeeons 

 tinge on the alidomen and I'lissum ; aluhmien ami si(U'Sof the breast with a few scat tci-cd, 

 small, ovate spots of vandyke-brown ; sides transversely spotted willi vandyke-brown, 

 the spots coalesced into a brok(Mi patch on the flanks; outside of the tibiie with trans- 

 verse spots of the same. Axillars plain, clear vandyke-l)rown, with a few nearly obsolete 

 rusty specks near their ends; lining of the wing clear white, the feathers with central 

 si)aces of dusky-brown, which toward the edge liecomc aggregateil into a longitudinal 

 patch; inner webs of the primaries with l)road transverse spots of while, which nsx'h 

 nearly to the shaft; they are about thiitcen in miinber on the longest quill. Feet yellow ; 

 base of the bill tinged with the same. Wing-formula, 2,3-1.4. Wing, 12.00 ; tail, 

 7.60; tarsus, 1.90 ; midiUe toe, 1.70; outer, 1.22; inner, 1.12; posterior, .77. 



9 (not rtrf»'V.^ 18,2.'J8, Fort Buchanan, New Mexico ; Dr. Irwin). Above continuous 

 umbcr-drab, growing gradually lighter posteriorly, the tail being jiale drab ; no transverse 

 bars (except a few conca-aled obsolete ones on back and secondaries), hut all the feathers 

 faintly bordered with paler rusty-brown, these edgings being on upper tail-('ov<'rts 

 almost white. Tail tipped with creamy-wdiite, an<l with many transverse .spots or broad 

 bars of the same on inner webs, outer feather irregularly skirted with the .«ame, and all 

 decidedly paler than the ground-color along their edges. Head as in the male, Iiut fore- 

 head white, and superciliary stripe more continuous. Breast and abdomen with longitudi- 

 nal lanceolate or cuueate streaks of dark van<lyke-brown ; patch of same on (lauks more 

 continuous than in the male ; axillars mivariegntt'd clear dark vandyke-brown ; longest 

 primary with eleven transver.se spots of white; posterior outer face of tibiie with .sagittate 

 spots of dark brown. Wing-(brmula, 2, .3-1, 4. Wing, 14.25; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.10 ; 

 middle toe, 2.00. 



