FALCON ID.K — THE I'A I,( 'OS'S. 



125 



intmi distinct in tlio Aniorieivn Itinl, wliilt! in tlin Kurnponn the bands on tlu' 

 tail lire much more distinct, and the spots i'orminj,' tlicni r.re on the outer wclis, 

 as \V(dl as on tlie inner, instead of on thi- latter aUme ; the dark l>ars hetween 

 tile lij^lit spots are iu theAniericim liird mucli narrower and more numerous, 

 and in tlie yiamjj; tlic li;,dit ones con>e to tlu! cd^e of the weh, instead of 

 heinj; enclosed witliin the darl\ coh)r. Two very youiii; liirds (i. e. in first 

 jM-rfect ])himaj;e) apjiear ahnost i(h'ntieal until closely examined, the cliief 

 diirerences hein^' a lightca- tint to the crown in tlio European, and hcavii-r 

 dark stripes on the breast, besides th(! jtecidiar diaracter ol' tlio tail-sjiots, 

 which are always distinctive. In shades ol' color, thero is not the slij,'htest 

 dillereiice. 



I have seen no specimen of any of the Old World forms in the plumage 

 correspond in;,' to that transversely barred aliove, descriljcd here as the adult, 

 thou;;li iii^ures of the adult lamirinx indicate a very similar plumage. 'I'lio 

 .series of tiie latter race at my command is unfortunately limited to a very few 

 immature .specimens. One marked " ad." (r)t3,0.")l, Hungary; Schliiter 

 t!oll.) measures as follows : Wing, 14.50 ; tail, 8.00 ; culmen, .8."> ; tarsus, 

 1.00 ; middle toe, 1.80. Its c(dors are as descrilied in the synopsis (p. 14l'9) 

 for the young bird. 



The var. mcxiatiiHs and Xiw.jiiriijer, which are hotii much darker, and more 

 uniform in the coloring of the ujiper parts, than var. pohiinji'ati, are more 

 nearly alike; in fact, the only tangible dill'erence tiiat I can find between a 

 specimen of the former in the IMiuseum of the IViston Society of Natural 

 History (No. l,4o8, jJ.Juv. Lafr. Collection; "Mexico") and two exam- 

 ples of the latter in the New York Museum, consist in the larger size of the 

 var. ju(/i/ir (see synopsis), besides its whiter cheeks and more isolated and 

 distinct " mustache." A direct comparison of these two races may show 

 other tangible points of distinction, or, on the contrary, may show even 

 these slight distinguishing features to be inconstant. The former result is, 

 however, most reasonably to be expected. 



LIST OF SPKCI.MENS EXAMINED. 



Natioiiiil J[iisL'Uin. n ; Boston Society, 2 ; riiiin(Ii'l|)liiii Academy, 4 ; Museum Comp. 

 Zool. 1 ; G. N. Lawrciite, 2 ; K. Riilgway, u. Total, 2;3. 



Hahits. This is an exclusively we.: ern species, occurring from the valley 

 of the Mississippi to the Pacific coast. Specimens have been obtained as 

 far east as Illinois. Several others have been taken on tiie Upper Missouri 

 and the Yellow.stone Itivers, in Nebraska, at Fort Tliorne, New Mexico, 

 and on the Little Colorado Kiver. A specimen was shot by Dr. Heer- 



