1<)2 NOKTJI AMEIJICAN lilHDS. 



Nauclerus forficatus, (Linx.) Uidgway. 



SWAL1.0W-TAILED HAWK; FORK-TAILED KITE. 



Accipih'r vnndt fiiirnln, t'.vTF.sjiY, Carolina, I, \A. iv, MUi, Fa/co forjicnlii.i, Linn. Syst. 

 Nat. I, Mt, IT.'.S. l/'ilm fiirailiiii, l.i.NX. Syst. Xiit. p. VJ!", 17tJG. — I'Kxx. Aivt. 

 Zoiil. p. l!lii, No. 1118, 111. x. — tiMKi,. Syst. Nat. p. "Jd-i. yniiderus fui-Jiailns, ItiDo- 

 w.u', r. A. N. S. I'liil. \)n-. l!S7(i, 144. — D.vri). Tr. Oiii. 11, 15-2. — Sii.uv, 

 Xat. Misc. i>l. ceiv; Zoiil. VII. 107. — Wii.s. Am. Oin. ]il. li, I', a, 1808. — Am. 

 liinls Am. i.l. 7-2, 1831 ; Oni. ISioj;. I, 308 ; V, 371. — Honai'. Ana. Lyo. N. Y. II, 

 31; Isis, 1S3-J, 1138. Mi/vus /iiixii/us, VlKll.l.. Ois. Am. Sept. pi. x, 1807. K/((- 

 )ioitlfs J'lin-dlii.s, (iii.w, List li. IJiit. Mus. p. 44, 1844. -.SriiicKi,. Oni. Syii. I, 141, 

 ISiiiJ. — Owr.x, lliis, 11, 1800, 240 ^habits), yuin^knui J'lii-oitiis, \iq. Zoiil. Joiiiii. 

 II, 387 ; Isis, 1830, p. 1043. — I.kss. Man. Oiii. I, 101 ; Tr. Oni. p. 73. — Sw.mns. 

 t'lnssif. 15. I, 312; II, 210, 1837. — linSAi-. List, p. 4; Cat. Uw. Kur. p. 20; Coiisp. 

 Av. p. 21. — G(iii.l), li. Eiir. i)l. xxx. — Arn. Syiiop. p. 14, 1839. — Hiiii. Stliomb. 

 licis. lliit. Oiiiaii. p. 735. — 1>k Kav, Zoiil. X. Y. II, ji. 12, pi. vii, f. 1,"). — Okay, 

 (ion. 15. I'ol. sp. 1, pi. ix, f. !) ; (icii. & .Suligeii. Iiiit. Mus. p. 0. — I5iii:w. (Wil.s.) 

 Syiiop. Am. Oni. p. 08ri. — Woimil. Sitf;i'. Kxp. Ziihi & Colorado, p. 00. — Kait, 

 Moiiof,'. Faliniiiila', Coiit. Orii. 1850, ji. 57. — Buewkk, Oijlogy, I, 1857, 38. — Cas.s. 

 Binls N. Am. 1858, 30. — Ciiri:s, I'ml. Oni. Ariz. ISCO, p. 12. — Duksskh, ll>i.s, 1865, 

 525 (Texas, nesting). — C.kay, Haml List, I, 27, 1809. /■Jhiiiiin f ureal lui, Vic. Zoiil. 

 Journ. I. 340. — Srr.l'll. Zodl. XIII, pi. ii, ]>. 49. — CrY. I!eg. An. (eu. i), I, p. 334. — 

 Jamk.s. (\Vii.s.) Am. Urn. I, 75. — Jakd. (Wils.) Am. Orii. II, 275. — Iakd. Oin. 

 Eur. p. 29. — Nl'i r. Jlaii. [i. 94. AccipUcr milciis earolinaisis, 15kiss. Oni. I, 418, 

 1760. Maiiouks ijdapa, Vikill. Enc. Metli. Ill, 1205, 1823. 



Sp. CiiAii. Adult, male anil female. Wiiolo lu-nd niul neck, lininfr of winga, broad 

 liaiiil across the ruiiip, and entire lower parl.s, pure ^Yllite. Inter-scapulars and le.sser 

 wing-coYcrts, rich, dark, soil, bronzed piir[)lisli-black. Rest of iipiier parts, ineUiding 

 lower part of rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, more metallic slaty-black, feathers some- 

 wiiat greenish basally, m<ire bluish terminally, with a peculiar, soil milky appearance, 

 and with Yery smooth compact surface. Tcr'ials almost entirely white, black only at tips. 

 AVhite on under side of wing occupying all the coverts, and the basal half of the secon- 

 daries. Wing, 15.40-17.70; tail, 12.50-14.50; tarsus, 1.00-1.30; middle toe, 1.15-1.20. 



Younger. Similar, but with the beautiful soil ]iurplish-bronzed black of shoulders and 

 back less conspicuously dill'erent from the more metallic tints of otiier upper parts. 

 FoHKjf (youngest ? 18,457, Cantonincnt Bnrgwyn, New Mexico). The black above less 

 slaty, with a brownish cast, and with a quite decided glos.s of bottle-green ; secondaries, 

 primary coverts, primaries, and tail-feathers finely margined terminally with white. 

 Fcallicis of the liead and neck with fine .shaft-lines of black. 



Hai). Whole of South and Middle America, and southern United States; very rarely 

 northward on Atlantic loast to rcnnsylvania ; along the Mississippi Valley to Minnesot.i 

 and Wisconsin; biveding in Iowa (Sioux City) ami Illinois; exceedingly abundant in 

 August ill southern portion of the latter State; Cuba; accidental in Kngland. 



Localities : Gualcmala (Sci.. Ibis. I, 217) ; Cuba (Caii. .Tourn. II, Ixxxiii) ; Brazil (Cah. 

 Jomn. V, 41); Panama (Lawh. VII, 18G1. 289); X. Texas (Duksskh, Ibis, lS(i5, 32.5, 

 common, breeding); Veiagua (Sai.v. 1807, 158): Costa Rica (Lawk. IX, i;!4); Minnesota 

 (thirty miles north of Millo Lac. lat. 47°; Tripi'k, Rirds of Minn., Pr. Essex Inst. VI, 

 1871, p, 113), 



A ]niii' luavkod as from EnglaiRl (56,000, 9. and 56,100, S, " in Fntjland 

 (jcschosaai "; Scliliiter Collection) are smiillor tlum tli»* aviirao;o of Auiorican 



