FALCOXin.E — TFIE FALCONS. 2(Jl) 



2. R. hamatus.' Tail-covcrts, wiili end nml li.iso of tlio tail, slaty-lilack. 

 Ad'ilf. riiilonii l)liiisli-iiUiiiilicoiis, (lark.TOii the licad, wiiifs, and tail. Tail 

 uiiilorm black, or with two iiarrow, iiitcmi]ito(l, while haii.is across tlio luid- 

 dlo portion (^, Brazil, IJ. S. Coll.). Win- ll.(H)- 12.00 ; tail, 5.00-7.00; 

 bill, 1.02 - 1.07 ; tarsus, 1.7", - 1.00 ; middle toe, 1.-15. Hab. Amazon region 

 of South America. 



Rostrhamus sociabilis, \ai. plumbens, rancavAY. 



HOOK-BILL KITE; EVERGLADE KITE. 



Rostrhamus socinhilh, Vir.ii.i,. U'()i;ii. Hist. Nat. Culia, av. p, 15. — f'Ass. Birds N. Am. 

 IS.'JS, 38.— M.WN.vui), liinls Florida, Prosim'tus, 1872. 



Sp. CuAii. Ailnlt male (So. 01,187, Everglades, Florida ; C. J. Maynard). rrevailing 

 color phnnboous, becoMiing blauk on the secondaries, primaries, and tail, somewhat 

 brownish-ashy on the wiiiK-coverts, and with a glaucous east on the neck, the head 

 becoming nearly black anteriorly. Tail-coverts (the longer of the upper and all of the 

 lower) and base of the tail pure white, this oecu])ying more than the basal half of the 

 outer feather, and changing into grayish-brown next the black ; tail with a terminal baud 

 of grayish-brown, about .7u wide. Imier webs of primaries marbled, anterior to their 

 emargination, with grayish and white. Tibiic tinged with rusty fulvous. Wiug-foruuila, 

 4, 3, 5 - 2 - - 7, 1. Wing, 14.01 ; tail, 7.25 ; culmen, .95 ; tarsus, 1.90 ; middle toe, 1.55 ; 



iiF.NCi;, VII, 1861, 316); La Plata (BniMKisTER, II, 1861, 435); Brazil (Pki.z. Orn. Bras. I, 

 6) ; Buenos Ayrcs (Sci,. it Sai.v. 1860, 160). 



The numerous South American sjieeimcns vliieli have poine under my notice all dill'er in the 

 respects pointed out in the synopsis from West ludiiui and Floridan examjiles. The following 

 descriptions of a pair of tin; southern race will show the avei-age ehuracters of var. sociabilis. 



AfluU mah {\]a.nw\\\\Wa, Kcuailor. Ci;owtiii-;r ; Coll. G. N. Lawrence). Dill'ering from the 

 Florida male in being nmeli darker ; general color plunibeous-black, instead of glaucous-iilum- 

 beous ; head, wings, and t;iil deep black. Wing-formula, 3 = 4, 5-2, 6-7, 1. Wing, 12.90 ; 

 tail, 7.S0 ; culmen, 1.05 ; tarsus, 1.65 ; nnddle toe, 1.45 ; hhid toe, .80 ; its claw, 1.10. 



AiMl fimile, with tra.x-s of innnature plumage (53,081, Oonehitas, Buenos Ayre.s, September. 

 1867 ; William 11. Hudson). Whole plumage (e.xcei)t tail-coverts) brownish-black, deepest 

 black on head and tail ; more brownish on wing-coverts and slightly glau<'ous on the neck. All 

 the feathers, except those of the head, neck, and back, bordered inconspicuously with paler ; 

 these edgings more distinct and rufescent on the lesser wing-covert's ; tibia; tinged with rusty. 

 Wing-formula, 3 = 4, 5-2-6-7, 1. Wing, 14.00 ; tail, 7.60 ; culmen, 1.00 ; tarsus, 1.70 ; 

 middle toe, 1.60 ; liiiid toe, .!..'i ; its claw, 1.20. 



A specimen from Mexico, snp))osed to be from Mirndor (No. 44,444), is dark in color, like 

 South American examples ( the bill is unusually largo, the chord of the culmen niea.suring 1.25 ; 

 wing, 14.25 ; tail, 8.30 ; tarsus, 1.70 ; middle toe, 1.65. 



Specimens examined. — National .MuM'um, 2 ; Philadelphia Academy, 7 ; New York Museum, 

 2 ; Cab. 0. N. Lawrence, 2 ; Slusetnn, Cambridge, 1 ; Boston Society, 3. Total, 17. 



1 Roslrhamm hamatiis (Yieili,.). Fako hamaliui, Tk.mm. PI. Col. 61, 231, ISiio. — Ii.lio. 

 Mus. Berol. Biikohamatm, ViKiLi,. Kne. Meth. Ill, 1223. lio-s/r/iatnus Ucniiinis, Caii. ,I. fiir. 

 Orn. 1854, p. Ixxx. No. 16,634 (Amazon Itiver ; Lieutenant Herndon). Entirely \nnforni plum- 

 beou.s, with a glaucous cast, becoming darker on the head, and black on ]irimaries and tail ; tail 

 perfectly even, with an obscurely imlicateil, narrow, interruptc' band of dark phind)eous across 

 its middle portion. A specimen in the collection oC he Boston Society has the bands on the 

 tail more conspicuous, and agrees with the /,'. I,ciiiin-us of Cabanis. I have seen no young speci- 

 mens of this species, but, judging from Teuuniuuk's ligure, cited above, they are very similar to 

 the same stage of R. sociabilis. 



vol.. III. 27 



