266 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



angle of nioiitli down to Uw jiiguluin, witli nearly the whole ])Pctorfil area, 

 UMijidkeii black, leaving the gular region and side of the head pale, but 

 thii'kly streaked. Wing, 15.00; tail, S.SO ; tarsus, 2.35; middle toe, 1.50. 

 These specimens may he said to form about the extremes of the young plu- 

 mage. An Iowa skin (No. 59,052; liiekseeker) is like the average of far- 

 westoni examples. 



The melanistie eonilition hears to the normal plumage of siminsoni pre- 

 cisely the same relation that the black adnrus, Cassin, does to the usual 

 style of the western variety of horcK/is {hurca/iii var. ralitrits = montauvs, 

 Cassin); tiie varial)le series, connecting these two extremes, and designated 

 by the name Jiorcniif; var. ntlurKu, which covers the whole, finds an exact 

 ])arall(!l in the ju'esent species. 



A specimen from the Platte (5,570, $ , August; W. S. Wood) is entirely 

 dark rufous-brown lieneath (excepting the lower tail-coverts), ;\ ith the shafts 

 of tlie feathers bkick. 



This species is entirely distinct specifically from the B. vidi/dris of Europe. 

 The latter has four, instead of only three, outer primaries deeply emarginated, 

 and is very dissimilar in every stage of plumage. 



Vnr. oxypterus, Cassin. 



SHARF-WINOED HAWK. 



(Xonndf jioiinii pltinuiijc.) 



Biitco n.ri/ptcru.t, Cass. P. .\. X. S. VII, 18.').'>, 282. — In. Birds N. .Am. IS.'iS, 30.— 

 SriiKKi.. (tin. Syii. I, 1855, 28. — I'urivs, T. A. N. S. 18GG, 9. — GliAY, H.nnd List, 

 I, 8. — t'lioi'Kii, ItiiilsCiil. 1870, -180. Bati'.oalhkaiuhitus, " Vieill.," Sclatek, P. Z. S. 

 ISOlt, 034, No. 22. 



(yfclanislic phnnarjr.) 

 Uidni /,(N(jinnx)is, ScLATEi;, 1'. 7.. S. I.onil. 1858, 350. — In. Trans. Z. S., July, 1858, 267, 

 pi. I.\ii. -- liiDciWAV, P. A. N. .S. Due. 1870, 1 12. 



."^p. CiiAU. Aihill : iiiehiiii.iti'c p?inn(ii/p CSif. 12,117, ^[az.'itlan, ^[(wiro ; Colonel Abort). 

 Entiri'ly riilij;inous-l>laclv, darkest on lie.'id and hack; no white on I'orelioad. Tail cine- 

 reons-UMiher, crossed with seven very refrnlar and continuous hands of lilack, the suhter- 

 niinal one of which is hroadest. Lower tail-coverts, and larger under winu-eovert.s, with 

 ti'ansversi' hands of didl white ; liniu'.,^ of the winir nnvarieil lilack ; umler surface of pri- 

 iii:\ries silvei'V-while. that poi'lion licyond their eniarifiniition lilack, the whitish portion 

 crossed liy distant, very obsolete. traMsvi'r.=c bars. Third ipiill lonrrest ; fourth and fifth 

 scarcely shorter, ,and n(\'U'ly erpial ; second e(pial to sixth ; first .shorter than eifrhlh. Tail 

 sipiarc ; sciitelliu of the tarsus very faintly deliiied, or, in fa(;t, .scarcely deteclable (proba- 

 lily arcidcutal), WiuL'. l.'i.oO; iail, 7.00; tar.sn.s, 1.!)") ; middle too, 1.")"). 



Yo'dKj iiKilc ; iioniiiil j)hiiii((f/r (So. >^/>')0, Fort Fillmore, New ifcvieo; Dr. T. ('. 

 Henry, !'..'<. .V.). Head, n<'ck, and lower parts, .soiled ochraeeons-white. Feathers of 

 the head above, anil neck laterally and behind, with medial .stripes of blackish-brown ; 

 jUL''ulum, breast, sides, ll.itiks, and alulomon, with large rounded .spots of bliickish-brown ; 

 tibia' willi transverse bars of the s;unc; lower tail-coverts almost inunacuhite. A con- 

 spicuous •■ mustache" of blended dusky sircak.s, from angle of the mouth across the eheek.«, 



