FALCONin.i: — TIIK KAI/'ONS. -JHy 



Tlio iiPiirest ally f)l' tliis specios is llic /A yl/v),/\ iif tlin I'alii'iirclic ii't'ulin 

 (Norllicn Asia iiiul AtVii'ii and iKU'liuiis (if I'luniia'), wliidi has I'xacily llic 

 si/.o aiitl ]pr(i|M)ili()iis of tliu juvsciit bird, and in ccitain stages a vciy 

 f.indlar jduMiajiic. I Iiavo not sum an lUKHu'stioiialilo adult of />'. /iro.r, \n\t 

 spc'cinions almost adult, in tlio (.'ollcclion of tlii- lioston Society of Natural 

 Histor/, from tliu Himalaya .Mountains, ronu- romarkaldy closi' to //. nio/nri 

 in ]ilunia,i;i', liavinu like it a lihudv spot on the under side of tlie win;^-, lait 

 apiKUvnlly on the under iirimary-coverts, instead of on the liniuf,', near the 

 edge; tho tail is also very similarly colored, rpon the whole, I consider 

 tlio JJ. coopcri to bo ii good species, with // J'lra.r, ( imelin, of Asia, etc., as its 

 nearest relative, unless it ])roves to lie a hybrid between Jlulm ImrniUfi and 

 A I'vli ihntio fcvniijl nni!^, whicii I think is le.ss likely to lie the ca.se. 



Haiiits. a single individual of this bird was .shot liy l>r. Cooper near 

 Mountain Viow in Santa Clara Valley, California, in November, l<S."i."i. It still 

 remains unii^uc in collections, and during his more I'ecent e\]ilorations Dr. 

 Cooper has not been able to obtain any additional sjiecinuMis or see any like 

 it. Those he mistook for this bird and to which he refers in his report on 

 the birds of Washington Territory, he is' satisfied were only the Airlt ■ho 

 firrKt/iiicits. The suggestion of Sclater, that the bird is not di.stiiu't from 

 Biiti'o iri//hro)i<ihis,\s negatived, according to .Mr. liidgway, by the fact of 

 their actually belonging to dilferent sections of the genus. 



Genus ARCEOBUTEO, itiiEini. 



Arehihutm, Rrkiim, 1828. (Tvjic, Fulfn hnjopus, (iMKi.is.) 

 Trinrchin, K.MT, 1829 (iicr. Lkacii, 1816). (Same typo.) 

 ButnUtin, Lkss. 1831. (Sniiu. typo.) 



1 liiitaquila, IIiiiic.s. 1844. ('Vy\»', Bvl<((ii<(lii strnphiitta, Hones.) 

 1 Hemiaetus, llolKi.s. 1844. (Same type.) 



Char. Similar to Bvfeo. Imt h'\\\ nnd foot wenkor, wiufrs lonpor. aurl t.irsi foatliors in 

 front, to tlio toes. Bill small, o<)inpro.«,<!e(l antoiiorly, Imt vciy broad throufrli tho frapp; 

 upper outline of the core ascending liasally ; nostril bro.idly oval, nearly lioiiz<intal. Tar- 

 sus den.'ely feathered in front and on tho sides down to the base of the toes : naked be- 

 hind, whore covered with irregidir scales. Tarsus more than twice as long as the middle 

 toe; basal half of the toes covered with .small scales; outer toe longer tlian tln' inner; 

 claws long, strongly curved, aeiUo. Feathering of the head and neck normal. Wing 

 very long; the third to fourth rpiill longest; first shorter than seventh ; outer I'onr or live 

 with inner webs deeply emargin.'ited. Tail moderate, rounded. Plumage lull and soft. 



The relationship of this well-marked genus ajipears to be nearest to Bnf(o 

 and Cirrus, with an approach to Cirroiiis in (;haracter of the ]>lumage, esjie- 

 cially the wing. The Old World species, belonging to the subgenus (?) Buta- 

 fjuila, numbering two or three, according to dilTerent authors, I have not 

 seen, and conse([uently cannot say whether they are really congeneric with 

 the American speoies or not. Exclusive of these, two species are known, 



VOL. III. 3S 



