448 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



Ictinia mississippiensis (Wils.) 



MISSISSIPPI KITE. 



Popular sTnonyms. Blue Kite: Blue Snake Hawk. 

 Falco mississippiensis Wils. Am. Orn. iii, ISll. 80, pi. 25, fig. I. 

 Jctinia mississippiensis Bv. liHtO.—Ckss. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 37.— Baibd, B. N. 

 Am. 1859.No. 36.— Coues, Key, 1872, 211; Cheek List, 1874, No. r«i, 

 Falco phtmbeus "Gmel," Aud. B. Am. 1834, lA. 117; Orn. Biog. ii. 1834, 108; v, 1839,374 (nee 

 Gmel.). 

 /cd'nio p!«m6eoNuTT. Man. i.lS33, 92 [nee ViEiix.)— AnD. Synop. 1839, 14; B. Am. 1, 1840, 

 73, pi. 17. 

 Ictinia subccBrulea "(Bartk.)" Coues, Proc. Phil. Acad, lex Fa'co subcceruleus Babtb. 

 Trav. 1791,290); 2d Check List, 1882, No. 491.— Kidgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 428. 

 Hab. More southern eastern United States; north, regularly, to South Carolina, and 

 southern lllinois,more rarely to Iowa and Wisconsin, and casually to Pennsylvania; 

 south through eastern Mexico and Guatemala. 



Sp. Chae. Adult vtaleiiio. 84,4.S.3. Fox Prairie, Kichland Co., III., August 19, 1871). 

 Head, neck, secondaries, and entire lower parts plumbeous ash, becoming, by a gradual 

 transition, lighter on the head and secondaries, where the shade is pale cinereous: the 

 head anteriorly, and the tips of the secondaries being silvery white. Lores and eyelids 

 black. Best of the plumage dark plumbeous, approaching plumbeous black on the lesser 

 wing-coverts, primaries and upper tail-coverts, the tail being nearly pure black. Pri- 

 maries with an indistinct narrow concealed stripe of chestnut-rufous on the outer webs, 

 and larger spots of the same on the inner webs; feathers of the head, neck, and lower 

 parts abruptly pure white beneath the surface, this showing in partly exposed spots on 

 the pectoral region and crissum. Scapulars also with large concealed white spots. 

 Shafts of primaries and tail-feathers black on both sides. Wing formula, 3, 2-4-5-6,1. 

 First primary angularly, the second concavely, emarginated. Tail emarginated, lateral 

 feather longest; depth of fork, .40. Wing, 11.75; tail, 6.80; culmen, .63; tarsus, 1.20; middle 

 toe, 1.15. 



Adult female (Fox Prairie, Eichland Co., 111., August 19, 1871). Similar to the male, but 

 head and secondaries decidedly darker, hardly approaching light ash; scarcely any 

 trace of rufous on the primaries, none at all on outer webs: shafts of tail-feathers 

 white on under side. Wing, 11.80; tail, 7.25. Bill. cere, eyelids, and interior of mouth, deep 

 black; iris deep lake-red; rictus orange-red ; tarsi and toes pinkish orange-red, lower 

 part of tarsus and large scutellEB of toes dusky. (Notes from fresh specimens, the ones 

 above described.) 



Immature male (transition plumage; No. 84,484, Fox Prairie, Richland Co.. HI.. August 

 21, 1871). Similar to the adult female, but the white spots on basal portion of pectoral 

 and crissal feathers distinctly exposed; secondaries not lighter than rest of the wing. 

 Tail-feathers with angular white spots extending auite across the inner webs, producing 

 three distinct transverse bands when viewed from below. Inner wob of outer primary 

 mostly white anterior to the emargination. Wing, 10. .50; tail, 6.25. Color of bill, etc., as 

 in the adult, but interior of mouth whitish, and the iris less pure carmine. 



Immature female (Coll. Philadelphia Academy, Bed Fork of the Arkansas, 1850 ; Dr. 

 Woodhouse). Similar to the last. Wing, 11.10; tail, 6.31. 



Young female (first plumage ; Coll. Philadelphia Academy, North Fork Canadian River, 

 September 19,1851: Dr. Woodhouse). Head, neck, and lower parts white, with a yellowish 

 tinge; the most perceptible on the tibifE. Each feather with a median longitudinal ovate 

 spot of blackish brown, more reddish on the lower parts. The chin, throat, and a broad 

 superciliary stripe, are immaculate white. Lower tail-coverts each with a median acu- 

 minate spot of rusty, the shaft black. Upper parts brownish black: wing-coverts, scapu- 

 lars, and interscapulars, feathers of the rump, and the upper tail-cover, narrowly 



