109 



NISUS PILEATUS. 



Falco pUmtm Temm. PI. Col. i, 1824, pL 205.— Max. Beitr. iii, 1830, 107. 



Accijuter piltatus ViG. Zool. Journ. i, 1824, 338.— Gkay, Gen.i, 1849,20 ; Hand List, 



i, 1869, 33.— BoNAP. Coiisp. i, 1850, 32.— Strickl. Orn. Syn. i, 1850, 109 (in part).— 



SCL. & Salv. Ex. Orn. xi, 18G9, 170 ; Nom. Neotr. 1873, 120.— Pelz. Orn. Bras. 1, 



1871, 8, 399.— Shaki'K, Cat. Ace. B. M. 1874, 153. 



yisus jnleafus Less. Mau. i, 1828, 98.— Bukm. Th. Bras, ii, 1855, 73.— Sciii.. Mus. P.- 



B. Astures, 1802, 36 ; Eev. Ace. 1873, 70. . 

 NisiisjylleatHs xaT.pileatiis Eidgw. Boston Soc. Pr. N. H. May, 1873, 89. 

 Cooperashir inleafus Bonap. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, 538. 

 Falco beskii Light. Nom. Av. 1854, 4. 



Hal). — Brazil. 



Wing, 8.10-10.40: tail, 6.S0-9.00; culraen, 0.50-0.70; tarsus, 2.20-2.65; 

 middle toe, 1.35-1.70. Fourth and fifth quills longest, first shortest ; 

 outer five with iuuer webs emarginated. Tail slightly rounded. 



Adult : — Uniform plumbeous, except on the pileum, tibioe, crissum, 

 lining of the wing, remiges and rectrices; darker above, lighter be- 

 neath, where inclining to bluish-gray, the shafts conspicuously darker 5 

 pileum black ; tibire and lining of wing uniform cinnamon-rufous ; crissum 

 white, somewhat tinged with gray. Tail crossed by four tofive widebands 

 of black, the interspaces grayish-brown above, white on the under surface. 

 Inner webs of primaries marked with transverse spots of white or mot- 

 tled gray and white. 



Young: — Above, dark sepia brown, the feathers bordered terminally 

 with rusty, the scapulars, upper tail-coverts, and inner secondaries with 

 conspicuous, large, transverse spots of white, many of them exposed. 

 Pileum blackish, with rusty-ochraceous streaks in the superciliary 

 region. Nape ochraceous, each feather with a central ovate stripe of 

 blackish-brown; sides of neck similar; cheeks more finely streaked. 

 Tail narrowly tipped with white, and crossed by four or five wide bands of 

 brownish black, the interspaces being grayish-brown (sometimes mixed 

 with white) on the upper surface, and white on the lower. Lower parts 

 ochraceous or ochraceous-white, the side of the breast with lanceolate 

 stripes of blackish-brown, the sides with similar but broader stripes, 

 or with broad spots; crissum immaculate. Lining of the wing ochra- 

 ceous, usually more or less spotted. 



Sexes alike in color, but differing in size, as follows: — 



J7flie:_Wiug, 8.10-8.40; tail, 6.80-7.20; culmen, 0.50-0.60; tarsus, 

 2.20-2,30 ; middle toe, 1.35. (Five specimens.) 



Female .-—Wing, 9.80-10.40 ; tail, 8.70-9.00 ; culmen, 0.06-0.70 ; tarsus, 

 2.50-2.65; middle toe, 1.65-1.70. (Seven specimens.) 



Specimens of this species varj^ considerably, especially those in the 

 young plumage. An adult in the museum of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History (No. 573, Lafresnaye collection) differs from all others we 

 have seen, in having the abdomen and sides strongly tinged with rufous. 

 Two young examples before us differ quite conspicuously in the mark- 

 ings of their lower parts : No. 50,937 is deep ochraceous beneath, 

 the tibiai free from markings, with the exception of two or three small 

 lanceolate streaks on the longer feathers of one thigh. The other speci- 

 men (No. 50,930) is nearly white beneath, the tibiae deeper, ochraceous, 

 and thickly marked witli large spots of brown. In this specimen, the 

 light bands on the middle tail-feathers become white next the shaft. 

 Both are females, in very young plumage. 



