166 



Genus SPIZIASTUR, Lesson. 



" Spizastiir Less. ", Gray, List Geu. Subgen. 1843,3. Type, I^alco atricapillus Temjt. 

 iS. melanoleucus (Vieill). S^iiziasiitr IvAur, 1851. — Sharpe, Cat. Ace. Brit. Mns. 

 1874, 258. 



Ch. — Similar to Sinzaetiis,, but primaries longer, bill more compressed, 

 toes and claws much longer, and head without an occipital crest. Bill 

 much compressed, the tomia without distinct sinuations ; anterior out- 

 line of the cere simply convex. Nostril oval, vertical, near the middle 

 of the cere. Tarsus about one and a half times the length of the mid- 

 dle toe ; lateral toes nearly equal, but the outer perceptibly tbe longer, 

 reaching to about the middle of the subtermiual phalanx of the middle 

 toe ; posterior toe longer than the outer. Claws excessively graduated, 

 the first and second being extremely long, exceeding their digits, the 

 outer small, less than two-thirds its digit, the third being intermediate 

 in length 5 their form normal. A distinct web between outer and mid- 

 dle toes. Tarsi densely feathered all round, only the lower joint 

 exijosed. Lores densely clothed with short,' stiff bristles. Primaries 

 exceeding the secondaries by about one-fourth the length of the wing ; 

 third, fourth, fifth, and sixth quills nearly equal, and longest, but the 

 fourth and fifth usually exceeding tlie others; first shortest; inner webs 

 of the outer five distinctly emarginated, the sixth faintly siuuated ; sec- 

 ondaries, 14. Tail long, about two-thirds the wing, even, or very 

 slightly rounded ; composed of 12 feathers, the basal half overlaid by 

 the coverts. 



SPIZIASTUR MELANOLEUCUS. 



Biitto mdaiioleucns YiEiix. X. D. iv, 181G, 4:^2. — Ccvier, Rtg. An. 1817,336. — Vieill, 



& OUD. Gal. Ois. 1825, pi. 14. 

 Spizaelus melarwlciicus Bonap. Consp. i, 18.50, 23; Eev. Zool. 1850, 448.— Strickl. 



Oni. Syu. i, 1855, 73.— Schl. Mas. P.-B. Astures, 1862, 14.— Lawr. Aim. Lye. 



N. Y. ix, 1868, 132 (Costa Rica).— Gray, Hand List, i, 1869, 12.— Scl. & Salv. 



P. Z. S. 1864, 369 (Isth. Panama) ; Nom. Neotr, 1873, 120. 

 Sjjizaetus (Spizastitr) melatioleucus Ridgw. Pr. Boston Soc. X. H. 1873, 71. 

 tSphastur r,itla)ioh'i(cus Sharpe, Cat. Ace. B. M. 1874, 258. 

 Faico aUicapiVus Temm. PL Col. i, 1823, pi. 79. 



Morphnusf atricapiUus ViG. Zool. Jonrn. i, 1824, 325. — Stephens, Zoology, siii, 20. 

 Aslur atricapiUus Less. Man. i, 1328, 93. 



SpizastKr nlricapiUus Gray, List Gen. 1841, 3.-Kaup, Mus. Senck. iii, 1845, 2!S9. 

 SpizaHus atricapiUus Gray, Gen. 1845, 14.— Boxap. Consp. Av. i, 18-50, 28.— BuRM. 



Th. Bras. 18.56, 65.--Pelz. Oru. Bras. 1871, 4. 

 " Spizastur atriceps Kaup, Mus. Senck. iii, 1845, 259" {ficTe Stpjckland, I. c). 



Sal). — Central Tropical America, south to Brazil, north to Guatemala. 

 Guiana (Mus. Boston Soc.) ; Costa Rica (Nat. Mus.). 



Wing, 11.30-16.40 ; tail, 9.50-11.00 : culmen, 0.95-1.20; tarsus, 2.G5- 

 3.25; middle toe, 1.95-2.25. Adult : — Upper parts uniform deep black; 

 tail deep black, crossed by four broad bauds of brownish-gray, and nar- 

 rowly tipped with paler. Head, neck, and entire lower parts pure white ; 

 lores and eyelids deep black, and occiput si)otted with the same. Tibiae 

 sometimes sparsely barred with black. Cere and rictus deep orange-red 

 in life ; bill black. 



List of fpecimens examined. — In Nat. Mns., 1 (No. 51302, La Palma, Costa Rica, Aug. 

 10, 1867 ; Jos^ C. Zeledon) ; mus. Pbilad. Acad., 3 ; Boston Soc. N. H., 2 ; G. N. Law- 

 rence, 1 ; total, 7. 



