BIRDS — ACCIPITEINAE — ACCIPITEE MEXICANUS, 



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two of whicli are from Washington Territory, and one from California. These being, however, 

 in young plumage, may be regarded as very probably showing conclusively that this bird is 

 resident in those localities, and is also, in all probability, throughout the temperate regions of 

 North America. Some authors even, though probably erroneously, assign it to South America 



List of specimens. 



ACCIPITEE MEXICANUS, Swain son. 



Acdpiter Mexicanus, Swains. Faun. Bor. Amer. Birds, p. 45, (1831.) 



(Not figured.) 



Intermediate between jlccipiter Cooperi and Accipiter fuscus in size, and much resembling both in colors. Form slender and 

 long, wings short; tail long, legs rather long, slender. 



Adult. — Head above bluish black; other upper parts dark brownish black, with a tinge of cinereous, darkest on the back; 

 throat and other under tail coverts white ; other under parts fine light rufous, darkest on the tibise, and spotted and barred 

 transversely witli white, which bars and spots are nearly obsolete on the breast and tibiae ; longitudinal dark lines on the shafts 

 of the feathers (conspicuous on the under parts in A. Cooperi) only on the breast ; quills dark brown, with their outer edges 

 cinereous, and with bands of dark brown and white on their inner webs ; tail dark cinereous, tipped with white, and having 

 four wide bands of brownish black ; bill bluish black ; cere and tarsi yellow; iris yellow. 



Foitng-. — Entire upper parts dark brown, every feather on the head above and necis behind edged with yellowish red, which 

 color predominates on those parts in some specimens ; under parts white, more or less tinged with dull yellow, every feather 

 having a narrow longitudinal stripe of brown, and frequently a transverse band of the same near the base of the feather. The 

 stripes often assume a falchion or imperfectly sagittate shape on the flanks. Under wing coverts yellowish white, with ovate 

 and cordate spots of brown ; tail as in adult ; upper tail coverts frequently tipped with white ; iris, cere, and tarsi, light 

 yellow. 



Dimensions. — Male, total length, 15 to 16 inches ; wing 9, tail 8 inches. Female, total length, 17 to 18 inches ; wing 9i to 10, 

 tail 9 inches. 



A western species, but not so exclusively so as has been supposed. In the present collection 

 specimens are from New Mexico and the Yellow Stone river, as well as from Oregon and Cali- 

 fornia, as will be seen in the localities given below. 



This bird bears an extraordinary resemblance to both Accipiter Cooperi and Accipiter fuscus, 

 and, in fact, specimens occasionally occur which cannot be distinguished without difficulty. 

 3b 



