240 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



(adventitiously?) stained with pale brownish. Sab. Middle America, 

 south to Panama, north to southern border of United States, straggling 

 as far as southern Illinois. 



346. A. plagiata Schleg. Mexican Goshawk. 

 a?: Adult with upper parts (including head and neck) very distinctly barred with 

 grayish white. Young with thighs plain white or buffy, and lighter 

 tail-bands whitish. 



A. nitida (Lath.). South American Goshawk. 1 



Genus ARCHIBUTEO Bbehm. (Page 223, pi. LXIX., fig. 1.) 



Species. 



a 1 . Bill small and weak, the width of gape (from corner to corner of mouth) only 

 1.35-1.45. 

 Adult, normal phase : Head and neck whitish, streaked with dusky ; rest 

 of upper parts irregularly varied with white, grayish, and dusky (the 

 lighter tints predominating), usually mixed, more or less, with rusty or 

 ochraceous ; rump with dusky prevailing ; upper tail-coverts and basal 

 portion of tail (more or less extensively — sometimes for more than half 

 its length) white ; terminal portion of tail crossed by a broad subter- 

 minal band of grayish or dusky, and, anterior to this, usually by several 

 narrower, irregular, or sometimes broken bands ; quills dusky grayish, 

 more or less distinctly banded with darker, their inner webs, however, 

 immaculate anterior to their emargination ; lower parts chiefly whitish, 

 but this spotted or otherwise varied, chiefly on breast, by dusky, the 

 thighs sometimes tinged with ochraceous or rusty. Young, normal 

 phase : Very much like adult, but terminal or subterminal portion of 

 tail plain grayish brown, the basal portion plain whitish ; lower parts 

 whitish or buffy, crossed over belly, flanks, and anal region by a very 

 broad belt or transverse area of uniform deep brownish or dusky. 

 Downy young : Plain grayish white. Male : Length about 19.50-22.00, 

 wing 15.75-16.80, tail 9.00-10.00. Female: Length about 21.50-23.50, 

 wing 16.15-18.00, tail 9.00-11.00. 



b\ Averaging lighter in color, with less (often with none) of ochraceous 

 or rusty ; rarely melanistic. Sab. Northern portions of eastern 

 hemisphere. 



A. lagopus (BRtfNN.). Rough-legged Hawk. 2 

 V. Averaging darker in color, with more of ochraceous or rusty ; fre- 

 quently melanistic, some specimens being entirely deep black, with 

 the exception of forehead, inner webs of quills (anterior to emar- 

 ginations), and more or less distinct, usually broken, narrow bands 

 across basal portion of tail, which are whitish. (Note. — This 



1 Falco nitidua Lath., Index Orn. i. 1790, 40. Asturina nitida Bonap., Consp. i. 1850, 30. 

 a So far as evidence to date tends to show, the tjpieal form of this species, if a distinctively American race 

 b» recognized, mnst be expunged from the list of North American birds. 



