28 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. 



transverse bars. Under surface. — Chin almost white ; throat and breast very 

 pale ochre yellow, with narrow brown lines on the shaft of the feathers, which 

 expand into large marks on the sides of the upper part of the breast, and into 

 regular spots on those of the belly. Lining of wing white, with brown 

 spots on the feathers near their tips, like on those of the belly. Thighs 

 very pale ochre yellow, with transverse bars of pale brown, appearing like 

 inverted wedge-formed marks, with the apex on the shafts. Under tail- 

 coverts almost white ; under side of tail pale gray, with darker gray bars on 

 the inner side of shafts. Bill blueish black, with base of lower mandible and 

 part of upper yellowish. Tarsi pale yellow. 

 Form. — Fourth primary very little longer than either the third or fifth, which are 

 equal. First nearly equal to the eighth. Extremity of wing when folded 

 reaching within two inches and a half of the end of the tail. 



In. 



Total length 23 



"Wing when folded . . . . . 15| 

 Tail 91 



In. 



Tarsi 3£ 



Middle toe from joint to tip of claw . . 3 



From extremity of beak to within nostril . -j> ff 



Habitat, Santa Cruz, Lat. 50° S. Patagonia, (April.) 



Mr. Gould remarks that "this species has all the characters of a true Buteo, 

 and will rank as one of the finest of this well defined group. In size it rather 

 exceeds the Common Buzzard of Europe, which in its general style of colouring it 

 somewhat resembles." 



Sub-Fam.— FALCONINA, Vig. 

 Falco femoralis. Temm. 



Falco femoralis, Temm. PI. Col. 121 male ; and 343 adult male. 

 Spix, Av. Sp. Nov. 1. p. 18. 



This specimen was shot in a small valley on the plains of Patagonia, at Port 

 Desire, in Lat. 47° 44'. It builds its nest in low bushes, and the female was sitting 

 on the eggs in the beginning of January. Egg, 1*8 of an inch in longer diameter, 

 and 1*4 in shorter ; surface rough with white projecting points ; colour nearly uni- 

 form dirty " wood brown," thickly freckled with rather a darker tint ; general 

 appearance, as if it had been rubbed in brown mud. M. D'Orbigny supposed 

 that Latitude 34° was the southern limit of this species ; we now find its range 

 three hundred and thirty miles further southward. The same author states that 

 this falcon prefers a dry open country with scattered bushes, which answers to 

 the character of the valleys, in the plains near Port Desire. 



