falconidjE. 63 



Dimensions 

 Of the female No. 2. 



Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. 



Length from the tip of the bill to the end of Length of the bill along the ridge 1 1£ 



the tail ..... 22 6 „ of the tarsus .... 3 4 



„ of the tail .... 10 3 ,, of the middle toe ... 1 6" 



„ of the longest quill feathers . 14 6 



Another female (No. 4), killed on the plains of the Saskatchewan in the 

 beginning of June, corresponded in every point with the preceding. 



DESCRIPTION 



Of (No. 6.) a young male (supposed to be of the preceding season), killed at Great Bear Lake, lat. 65°, May 31, 1826'. 



Colour of the dorsal aspect liver-brown. The feathers of the head are narrowly edged with 

 deep orange-brown, and there is a whitish border to the orbit, most conspicuous behind. The 

 facial circles meet on the nape of the neck, and the feathers composing them have liver-brown 

 centres and tips, lateral margins of pale wood-brown, and white bases. The feathers of the 

 neck have mostly yellowish-brown edges. The back is of an uniform liver-brown, with a pale 

 yellowish-brown spot on one or two of the scapularies. The lesser wing coverts have mar- 

 ginal ferruginous blotches, and the greater coverts and secondaries are narrowly tipped with 

 white. The primaries are crossed by from seven to nine liver-brown bars, the intermediate 

 spaces towards the tips being merely a lighter shade of the same colour, but towards the bases 

 of the inner webs being white or pale wood-brown. The white tail coverts form a narrow bar 

 across the base of the tail. The tail is crossed by five bars of liver-brown, the terminal one 

 being the broadest, the intermediate spaces, which equal the bars in breadth, are hair-brown on 

 the two middle feathers, and pale ferruginous on the others j and all the feathers are narrowly 

 edged on their tips with white. The under surface of the neck is ferruginous, with tapering 

 longitudinal streaks of liver-brown ; the breast is paler, and the streaks are confined to the 

 shafts. The flanks are dark orange-brown, with paler edgings. The posterior part of the 

 belly and vent are very pale ferruginous, without spots ; and the under tail coverts and thighs 

 have a deeper ferruginous tint, also without spots. The under surface of the tail is very pale 

 buff, with liver-brown bars. The linings of the wings have a slight ferruginous tinge, with 

 dark-brown blotches. The inner surfaces of all the quill feathers are white, slightly tinged in 

 a few places with brown, crossed by narrow clove-brown bars, and becoming entirely brown 

 at their tips. 



Form, &c. — The lobe of the upper mandible is not quite so distinct as in the older speci- 

 mens described above. The third quill feather equals the fourth ; the second and fifth are 

 an inch shorter ; the sixth is two inches shorter than the fifth ; and the first is about a quarter 

 of an inch shorter than the sixth, and as much longer than the seventh. The tarsi corre- 

 spond with those of the older birds, even to the number of scutelii (fifteen before and nineteen 

 behind, besides a reticulated portion adjoining to the upper joint behind). 



