BIRDS ACCIPITMNAE ACCIPITER MEXICANUS, 
17 
two of which 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 
also. 
List of specimens. 
Locality. 
Society Hill, S. C 
Republican fork, K. T . 
Fort Steilacoom, W. T . 
do.. do 
Yakima river, W. T 
Presidio, Cal 
Sacramento valley, Cal. 
Colorado river, Cal 
When collecli'd 
April 30, 1855. 
Aug. 17,1856. 
Sept. 1856. 
Oct. 10,1856. 
Sept. 10, 1856. 
Oct. 28, 1854. 
Whence and how 
M. A. Curtis 
Lieut. Bryan 
Dr. Suckley 
Gov. Stevens 
Lieut. Trowbridge. 
Lieut. Williamson. 
Major Emory 
Collected by- 
383 
540 
585 
585 
W. S. Wood... 
Dr. Cooper. 
Dr. Heermann . 
A. Schott 
Mcsisnrements. 
3 & 
18.25 25.00 
19.00 30.00 
31.00 
ACCIPITER MEXICANUS, Swainson. 
Accipiter Mexicanus, Swains. Faun. Bor. Amer. Birds, p. 45, (1831.) 
(Not figured.) 
Intermediate between Accipiter Cooperi and AccipUer fuscus in size, and much resembling both in colors. Form slender and 
long, wings short, tail long, legs rather b>ng, slender. 
Adult. — Head above bluish black ; other upper parts dark brownish black, with a tinge of cinereous, darkest on the back; 
thmat and other under tail coverts white ; other under parts fine light rufous, darkest on the tibiae, and spotted and barred 
transversely with white, which bars and spots are nearly obsolete on the breast and tibise ; 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 banc's 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. 
Young. — Entire upper parts dark brown, every feather on the head above and neck 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 9£ 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 
