28 
FALCO CYANEUS. 
coverts are pure white, often, but not always, with 1 
few rusty spots, constituting the so called white ruiflf ' 
which is a constant mark of the species in all its stati ; 
of plumage. The throat, breast, belly, vent, and femoral* 1 
pale yellowish rusty, streaked lengthwise with hu>" 
acuminate brown spots darker and larger on the brea-* 1 
and especially the under wing-coverts, obsolete on tb' ' 
lower parts of the body, which are not spotted, TW ' 
quills are dark brown, whitish on the inner vane, a"! i 
transversely banded with blackish ; the bauds are mik* ; 
more conspicuous on the inferior surface, where tl" , 
ground colour is grayish white. The tail is of a brig® ; 
yellowish rusty, the two middle tail-feathers dark ciV , 
reous; all are pure white at the origin, and reo-ubn't . 
crossed with four or five broad blackish bands” tin’* 1 , 
tips are more whitish, and the inferior surface of ! , 
grayish white, like that of the quills, but very slight!' 
tinged with rusty, the blackish bands appearing to grri ( 
advantage, except on the outer feathers, where they a** 
obsolete, being less defined even above. 
The young male is almost perfectly similar in appeal , 
ance to the adult female, (which is not the case in tl*j 
ash-coloured harrier,) being, however, more vark* 
with rusty, and easily distinguished by its smaller sistf , 
It is in this state that Wilson has taken the species, b® • 
very accurate description being that of a youn°- femaW j 
The male retains this plumage until he is two yea** | 
old, after which he gradually assumes the gray pluruaSl j 
peculiar to the adult : of course they exhibit almost t , 
many gradations as specimens, according to their mo*t ‘ 
or less advanced age. The ash and white appear vari* , 
or mingled with rusty ; the wings, and especially tl>‘ , 
tail, exhibiting more or less indications of the band* 4 , 
the young plumage. The male, when he may be call*! 1 
already adult, varies by still exhibiting the remains* . 
bands on the tail, more or less marked or obliterated Q 
the yellowish edges of the feathers of the hack a'** i 
wings, and especially by retaining on the hindhead * 
space tinged with rusty, with blackish spots. This spa 4 " 
is more or less indicated, in the greater part, both of $ 
