BIRDS—ACCIPITRINAE—ACCIPITER MEXICANUS. 
17 
two of which are from Washington Territory, and one from California. These being, however, 
in young plumage, may he 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. 
rQ 
s 
0 
0 
o 
0 
to 
o 
c3 
O 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence and how 
obtained. 
o 
Collected by— 
Measurements. 
to 
a 
5792 
5578 
5846 
8511 
8512 
4352 
6876 
4619 
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 
April 30,1855. 
Aug. 17,1856. 
Sept. 1856. 
Oct. 10,1856. 
Sept. 10,1856. 
Oct. 28,1854. 
M. A. Curtis_ 
Lieut. Bryan_ 
Dr. Suckley_ 
Gov. Stevens_ 
Lieut. Trowbridge. 
Lieut. Williamson. 
Major Emory_ 
383 
540 
585 
585 
W. S. Wood ..... 
18.25 
19.00 
25.00 
30.00 
Dr. Cooper. 
18.00 
31.00 
53 
Dr. Heermann 
A. Schott_ 
ACCIPITER MEXICANUS, Swain son. 
Accipiter Mexicanus, Swains. Faun. Bor. Amer. Birds, p. 45, (1831.) 
(Not figured.) 
Intermediate between Accipiter Cooperi and decipher fuscus in size, and much resembling both in colors. Form slender and 
long, wings short, tail long, legs rather long, slender. 
Adult. —Head above bluish black; other upper parts dark brownish black, with a tinge of cinereous, darkest on the back; 
throat and other under tail coverts white ; other under parts fine light rufous, darkest on the tibiee, and spotted and barred 
transversely with white, which bars and spots are nearly obsolete on the breast and tibiae ; 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 bands 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 tl'.ose 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 94 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. 
3 b 
