BIRDS—BUTEONINAE—BUTEO INSIGNATUS. 
23 
List of specimens. 
& 
a 
p 
a 
<0 
p 
hO 
O 
o 
5481 
8527 
•n 
p 
& 
x 
Locality. 
Petaluma, California.. 
Fort Webster, New Mexico 
When collected. 
April 25, 185G 
Whence and how obtained. 
E. Samuels. 
Dr. Henry.. 
Measurements. 
Point of bill to end 
of tail. 
Between tips of out¬ 
stretched wings. 
21.00 
48. 00 
fan 
a 
1G. 49 
Sub-Genus Leueopternis. 
BUTEO INSIGNATUS, Cass in. 
Buteo insignatus, Cassin, B. of Cal. and Texas, p. 102, (1854,) pi. 31. 
Adult male. —Under coverts of the wings and tail white ; the former striped longitudinally with pale rufous, and the latter 
transversely with reddish brown ; edges of wings at the shoulder nearly pure white ; tibiae rufous irregularly barred with brown ; 
throat and a few feathers of the forehead white, each feather having a line of dark brown, or nearly black. 
Entire other plumage above and below dark brown, every feather having a darker, or nearly black, central line. Quills 
above brown, with a slight purple lustre ; beneath pale cinereous, with their shafts white, and with irregular transverse bands 
of white. Tail above dark brown, with an ashy or hoary tinge, and having about ten transverse bands of a darker shade of the 
same color ; beneath nearly white, with conspicuous transverse bands of brown, the widest of which is subterminal ; tip paler, 
or nearly white ; bill dark ; cere, tarsi, and toes, yellow. 
Female, nearly adult. —Like the preceding, but with the upper plumage darker, and the entire under parts dark rufous chest¬ 
nut ; darker on the breast, quite uniform on the flanks and abdomen, and every feather having the shaft darker brown, nearly 
black. Throat, forehead, under wing coverts, and under tail coverts white. Tail as in the preceding. 
Young. —Under parts reddish white ; every feather with a large terminal oblong spot of dark brown, and on the abdomen 
and tibiae with numerous transverse stripes of the same color. 
Entire upper parts dark brown ; on the back of the head and neck white at base, and edged with reddish ; scapulars and 
greater coverts of the wing with large partially concealed rufous spots. Under wing coverts pale reddish white, with large 
brown spots ; under tail coverts very pale reddish white, with a few stripes and lines of brown. 
Dimensions. —Male adult, total length about 17 inches ; wing 14|, tail 7g inches. Female, total length about 19g inches; 
wing 16, tail 9 inches. 
The preceding are the three stages of plumage which characterize specimens brought by 
the expeditions. The first is precisely identical with that originally described by us, as above 
cited, which was obtained in the vicinity of Montreal, Canada. 
The second specimen, above described, was obtained on the North Platte river by the party 
commanded by Lieutenant F. T. Bryan, United States army, while engaged in surveying a 
route for a wagon road to Bridger’s Pass, in the Bocky mountains. In this specimen the under 
parts of the body are chestnut rufous, as described above, in which respect it differs from the 
presumed and probable adult. 
