Localities: Orizaba, Scl. 1857, 211; S. E. Texas, Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 325 (breeds); Iverness Shore, England (Feb. 26, 1863), Newcome, Ibis, 1865, 549.
LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED.
National Museum, 19; Philadelphia Academy, 14; Boston Society, 8; Mus. Cambridge, 16; Cab. G. N. Lawrence, 4; Coll. R. Ridgway, 4. Total, 65.
| Sex. | Wing. | Tail. | Culmen. | Tarsus. | Middle Toe. | Specimens. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♂ | 11.25–13.50 | 8.00–9.70 | .75–.90 | 2.70–3.25 | 1.30–1.50 | 20 Northern. |
| ♀ | 13.35–14.25 | 9.00–10.00 | .80–.90 | 3.10–3.20 | 1.35–1.50 | 7 Northern. |
This specimen may possibly indicate a mere individual variation, rather than a progressive stage of plumage.
A male (25,198, Washington, D. C., February) is as strongly barred beneath as described in the female; thus it would appear that any differences in plumage in the sexes are nothing more than individual discrepancies.
The yellowish outer webs of the primaries constitute a feature which will serve to distinguish the young of the Buteo lineatus from that of every other North American species.
A series of twelve specimens from Florida, in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, shows that the birds of this species from that peninsula are very much smaller than northern ones; and though that of the adults does not differ appreciably, the plumage of the young birds is considerably darker than in northern specimens, and occasionally approaches quite nearly to that of the young of var. elegans, the markings on the lower parts, including the tibiæ, being often in the form of transverse spots.
The extreme measurements of this series are as follows: Wing, 10.90–12.75; tail, 7.70–8.50; culmen, .80–.90; tarsus, 2.90–3.20; middle toe, 1.25–1.45. Specimens, 12.