Hab. Europe and Western Asia; Iceland.
List of Specimens examined.—National Museum, 8; Boston Society, 4; Cambridge Museum, 3; New York Museum, 2; Philadelphia Academy, 3. Total, 20.
Measurements.—♂. Wing, 7.60–8.00; tail, 5.10–5.30; culmen, .45–.50; tarsus, 1.35–1.45; middle toe, 1.15: specimens, 10. ♀. Wing, 8.60–9.00; tail, 6.00–6.30; culmen, .52–.55; tarsus, 1.45–1.47; middle toe, 1.20–1.25: specimens, 10.
[59] Proceedings Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, Dec., 1870, pp. 147–149.
[60] See London Ibis.
[61] A synopsis of the geographical races of T. sparverius comes after the remarks on that species, page 1486.
[62] Falco (Tinnunculus) leucophrys. Tinnunculus sparveroides (not of Vigors!), Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. N. Y. 1860, p. 1 (in part; light individuals). Falco sparverius (not of Linn.!), D’Orb. R. Sagra, Hist. Nat. Cuba, p. 25 (probably). Vig. Zoöl. Journ. I, 339; III, 435. Tinnunculus leucophrys, Ridgway, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1870, 147. Hab. Cuba and Hayti.
Adult ♂ (34,244, Remedios, Cuba, December 14, 1863; N. H. Bishop). Head above pure, fine bluish-ash, becoming (broadly) white on forehead; the feathers with delicate shaft-lines of black. Nape, back, scapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail rich purplish-rufous (almost exactly as in sparverius); no bars on dorsal region, except a very few across ends of larger posterior scapulars. Terminal band of tail light rufous, .30 in width; subterminal zone of black, very regular, .55 in width; lateral feather, with outer web and end of inner, reddish-white, the black subterminal band crossing the inner web only; inner web anterior to this, continuous rufous; shafts of tail-feathers rufous. Wings fine bluish-ash, like the crown; middle and lower coverts with a very few elliptical, longitudinal specks or touches of black on the shafts; secondaries passing terminally into white, their exposed basal half pure black; primaries pure black, exposed edges of inner webs paler. Whole under surface of wings immaculate pure white, with a faint delicate reddish tinge; inner webs of primaries serrated along the shaft with dusky. Forehead and superciliary stripe (broadly and sharply defined against the bluish of the crown), whole side of the head (including lores and ear-coverts), and entire lower parts, continuous, immaculate, pure white, with a delicate orange tinge, except anteriorly. The “mustache” is but just indicated by some blackish touches, and in some individuals it is wanting entirely, while in all it is very restricted in width; the other black markings of the head are, however, as in sparverius. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 5.00; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .90; culmen, .46. A specimen in Mr. Lawrence’s collection, which with others he has kindly lent me for examination, is in beautifully high plumage. It differs from the type in having the white of the lower parts tinged, or rather stained, with a beautiful, delicate rufous, or almost a salmon-orange. The terminal band of the tail also inclines decidedly to this color, while the white of the under surface of the wing (particularly towards ends of secondaries and primaries) is tinged with a more pinkish shade of the same. Another of Mr. Lawrence’s specimens differs in the clearer white beneath (that is, with less reddish tinge,—the pureness and continuity does not vary), which extends entirely around the neck, giving a sharper definition to the black pattern. The “mustache,” however, is almost entirely absent; the black transverse spots on larger posterior scapulars are rather more conspicuous, and the terminal band of the tail is more purely white.
♀ (31,984, Cuba, J. Ackhurst). Generally similar to sparverius, but rufous brighter, the bars narrower and less numerous; the nape or upper part of back, and rump, being almost immaculate. Tail with ten black bars, these scarcely touching the shaft; the last is about .36 wide, the others about .16; tip of tail scarcely paler than base; lateral feather with outer web edged broadly with paler or ochraceous white, rufous next the shaft, immaculate; inner web with only three or four very narrow bars on terminal half. Head as in the male, but vertex considerably tinged with rufous. Whole lower parts, including frontal and lateral regions of the head, continuous pure white; breast with a very faint yellowish tinge; side of the breast and sides with a few scattered minute elliptical longitudinal flakes of rusty,—more black on the shaft. Whole under surface of the wing white, as in the male. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 4.70; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .90; culmen, .51. A Cuban female belonging to Mr. Lawrence is exactly similar. One in the S. I. Collection, from Hayti (42,420, Port au Prince, June 5, 1860; A. C. Younglove), differs only in less purely black bars, and in utter absence of the mustache. A male from the same locality (43,418) is like it in the last respect.
Juv. ♀ (34,235, Remedios, Cuba, December, 1864; N. H. Bishop). Similar to the adult described, but jugulum tinged with soft pinkish-rufous, and the black bars on upper parts—especially on wings—with a plumbeous cast.