A History of North American Birds, Land Birds. Volume 3

81

Not admissible as having been bestowed by a non-binomial author, and of prior date to the commencement of binomial nomenclature.

82

In the collection of the National Museum are two specimens of cooperi, var. gundlachi, in the young plumage. They differ from the young of var. cooperi merely in darker colors, the brown markings being larger and more numerous, as well as deeper in tint. That their character may be better understood, I furnish the following more detailed descriptions:—

Young male (41,129, Cuba, Dr. Gundlach). Above dark, blackish vandyke-brown, the feathers bordered inconspicuously with dark rusty; tail dull slate, narrowly tipped with ashy-white, and crossed with four broad bands of dusky, almost equal to the slate; beneath white, much tinged on breast and tibiæ with reddish-ochraceous; thickly striped with umber-brown, except on crissum; the streaks on throat narrow and cuneate, those on breast broad, and on sides changing into broad transverse spots or bars; tibiæ thickly spotted transversely with more reddish, nearly rufous, brown; larger lower tail-coverts with narrow shaft-streaks of black. Occiput showing much concealed white; the ends of the feathers deep black. Wing, 8.60; tail, 7.50; culmen, .68; tarsus, 2.50; middle toe, 1.70.

Young female (41,128, Cuba, Dr. Gundlach). Similar, but more thickly striped beneath, the dark markings about equalling the white in extent; whole sides with large transverse spots of umber, cuneate along shaft. Wing, 10.50; tail, 9.50.

The synonomy of this race is as follows: Accipiter gundlachi, Lawrence, Ann. N. Y. Lyc. VII, May, 1860, 252.—Gund. Rep’t, 1865, 224.—Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. I, 170.—Gray, Hand List, I, 33, No. 319. The N. fuscus, var. fringilloides (Vigors), of Cuba, I have not seen. Its synonomy stands as follows: Accipiter fringilloides, Vig. Zoöl. Journ. III, 1826, 534.—Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. VII, 1860, 255 (with descriptions and synonomy).—Gundl. Rep’t, 1865, 224.—Gray, Hand List, I, 32, No. 311.

83

Astur palumbarius, var. palumbarius (Linn.). Falco palumbarius, Linn. S. N. 1766, 130. Astur p., Cuv. Règ. An. (ed. 1), I, 320; et Auct. Hab. Europe and Asia.

Specimens examined.—National Museum, 2; Philadelphia Academy, 10; Boston Society, 5; Museum Comp. Zoöl., Cambridge, 1; New York Museum, 1. Total, 19.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 12.25–13.70; tail, 9.40–10.00; culmen, .80; tarsus, 3.00; middle toe, 1.80. ♀. Wing, 13.80–14.50; tail, 10.10–10.90; culmen, .90–.95; tarsus, 2.80–3.15; middle toe, 2.05–2.20.

84

Asturina nitida, var. nitida (Lath.). Falco nitidus, Lath. Ind. Orn. I, 40.—Daud.—Temm.—Spix. Astur n., D’Orb. Voy. Ois. p. 95.—Burm. Syst. Neb. II, 68.—Leotaud, Ois. Trin. p. 46.—Gray.—Vig.—Stephens.—Less.—D’Orb. Asturina n., Bonap. Consp. p. 30.—Caban. in Schomb. Guian. III, 737.—Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 3.—Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, 369; 1867, 589; 1868, 173; 1860, 288; 1869, 130.—Kaup.—Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. VII, 316. Dædalion n., Less. Tr. Orn. p. 65. Asturina cinerea, Vieill. Anal. 24, 68; Nouv. Dict. III, 41; Enc. Méth. III, 1260; Gal. Ois. pl. xx.—Vig. Zoöl. J. I, 324, 327.—Steph. Zoöl. XIII, pt. ii. Cymindis c., Less. Man. Orn. I, 91. Astur striolatus, Cuv. Règ. An. (ed. 2), I, 332.

Specimens examined.—Philadelphia Academy, 8; New York Museum, 1; Cab. G. N. Lawrence, 3; Boston Society, 4 (Brazil); Museum, Cambridge, 2 (Panama). Total, 18.

Measurements.—Sex not indicated. Wing, 9.80–10.20; tail, 7.00–8.00; culmen, .80–.90; tarsus, 2.55–2.78; middle toe, 1.60–1.65.

85

The type of Craxirex, Gould (Voyage of Beagle, 1838, 22), is the Buteo galapagoensis, Gould, a species strictly congeneric with Buteo borealis.

86

Falco unicinctus, Temm. Pl. Col. 313, 1820. Morphnus unicinctus, Less. Man. Orn. I, 1828, 90. Astur unicinctus, Cuv. Règ. An. (ed. 2), I, 1829, 332.—Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 221.—Kaup, Monog. Falc. 1850, p. 66. Buteo unicinctus, Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. 18.—Ib. Hand List, I, 7, No. 55. Nisus unicinctus, Less. Tr. Orn. p. 61. Hypomorphnus unicinctus, Tschudi, Fauna Per. pp. 17, 85. Spizageranus unicinctus, Kaup, Ueb. Senck. 1845, 260. Urubitinga unicincta, Lafr. Rev. Zoöl. 1849, 99.—Pelz. Orn. Bras. I, 1868, 3, No. 10.—Ib. IV, 1871, 394. Polyborus tæniurus, Tschudi, Av. Consp. Wiegm. Arch. 1844, 264.—Ib. Fauna Per. pl. ii, Juv. It seems that the South American birds of this species never attain the simple tricolored plumage assumed by the adult of the North American form, Temminck’s figure (Pl. Col. 313) representing the nearest approach to it that I have seen, in a large series of adult specimens. The following descriptions show the average adult of var. unicinctus:—

Adult male (No. 13,908, Chile; Lieutenant Gilliss). Resembling the immature of var. harrisi, as described on p. 1569 (No. 56,763). Primaries edged terminally with whitish; inner webs of tail-feathers mottled whitish for their basal half, not showing the regular transverse bars seen in the immature of var. harrisi; under surface of primaries almost wholly white, becoming ashy, barred with dusky, towards their ends. Wing, 12.00; tail, 8.30; tarsus, 2.90; middle toe, 1.60. Adult female (No. 13,907, Chile; Lieutenant Gilliss). Similar to No. 13,908, but the tibiæ more strongly barred. Wing, 12.50; tail, 8.30.

Specimens examined.—National Museum, 9; Philadelphia Academy, 9; Boston Society, 4; New York Museum, 1. Total, 23.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 11.65–13.15; tail, 9.00–10.10; culmen, .82–1.00; tarsus, 2.78–3.40; middle toe, 1.52–1.75. Specimens, 8. ♀. Wing, 12.50–14.60; tail, 9.20–10.50; culmen, .90–1.02; tarsus, 3.10–3.40; middle toe, 1.60–1.85. Specimens, 6.

87

“Nest in oak-tree, in edge of wood, by lake.”

88

“Nest twenty-five feet high, in oak-tree.”

89

“Nest at top of broken poplar-tree near lake.”

90

Buteo borealis, var. costaricensis, Ridgway. Buteo borealis (all citations from Central America).

Sp. Char. Adult (No. 30,409, Costa Rica; Dr. A. von Frantzius). Head, neck, and upper parts continuous, unvariegated brownish-black; whole throat white, with a few cuneate spots of black; black of the neck meeting narrowly across the jugulum; pectoral area immaculate pure white; upper part of abdomen with an imperfect belt of distinct narrow lanceolate strips of black; whole posterior lower parts fine pinkish ochraceous, unvariegated; tibiæ deepest, inclining to delicate ochraceous-rufous; upper tail-coverts immaculate rufous. Tail as in var. borealis. Wing, 16.00; tail, 9.00; tarsus, 3.20; middle toe, 1.80. Bill very high, abruptly curved. Wing-formula, 4, 5, 3, 6, 2; first, shortest.

This very curious variety is that which departs furthest from the true borealis; not only the details, but in a measure the pattern, of coloration, being greatly modified. The perfectly continuous pure brownish-black of the whole head and neck, sharply contrasted with the white throat-patch, are features which distinguish it from every other variety of this group; while the deep rufous tibiæ, and almost utter absence of transverse bars beneath, are also very distinctive characters.

The second of the two Costa Rican specimens before me (No. 33,507; J. Carmiol) differs from the type in having the white of the pectoral area clouded by an encroachment of the blackish of the neck; and across the abdomen is a deep wash of the same. The tail-feathers exhibit indications of spots along the shafts, as in var. calurus; while the upper tail-coverts have a very few bars of blackish.

Young (37,338, Tres Marias Islands, January; Col. A. J. Grayson). Similar to the adult in general appearance, but differing in the following particulars: Tail deep umber, with about twelve or thirteen narrow bands of black, and very narrowly tipped with whitish; lateral lower parts thickly spotted with blackish, and tibiæ spotted transversely with the same; lower tail-coverts with distant bars of blackish. Upper tail-coverts blackish-brown barred with white, this not touching the shaft.

Hab. Central America and Southwestern Mexico; Costa Rica, Veragua, and Tres Marias Islands (Mus. S. I.).

Localities: (?) Guatemala (Scl. Ibis, I, 217, B. borealis); Costa Rica (Lawr. IX, 133, “var. montanus”).

List of Specimens Examined.—National Museum, 4.

Measurements much the same as in the other varieties.

91

Archibuteo lagopus (Brunn.), Gray. Falco lagopus, Brunn. Orn. Bor. p. 4, sp. 15 (1764); Penn., Gmel., Lath., Siemss., Daud., Shaw, Naum., Meyer. Buteo lagopus, Steph. et Auct. Butaëtes lagopus, Bonap., Gray, Bailly, Morr., Reich. Archibuteo lagopus, Gray, Gen. B. (ed. 2), p. 3; 1841, et Auct. (Not of American writers, nor when used for the American bird!) Hab. North and Central Europe; Northern Africa.

A comparison of the American birds with series of sixteen European specimens shows constant differences in the birds of the two continents,—quite enough to establish a difference of race, although not of specific value. The European bird is much the darker beneath, the blackish-brown spots on jugulum and breast being blended, or suffused, so as to give the predominating tint to this region.

These differences, though constant and quite appreciable on comparison, are very slight, while the proportions are about the same. A young specimen of the European style differs from American in entire absence of rufous tinge to white of head, neck, and lower parts, less complete band across the abdomen, immaculate white ear-coverts, cheeks, and throat; the tibiæ and tarsi are also much more thickly spotted than in the American young; there is also more white on base of outer surface of primaries.

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 6; Philad. Acad., 8; Bost. Soc., 2. Total, 16.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 16.00; tail, 8.70; culmen, .80; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.30. Specimens, 1. ♀. Wing, 18.20; tail, 9.75; culmen, .95; tarsus, 2.60; middle toe, 1.50. Specimens, 1.

92

Aquila chrysaëtus, var. chrysaëtus (Linn.). Aquila valeria, Albin, B, II. pl. ii. Aquila chrysaëtus, Briss. Orn. I, 431, et Auct. Falco chrysaëtus, Linn. S. N. 1760, 125. Aquila melanaëtus, Briss. Orn. I, 434. Falco melanaëtus, Linn. S. N. 124. Aquila regia, Less. Tr. Orn. Falco fulvus, Linn. S. N. 1760, 125 (young).

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 4; Philad. Acad., 14; Bost. Soc., 2; Mus. Cambridge, 1; Mus. J. C. Sharp, Jr., 1. Total, 22.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 23.80–24.30; tail, 14.00–14.50; culmen, 1.68–1.70; tarsus, 3.40; middle toe, 2.40–2.45. Specimens, 2. ♀. Wing, 25.00–25.50; tail, 14.00–14.50; culmen, 1.80–1.85; tarsus, 3.80–4.10; middle toe, 2.85–3.10. Specimens, 3.

93

Haliaëtus pelagicus (Pall.). Falco pelagicus, Pallas, Zoog. Ros. As. I, 343, pl. ix. Aquila p., Kittl., Boie. Haliaëtus p., Sieb., Gray, Cass. B. Cal. & Tex. I, pp. 31, 110, pi. vi (♀); Ib. Birds N. Am. 1858, 42. Thalassoaëtus, Kaup, Jard. Falco leucopterus, Temm. Falco imperator, Kittl. Hab. Northeastern Asia, Japan (Siebold); Kamschatka.

94

Established by Vigors, in 1825.

95

From the Vulturinæ are excluded the genera Gypætus and Neophron, each of which probably constitutes a subfamily by itself.

96

Sarcorhamphus, Duméril, 1806. (Type, Vultur gryphus, Linn.)

97

Cathartes, Illiger, 1811. (Type, Vultur papa, Linn.) Gypagus, Vieill. 1816. (Same type.) Gyparchus, Glog. 1842. (Same type.) Sarcorhamphus, Auct. (in part).

98

Rhinogryphus burrovianus (Cassin). Cathartes burrovianus, Cass. P. A. N. S. II, 1845, 212.—Ib. Birds Am. 1858, 1.—Gray, Hand List, I, 1869, 3, No. 19.—Coues, Key, 1872, 222. Cathartes urubitinga, Natt. von Pelzeln, Sitz-ber. Wien. Ak. 1861, 7.—Gurney, Cat. Rapt. B. 1864, 46.—Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, 589 (Amazon).—Pelz. Orn. Bras. I, 1868, 1 (Brazil).—Elliot, Illustr. Birds N. Am. II.—Gray, Hand List, I, 1869, 3, No. 20.

Sp. Char. Very similar to R. aura, but neck feathered behind up to the occiput, and the plumage uniformly black, the feathers of the back and wings without brown borders. Adult (34,984, Brazil; Natterer). Bill white; naked skin of the head and throat reddish. Wing-formula, 3, 2, 4=1. Wing, 18.50; tail, 9.00; culmen, .90; cere above, 1.20; tarsus, 2.10; middle toe, 2.25; outer, 1.35; inner, 1.10; posterior, .80. Hab. Eastern Tropical America. Brazil (Pelzeln & Natterer); Amazon (Scl. & Salv.); ?? Jamaica (Sharpe); ?? Vera Cruz, Mexico (Cassin).

99

Columba fasciata, var. albilinea. Columba albilinea, “Gray,” Bonap. Consp. VI, 1857, 51. Chlorœnas a. Cab. J. 1869, 211.

100

Columba araucana, Less. Voy. de la Coq. Ois. t. 40. Columba denisea, Temm. Pl. Col. 502. C. meridionalis, King.

101

Columba caribæa, Gmelin, S. N. 1788, 773.—Gosse, B. Jam. 291.—March, P. A. N. S. Philad. 1863, 301. Patagiœnas c. Scl. P. Z. S. 1861, 80.—Reich. Handb. 65, tab. 230, b, f. 3362.

102

Columba rufina, (Temm.) Reich. Handb. 62, tab. 222, f. 2583, 2584.—Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. 1861, VII, 333, No. 281 (Panama).—Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1866, 198 (Amazon).—Ib. 1867, 590.—Scl. Ibis, I, 222 (Guatemala).—Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, 159 (Veragua).—Ib. 1870, 115 (Costa Rica).—Reinh. Vid. Med. Nat. For. 1870, 59 (Brazil).

103

Columba corensis, Gmel. S. N. I, 1878, 783.—Sallé, P. Z. S. 1857, 235 (Santo Domingo).—Newton, Ibis I, 252 (Santa Cruz).—Cab. J. IV, 108 (Cuba).—Taylor, Ibis, 1864, 171 (St. Thomas). Patagiænas c. Reichenb. Handb. tab. 222, f. 2581.

104

Columba inornata, Vigors, Pr. Zoöl. Soc. 1847, 37.—De la Sagra, Voy. l’Ile de Cuba, Ois. t. 28.—Cab. J. IV, 106 (Cuba).—Scl. P. Z. S. 1861, 80.—Reichenb. Handb. 62, tab. 222, f. 2582.—Gundl. Repert. Cub. I, 1866, 298.—March, P. A. N. S. 1863, 301 (Jamaica). C. rufina, Gosse, B. Jam. (not C. rufina of Temminck!).

105

Columba solitaria, McCall, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. III, July, 1847, 233. “Length, 13 inches 9 lines, etc. Alar extent, 23 inches. Wing, from the flexure, 7 inches 5 lines. Tarsus, 1 inch; middle toe, 1 inch 2 lines; first toe, 9 lines, and longer than the third; nails light flesh-color; feet and legs deep red. Iris dark orange. Bill above, 1 inch 1 line, but feathered to within 5 lines of the tip; reddish near the base, whitish near the tip. Head chocolate-blue. Throat chocolate-white. Neck and breast bluish-chocolate with brilliant reflections. Back, belly, flanks, under wing-coverts, and greater exterior wing-coverts, light red color, the last faintly bordered with white. Lesser wing-coverts chocolate-red, forming a bright shoulder-spot of elliptical shape. Quill-feathers dusky, tinged with lead-color on the outer vanes. Third primary longest. Upper and under tail-coverts bluish lead-color. Tail, 5 inches, slightly rounded, of twelve feathers; dusky.”

106

Zenaida hypoleuca, “Gray,” Bonap. Consp. II, 1857, 83.

107

Zenaidura yucatanensis, Lawr. Ann. N. Y. IX, 1869. This bird is so exactly intermediate between the Z. carolinensis and Zenaida amabilis, as to lead us to strongly suspect it is a hybrid between the two. With the Z. carolinensis it agrees only in possessing fourteen tail-feathers; the coloration and size and shape of the bill being exactly those of Z. amabilis, while the tail-feathers are intermediate in length and shape between those of the two species. The colors differ from those of Z. amabilis only in being of a just appreciably lighter shade, there being the same broad white tip to the secondaries, brilliant steel-blue sub-auricular spot, and deep reddish crissum, characterizing the Z. amabilis, as distinguished from Z. carolinensis.

108

Zenaidura graysoni, Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. February, 1871, 17. A very distinct species, remarkable for its large, very long, and much depressed bill, and deep ferruginous, instead of pinkish-vinaceous, lower parts. The specimens are unfortunately all young birds, though they are fully grown.

109

Scardafella squamosa. Columba squamosa, Temm. Pig. et Gal. I, 59. A specimen of this species from Venezuela has the black bars everywhere twice as broad as in Brazilian examples.

110

Chamæpelia griseola, Spix, Av. Bras. t. 75, a, f. 2.—Reinh. Vid. Med. Nat. For. 1870, 56 (Brazil).

111

Oreopeleia montana. Columba montana, Linn. S. N. 1758.

112

Messrs. Sclater and Salvin distinguish the allied species as follows:—

O. poliocephala, Wagler. Brownish-olive; the head plumbeous, lighter beneath; the feathers of the throat darker, and marked with gray; middle of belly milky-white; the flanks and crissum tinged with rufous; tail bronzed-green, the five lateral feathers broadly tipped with buff. Length, 24.00; wing, 10.50; tail, 11.50; tarsus, 3.20. Hab. Table-land of Mexico to west coast (Manzanillo, etc.).

O. vetula, Wagler. Brownish-olive; the head plumbeous, lighter beneath; the middle of the belly tinged with ochraceous or rusty; tail, bronzed green; the five lateral feathers tipped with white or buff. Length, 21.00; wing, 7.70; tail, 9.00; tarsus, 2.50. Hab. Texas to Honduras, on east side of Mexico.

A near ally to O. vetula is the O. leucogastra, Gould (S. & S. p. 539) from Pacific coast of Central America. This differs in pure white of under parts. The size also is considerably less.

113

Meleagris ocellatus, Temm., Cabot, Pr. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. I, 73.

114

As with nearly all the animals which have been brought under domestication by man, the true origin of the common barnyard Turkey was for a long time a matter of uncertainty. As a well-known writer (Martin) observes: “So involved in obscurity is the early history of the Turkey, and so ignorant do the writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries appear to have been about it, that they have regarded it as a bird known to the ancients by the name of Meleagris (really the Guinea-fowl or Pintado), a mistake which was not cleared up till the middle of the eighteenth century. The appellation of “turkey,” which this bird bears in England, arose from the supposition that it came originally from the country of that name,—an idea entirely erroneous, as it owes its origin to the New World. Mexico was first discovered by Grigalva in 1518. Oviedo speaks of the Turkey as a kind of Peacock abounding in New Spain, which had already in 1526 been transported in a domestic state to the West India Islands and the Spanish Main, where it was kept by the Christian colonists.”

It is reported to have been introduced into England in 1541. In 1573 it had become the Christmas fare of the farmer.

Among the luxuries belonging to the high condition of civilization exhibited by the Mexican nation at the time of the Spanish conquest was the possession by Montezuma of one of the most extensive zoölogical gardens on record, numbering nearly all the animals of that country, with others brought at much expense from great distances, and it is stated that Turkeys were supplied as food in large numbers daily to the beasts of prey in the menagerie of the Mexican emperor. No idea can be formed at the present day of the date when this bird was first reclaimed in Mexico from its wild condition, although probably it had been known in a domestic state for many centuries. There can, however, be no question of the fact that it was habitually reared by the Mexicans at the time of the conquest, and introduced from Mexico or New Spain into Europe early in the sixteenth century, either directly or from the West India Islands, into which it had been previously carried.

It has, however, always been a matter of surprise that the Wild Turkey of eastern North America did not assimilate more closely to the domestic bird in color, habits, and by interbreeding, although until recently no suspicion was entertained that they might belong to different species. Such, however, now appears to be the fact, as I will endeavor to show.

The proposition I present is, that there are two species, or at least races, of Wild Turkey in North America,—one confined to the more eastern and southern United States, the other to the southern Rocky Mountains and adjacent part of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona; that the latter extends along Eastern Mexico as far south at least as Orizaba, and that it is from this Mexican species, and not from that of eastern North America, that this domestic Turkey is derived.

In the Proceedings of the Zoölogical Society of London for 1856 (page 61), Mr. Gould characterizes as new a Wild Turkey from the mines of Real del Norte, in Mexico, under the name of Meleagris mexicana, and is the first to suggest that it is derived from the domesticated bird, and not from the common Wild Turkey of eastern North America, on which he retains the name of M. gallopavo, of Linnæus. He stated that the peculiarities of the new species consist chiefly in the creamy-white tips of the tail-feathers and of the upper tail-coverts, with some other points of minor importance. I suggest that the Wild Turkey of New Mexico, as referred to by various writers, belongs to this new species, and not to the M. gallopavo.

In 1858, in the Report on the birds collected by the Pacific Railroad Expedition (Vol. IX, p. 618, of the series of Pacific Railroad Reports), I referred to this subject, and established the existence in North America of two species of Wild Turkey,—one belonging to eastern, the other to middle, North America. Much additional material has since corroborated this view, and while the M. gallopavo is found along the Missouri River and eastward, and extends into Eastern Texas, the other is now known to belong to the Llano Estacado and other parts of Western Texas, to New Mexico, and to Arizona.

The recent acquisition of a fine male Turkey by the Smithsonian Institution from the vicinity of Mount Orizaba, in Mexico, and its comparison with a skin from Santa Fé, enables me to assert the positive identity of our Western and the Mexican species, and one readily separable from the better known wild bird of the eastern United States. There is now little reason to doubt that the true origin of the barnyard Turkey is to be sought for in the Mexican species, and not in the North American,—an hypothesis which explains the fact of the difficulty in establishing a cross between our wild and tame birds.

The presumed differences between the two species may be briefly indicated as consisting principally in the creamy or fulvous white of the tips of the tail-feathers and of the feathers overlying the base of the tail and of the hinder part of the back of the Mexican and typical barnyard birds, as compared with the decided chestnut-brown of the same parts in the eastern Wild Turkey. There are other differences, but they are less evident, and those indicated will readily serve to distinguish the two species.