96 FALCONIDZ. 
p. 289°; ix. p. 134°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 8369"; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 
i. p. 817"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 45 *?; Sumichrast, La Nat. x. p. 237 an 
Nauclerus furcatus, Salv. Ibis, 1872, p. 823 *; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 45”. 
Elanoides forficatus (Linn.), Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 592"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) pp. 175, 
319"; Richm. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 521"; Bendire, Life Hist N. Amer. Birds, 1. 
p. 168, t. 5. figs. 1, 2°; Fisher, Bull. U.S. Dep. Agr. no. 3, p. 20, t. 1”. 
Capite toto, cervice, dorso postico et corpore subtus albis; tectricibus supracaudalibus plumbeo-nigris, ad basin 
albis; alis extus et cauda chalybeo-nigris, griseo vix tinctis; dorso et tectricibus alarum minoribus 
purpureo-nigro suffusis; humeris, subalaribus et axillaribus albis; rostro nigro, pedibus lactescenti- 
cyaneis. Long. tota circa 23-0, ale 16°7, caude rectr. med. 5:5, rectr. lat. 13°5, tarsi 1-4. (Descr. 
exempl. ex Vera Paz, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 
Hab. Nortu America, Southern States, North Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Texas, 
and generally to the New England States 2°.—Muxico, Valley of Mexico (Herrera™), 
Cacoprieto (Sumichrast 1*); British Honpuras, Belize (0. S.); GuareMaLa, Vera 
Paz (Sarg), Tactic (Owen *), Kokak, Lanquin, Raxche, Vera Paz (0. S.°), Cahabon 
(Skinner 3); Honpuras, R. Segovia (Townsend 16); Nicaragua, San Rafael del 
Norte (Richardson 18), Chontales (Belt 14), R. Escondido (Richmond !®); Costa Rica, 
Birris (Ze/edon®), Aguacate, Quebrada Honda, Cervantes 1° (v. Frantzius), Naranjo 
(Boucard}*), San Miguel, Juan Vinas (Underwood); Panama, Cordillera de Tolé ®, 
Calovevora (£. Arcé”), Lion Hill (M/‘Leannan §)—Soutn America, from Colombia 
and Guiana to South Brazil!!; CuBal. 
The Swallow-tailed Kite is a somewhat scarce visitor to North America, breeding in 
the Southern States, where a few individuals are believed to winter; it has even been 
observed as far north as Manitoba. According to Bendire, the species is distributed 
from Florida westward through the Gulf States, including the greater part of Texas. 
From Neotropical countries it has been described as a migrant, often seen in flocks of 
considerable size. ‘Though not definitely known to breed in Central America, there is 
every probability that it does so, since a nest has been reported near Belize in British 
Honduras *, and when collecting in Vera Paz in March 1861 we noticed several of 
these Kites soaring above us, and the natives stated that they nested in the patches of 
pine-trees which occur throughout the forest. Mr. Richmond observed a small 
number circling about on the Escondido River on the 15th of May !8, and Mr. Townsend 
noted one on the Segovia River in Honduras as late as the 15th of June?® In Brazil 
specimens were obtained by Natterer from September to March. 
The food consists of reptiles, frogs, and beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects ; 
Bendire doubts if it ever kills a bird. 
A very interesting account of FE. furcatus is given by Robert Owen in ‘The Ibis’ 
for 18604. Journeying from Coban to San Gerdénimo, in Guatemala, he came upon a 
flock of sofne three hundred flying in a cloud over a swarm of bees; they passed 
within four or five yards of the observers, thus enabling them to see the bees conveyed 
