Sir W. Jardine on the Ornithology of the Island of Tobago. 117 



of large trees when about to sleep. Silent, always alone, it re- 

 mains without motion for hours together, attentively surveying 

 around to discover some prey, — a reptile, small quadruped or dead 

 bird, on which it descends with rapidity, devours, and returns 

 slowly to its watching-place. The Urubitinga lives principally 

 on reptiles, small animals, dead birds, and perhaps fishes ; it does 

 not attempt to pursue birds, and we believe it only attacks those 

 that have been previously hurt or wounded." 



Mr. Kirk in answer to our inquiries thus writes of the Urubi- 

 tinga in Tobago : — " The Urubitinga is a very plentiful species in 

 the windward part of Tobago, especially among and on the borders 

 of our high woods, where a few may be met with at all periods of 

 the season ; but whether from a greater scarcity of food in the in- 

 terior towards the spring months I am not prepared to say at 

 present, but certain it is that there are two for one in the months 

 of April and May compared with any other month in the year, 

 and generally always about the margins of rivulets. They soar 

 extremely high at times, principally early in the morning or late 

 in the evening, but during the day they are generally seen on 

 the low boughs of a tree, and although I have seldom met with 

 two together, they will nevertheless readily answer the whistle, 

 and immediately descend from a very distant eminence if within 

 hearing of the call. Unlike most of their tribe they are unsus- 

 picious, seldom perching upon the top of the tree, but on some 

 low branch, and I have often in the above way brought them 

 within the range of shot. I once shot one with a purple galli- 

 nule in his talons, with which he rose from the ground ; I took a 

 small bird from the stomach of another, and I have killed up- 

 wards of twenty, but invariably found in all either entire snakes 

 or fragments of them; at times quite entire and upwards of 

 four feet long, principally what we call the ' whip snake/ Their 

 note is one prolonged whistle." 



Spizaetus ornatus, Vieill. s. 



This beautiful species does not appear very common in the 

 island. In all we have only received three specimens, and Mr. 

 Kirk has not had an opportunity of attending to its habits. In 

 one, from its size a female, the crown, back and scapulars are 

 nearly black, the feathers of the latter narrowly edged with white ; 

 the cheeks and sides of the neck bright orange-coloured brown ; 

 the lower parts and thighs very broadly barred with black. In 

 another, probably a male, the long feathers of the crest are black, 

 so also are a few feathers on the back and scapulars, which are 

 narrowly edged with gray ; the under parts nearly pure white ; 

 the head, cheeks, sides of the neck and nape pale orange-coloured 

 brown inclining to yellowish, the feathers darker in the centre, 



