BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 581 



and throat mostly naked and brightly colored (red in life), the throat, 

 at least, with sparse, hairlike feathers, especially along median line; 

 crop naked, but, unless distended, concealed by overlapping feathers.^^ 

 Prevailing color plain glossy black, or blue-black, with either the 

 abdomen, thighs, and under tail coverts or else basal portion of tail 

 white; naked skin of head, together with legs and feet, bright red in 

 life; the bill light yellowish, 



Nidification. — Eggs 2-3 in number, buff spotted with chocolate 

 and reddish brown; nest built among the higher branches of trees. 



Range. — Continental tropical America (southern Brazil to Gua- 

 temala). (Two species.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF DAPTRIUS 



a. Abdomen white; upperparts and breast glossy black. 

 b. Larger, wings over 350 mm. in length. 

 c. Upper back slightly shaded with grayish (s. Mexico to most of Panama) . 



D. americanus guatemalensis, ad. (p. 582) 

 cc. Upper back with no grayish tone. 



D. americanus guatemalensis, juv. (p. 583) 

 bb. Smaller, wings under 350 mm. in length. 



c. Upper back slightly shaded with grayish (Dari6n south to Brazil, BoUvia, 



and Peru) D. americanus americanus, ad. (p. 585) 



cc. Upper back with no grayish tone. 



D. americanus americanus, juv. (p. 585) 

 aa. Abdomen black like breast and upperparts. 



b. Basal portion of tail pure white, unbanded__.D. ater, adult (extralimital) > 

 bb. Basal portion of tail white, banded with black.. D. ater, juv. (extralimital) 



" According to Nitzsch, the pterylosis of Daptrius ater is very similar to that 

 of the Buteones; but all the pterylae are narrower, the outer branch of the 

 inferior tract broader and quite free, with a strong hook at the end; the dorsal 

 portion of the spinal tract short, the anterior half sparsely, the posterior half 

 densely, feathered. 



The skull of D. americanus resembles that of Milvago chimango, but has the 

 anterior half of the premaxillary relatively slightly smaller, the posterior half a 

 little larger, broader, and more highly arched; nostril circular, imperfectly 

 rimmed; lachrymals narrower, more pointed. Length of skull, 96.52 mm.; 

 breadth, 02.23; depth, 27.9-1-30.48. Length of sternum, 55.88-66.04; width 

 34.29-36.83; depth 29.21-31.75; posterior margin of sternum with two deep 

 indentations, these sometimes connected with a pair of foramina. 



» Daptrius ater Vieillot, Analyse, 1816, 68 (Brazil); Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., 

 xvi, 1819, 387; Gal. Ois., 1825, pi. 5; Vigors, Zool. Journ., i, 1824, 319, 336; 

 Stephens, in Shaw's Gen. Zool., xiii, pt. 2, 1826, 10, pi. 32 (Brazil); Lesson, 

 Traits d'Orn., 1831, 32; Swainson, Classif. Birds, ii, 1837, 209, 308; Cabanis, in 

 Schomburgk's Reis. Brit. Guiana, iii, 1848, 742; Bonaparte, Rev. Mag. Zool., vi, 

 1854, 539; Gurney, List Diurn. Birds Prey, 1884, 13; Cat. Birds Prey, 1894, 18; 

 Peters, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xliv, 1931, 25; Check-Hst Birds of World, i, 

 1931, 27S.—Ibycter ater Gray, List Spec. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, pt. 1, 1848, 29; Handlist, 

 i, 1869, 5, No. 27; Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., i, 1850, 12; Gurney, Descr. Cat. 

 Rapt. Birds Norfolk and Norwich Mus., pt. 1, 1864, 29 (Rio Amazon; Quito, 

 Ecuador); Ibis, 1874, 95, in text (descr. young); Gray, Handlist, i, 1869, 5, No. 27; 



