662 BIRDS Fi:02I MJFGJniTA—ROBIXSOX. vol. xvni. 



■wings of a bluish tinge and the bodies marked with red and green, 

 and some are as much as 8 inches in expanse. They iire also eaten by 

 the several small owis that are found on the island. One sparrow 

 hawk had eaten a lizard in addition to several grassiioppers. 



[Four specimens, two males and two females, are represented in the 

 collection. The males can be very closely matched with a specimen 

 from Gainesville, Florida, both in color and size. They are almost 

 uniform in color below, one only has a few spots on the lower sides; 

 the backs are uniform, with a few black bars on the longer scapulars; 

 the crown is uniform gray in one, with a small chestnut patch in the 

 otlier. The specimens are larger than examples of F. hrevipennis from 

 Curacao. The wings measure: Males, C.SO and G.75; females, 7.20 and 

 7.12 inches. Tails measure : Males, 4.75 ; females, 4.70 and 5.25 inches. — 

 C. W. E.] 



32. POLYBORUS CHERIWAY (Jacquinot). 



AUDUBON'S CARACARA. 



Xative name ''caracara." 



1 saw a few of these birds flying about to the west of Porlamar, but 

 did not succeed in getting a specimen. 



Family BUBONID^. 



33. MEGASCOPS BRASILIANUS (Gmelin). 



BRAZILIAN SCREECH OWL. 



Native name " chaure." 



I obtained one specimen in the scrub west of Porlamar. Seeing a 

 small but very thickly foliaged tree and thinking that it was a likely 

 hiding place for an owl, 1 threw a stone into it, when this specimen 

 darted out on the opposite side and was quickly lost to sight in the 

 thorny jungle. Following after, I hunted for it for some time and was 

 despairing of finding it, when I heard the scolding notes of some mock- 

 ing birds near by and made toward them. Just as I had located the 

 particular clump of cactus and thorn trees in which they were, they 

 flew ofi", and I was again on the point of giving up ra}^ search, when I 

 heard the angry buzzing and squeaking of a buff breasted humming 

 bird [Doleromya pallida), and soon detected the owl perched near the 

 ground and the little hummer flying almost into its face. 



This owl had a thorn of the tuna through the nictitating membrane 

 of one eye. These thorns are a curse to the living creatures of the 

 island; man and the domestic animals sutfer from them; I shot a rab- 

 bit with the thorns deep in its flesh; I found them in all of the pigeons 

 and doves, in the burrowing owls, entirely through the wings of a par- 

 tridge, and dozens in the legs of every large iguana that I caught. 

 Whilst careless of tiiem at first, I grew to dread them more and more 

 the longer I stayed, and finally shrunk from them with horror. 



