190 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I50 



Archipielago de las Perlas. Known from the Caribbean slope only in 

 the lower Chagres Valley, where it has been taken at Madden Dam, 

 Juan Mina, Gamboa, Barro Colorado Island, and near Lion Hill. 



This is a forest species, found ordinarily on wooded slopes above 

 streams, often in hill country. It is a sedentary bird that perches 

 in the middle branches, or in the tree crown, though it comes lower at 

 times, even to the ground, when it is in search of the large land snails 

 that are a major source of its food. The hooked bill tip often is 

 worn, apparently from extracting these animals from the shell. Once 



1 had one clamber along a branch and then fly a few feet toward me, 

 attracted by the squeaking sounds that I was using to decoy other 

 birds. In the hand this kite seems slight in body, with feet especially 

 weak for a hawk, particularly when these are contrasted with the 

 heavy bill. Birds in dark phase may be confused with the crab hawk, 

 until it is noted that the tail is longer, the body form more slender, 

 and the legs and feet shorter and weaker. 



The type locality has been designated as Baia by Hellmayr and 

 Conover (Cat. Birds Amer., pt. 1, no. 4, 1949, p. 27). 



Haverschmidt (Journ. f. Orn., 1964, pp. 64-66) describes a nest 

 in Surinam found in mid- April that was placed about 10 meters from 

 the ground in a shade tree over coffee. The shallow structure built 

 of dry twigs held two young covered with white down with a slight 

 reddish wash on the head, back, and wings. 



Schonwetter (Handb. Ool., pt. 3, 1961, p. 155, pi. 6, fig. 8) records 



2 eggs of this bird from Trinidad with measurements of 53,5-53.7 X 

 40.4-40.6 mm. The specimen figured (in color) is white (apparently 

 with a light tinge of buff) spotted and blotched rather lightly with 

 brown. In form it is slightly pointed oval. 



ACCIPITER BICOLOR BICOLOR (Vieillot): Bicolored Hawk; Gavilan 



Pantalon 



Sparvius hicolor Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., vol. 10, June 21, 

 1817, p. 325. (Cayenne.) 



A long-tailed, slender-bodied bird-hunter, gray in the adult, white 

 or buff underneath in the immature ; end of tail rounded. 



Description. — Length 350 to 420 mm. Adult, crown and upper 

 hindneck sooty black; wings and tail fuscous-black, the latter with 



3 brownish crossbars ; rest of upper surface slate-gray ; sides of head 

 slate; below pale neutral gray, becoming lighter on lower abdomen, 

 and white on lower tail coverts ; tibia chestnut ; under wing coverts 

 mixed white and chestnut ; under wing surface dull neutral gray to 

 dull black, barred heavily with white ; tail bars white on under side. 



