Plumages of Buteo solitarius. 387 



So that it is permissible to regard tlie Buteo as the only 

 truly endemic Kaptor. 



From whatever quarter the lo originally found its way to 

 the islands, and whatever are its nearest relatives, it is a 

 true Buteo, not only in structure, but also in habits. 



It is a solitary sluggish birrl, sitting most of its time 

 motionless on the low branches o£ trees, digesting its food 

 or on the look out for a fresh supply. Once on the wing, it 

 is a slow but powerful flier, alternately progressing by a 

 few strong beats, and using the impetus thus gained to glide 

 straight ahead on outstretched wings. Whether moving in 

 this fashion, or circling far above the forest, the bird might 

 readily be taken by the casual observer for quite a different 

 species, the Red-tailed Hawk of America. 



The food of the lo is preferably mice and small rats. 

 Birds of any kind do not come amiss, when it can catch 

 them, which is very rarely ; and frequently it descends to 

 such humble fare as large spiders or the larvae of a sphinx- 

 moth. I have found the stomachs of several individuals 

 simply crammed with spiders, and the belly and thigh- 

 feathers all gummed up with the silken webs and secretions. 



The lo is not a bird of the deep forest, and rarely or 

 never enters its recesses, but prefers open woods in which 

 to nest, and, when hunting, frequents the edges of the forest 

 and the clearings. 



This Hawk breeds in spring, though apparently never 

 very early, and some of the Hawaiian woodland birds are 

 leading about their young ere the lo is ready to deposit its 

 brown-blotched eggs in its rudely made nest. 



As a rule, this Buteo is silent, but in the love-season its 

 voice is frequently to be heard, as several males contend for 

 the favour of a female. Its cries are not exactly like those 

 of any Hawk known to the writer, although they are un- 

 mistakably Buteonine. Once mated I feel sure that the 

 union is for life, and a given locality is almost invariably 

 inhabited by a pair. On the other hand, the lo rarely or 

 never hunts in pairs, and the bird is, on the whole, well 

 named solitarius. 



SER. VIII. — vox. II. 2d 



