40 BIRDS OF SOUTHWESTPZRN MEXICO. 



<' Common enough on both sides of Mexico. This beautiful hawk 

 resembles in its colors the Urobitingas, and by the lightness of its shape 

 the Micrasturs, whose characteristics for the most part it possesses. It 

 never leaves the woods, where, gliding with rapidity among the thickets 

 of vines, it gives chase to the small lizards, tree-frogs, insects, &c. It 

 is bold enough, and will allow itself to be approached carefully, but if 

 slightly wounded it takes to flight on the ground with the greatest 

 rapidity." 



S30. Micrastiir semitorquntMS (Vieill.). 



" Tehuautepec (Santa Efigeuia) ; Tehuantepec City ; April, July, and 

 November. 



"Iris dark brown; bill black; cere, lores, and orbits, olive-green; 

 feet yellow. 



" This species, as one might judge at first sight from the shortness 

 of its wings and the length of its tarsi and tail, is a very bad navigator. 

 It is found almost always in the midst of thickets in the interior of 

 great woods, never in exposed places. The only use he makes of his 

 wings is to fly from one tree to another. Difierent from most birds of 

 prey, who seek for their victims sometimes wheeling, sometimes perched 

 on the top of dead trees, this one rarely leaves the shelter of the thick- 

 est foliage. It has sometimes the habit of squatting along the branches 

 like the CaprimuJgidce. In this position, it is easily seen by the hunter, 

 Its voice is strong and its cry analogous to that of Uerpetothercs caehin 

 nans; resounding for a long distance, it sounds like the syllables Jed - hd- a 

 led - hd - M, given with the full strength of its voice. A popular preju 

 dice makes the repetition of this cry an indication of a change of weather 

 whence the common name of Llama-nortc is given to ilf. brachi/pterus. 

 the name which it shares on the Pacific coast with Herj). cachinnans. 

 The name which they bear in common on the Atlantic coast is that of 

 Vaqiiero. 



"The food of M. hrachypterus is composed principally of reptiles and 

 above all of saurians. Hidden in the foliage, he waits for the young 

 iguanas, lizards, &c. The Cyclures with the pointed tail {Ctenosaura 

 acanthura et quinquecarinata) seem to be favorite game for him ; his 

 gizzard and his stomach almost always contain the remains. He attacks, 

 also, young birds and insects. 



" Jfotwithstauding the delicacy of his appearance, he is endowed with 

 remarkable tenacity of life. It is rare that the first shot kills him out- 

 right. If, wounded in the wing, he falls to the ground, he flutters away 



