30 



south as the neighbourhood of Guyaquil; it extends as far 

 northward as the "Western Guatemala; and is also found in the 

 island of Trinidad. It is said by some of the older naturalists 

 to feed in part on fruits ; but this is denied by Prince Maxi- 

 milian of Wied, who considers that its food consists chiefly 

 of insects, especially maggots, bees, " maribondos" ants, and 

 grasshoppers. 



M. Ogier de Gambaud, who observed it in Guiana, (where, 

 however, he states it to be rare,) speaks of its feeding on 

 birds, lizards, and small serpents. The nest of this species is 

 said to be built on trees, and its eggs to be white, and from 

 three to five in nimiber. On this head, however, further infor- 

 mation and confirmation are desii'able. The Eed-throated Cara- 

 cara is sometimes found singly, sometimes in pairs, and at 

 othfcr times in companies. The cry of this Caracara is very 

 loud, and has been compared in its tone to the cluck of a hen 

 when about to lay ; the notes are, however, said to have a 

 plaintive tone, beginning in a high and ending in a lower 

 pitch. 



Mr. Osbert Salvia, who observed this bird in Guatemala, 

 informs me that a specimen, which he watched, uttered its 

 cry while sitting on the dead branch of a tree, and that it 

 opened and shut its tail with a sort of jerk, as it gave vent to 

 each note. Prince Maximilian states that, in the adult male of 

 this species, the cere is blue, the irides a rich but rather a 

 dark red, the bare skia on the thi-oat a vermilion coloui-, and 

 the legs and feet of the same colour tinged with orange. In 

 the inHnature birds, and also irf the adult female, those colours 

 are similar, but somewhat less bright. 



Mr. Eraser, who met with this species at Gualaquiza, in 

 Ecuador, made the following note respecting it, which I tran- 

 scribe fi'om the " Proceedings" of the Zoological Society for 

 1858, p. 451 : — "Mandibles yellow, cere blue, face, throat, legs, 

 feet, and irides deep red. In the gizzard, becties and other 

 insects. A very active noisy bird. Having killed one out of 



