488 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. io4 



Falco sparverius isabellinus Swainson 



Falco isabellinus Swainson, Animals in menageries, 1837, p. 281 (British Guiana). 



Further notes on the breeding of this race of the sparrow hawk are 

 as follows: On March 20, 1950, a nest was discovered about 10 feet 

 up under the eaves of a house. The female was either incubating well- 

 developed eggs or brooding very young chicks (several days later 

 very young chicks were removed by workmen cleaning the house). 

 The male brought food, generally small lizards, to a treetop about 100 

 feet away and called the female by using a call like the juvenal food- 

 begging note. The female then came out of the nest and ate, occa- 

 sionally taking food back witJa her. At times, when the female did not 

 appear, the male would take food to the nest site but apparently did 

 not incubate. Another nest, found on April first about 15 feet up on a 

 hollow tree, contained an incubating bird, again a female. 



Once, in January, a small male sparrow hawk was seen attacking 

 a Falco jemoralis, keeping above the larger bird and diving at it. 

 Knowing the powers of flight of the aplomado falcon, it did not seem 

 possible to the collector that the bhd, if it so desired, could not turn 

 the tables on the little sparrow hawk. 



Family Cracidae: Guans 



Ortalis ruficauda (Jardine) 



Ortalida ruficauda Jardine, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. 20 1847, p. 374 (Tobago). 



Since our previous report we are able to record the following notes 

 on the breeding of this species : Four nests of this chachalaca, all with 

 eggs, were seen during the period between May 1 and June 4. They 

 were well made of twigs and many leaves, including fresh green ones. 

 One contained four white eggs with a rough pebbly surface; although 

 no record was kept of the number of eggs per clutch in the other nests, 

 it is doubted that the clutches could be much larger, because the eggs 

 were large and completely filled the nest. One nest was placed about 

 10 feet up in a tangle of vine, another was 3 feet up in a many-branched 

 tree trunk, two were on the ground. Normally this guan is almost 

 strictly arboreal, preferring the heavier wooded portions of the de- 

 ciduous seasonal woods. Yet in each case, the nest was located in the 

 savanna-edge habitant far from surface water and within 10 yards of 

 grassy openings, in places where one would never expect to find the 

 bird. It would seem that these were originally birds of the open 

 country and had relatively recently acquired their present arboreal 

 habits. 



