Vol. XXXV 1 



1918 



Bangs and Noble, Birds of Peru. 443 



Natural History, Mr. W. E. Clyde Todd of the Carnegie Museum, 

 Mr. Chas. B. Cory of the Field Museum of Natural History and Mr. 

 T. E. Penard of Arlington, Mass. 



Phalacrocoracidae . 



Phalacrocorax vigua vigua (Vieill.). One 9, Perico, September 14. 



Falconidae. 



Polyborus cheriway cheriway (Jacq.). One adult 9, Perico, Sep- 

 tember 14. 



This specimen agrees, with two others — one from Punto Caiman, Santa 

 Marta, Colombia, one from Rio Caura, Venezuela — kindly let us by W. E. 

 Clyde Todd of the Carnegie Museum. The bird of northern South 

 America, as shown by the three skins now before us, two of which are fine 

 adults, is clearly different from the North American Caracara. 



The South American form is much more intensely black, less brownish 

 black, is slightly smaller throughout and has a shorter, and more feeble bill. 



We would therefore suggest the large, heavy-billed, brownish black 

 North American bird, be known as 



Polyborus cheriway auduboni Cassin, 



based upon Audubon's Florida specimen, which Audubon presented to the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. This form occurs in Cuba, 

 and on the mainland ranges from northern Lower California, Arizona, 

 Texas and Florida south to Panama. Skins from Panama differ but little 

 from those from northern localities, and are decidedly referable to P. 

 cheriway audubonii rather than to P. cheriway cheriway (Jacq.). 



The Caracara was observed throughout most of the lowlands. Along 

 the Upper Piura River Valley Caracaras were very abundant. Several 

 were nearly always to be seen in the vicinity of every clearing. 



Ibycter megalopterus (Meyen). One adult o 71 , Lake Warinja, August 

 18. This bird was seen only at the highest altitudes visited, the single 

 specimen was secured at about 9000 feet. 



Accipiter bicolor bicolor (Vieill.). Five specimens, immature of both 

 sexes, and one adult 9 , Perico and Bellavista, September. 



Chapman, in ' The Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,' p. 242, does 

 not recognize a western form of this hawk, A. b. schistochlamys Hellmayr, 

 and the series of twelve skins in the Museum of Comparative Zoology 

 wholly supports what he has said. 



The present specimens agree in color with skins from Panama and Costa 

 Rica and even with those from so far north as Quintana Roo. There is, 

 however, a gradual increase in size northward and examples from Vera 

 Cruz — practically, the northern limit of the species, — are very large. 

 The one adult female we possess from this State is besides much darker in 



