BIRDS or NORTHERN VENEZUELA — WETMORE 187 



the maxilla, tip of the mandible, and the cere dull black; the bare 

 skin about the eye and loral region, and the base of the mandible 

 dull orange-yellow; tarsus and toes orange-yellow; claws black; and 

 the iris rufous-brown, of the same shade as the back. On November 

 10 I heard the barking calls of another in the woods above the house 

 but could not find the bird. These small forest hawks seem rather 

 inactive, probably because with food abundant and easily secured 

 there is little reason for them to move about. 



The female taken has the following measurements: Wing 182, tail 

 173, culmen from cere 15.8, tarsus 56.2 mm. 



MILVAGO CmMACmMA CORDATUS Bangs and Penard 



Milvago chimachima cordata Bangs and Penard, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 62, 

 1918, p. 35 (San Miguel Island, Pearl Islands, Bay of Panamd). 



Near Ocumare de la Costa these birds were seen October 24 and 

 30, and at El Sombrero they were common from November 12 to 21. 

 They perched familiarly on the backs of burros and on cattle, which 

 ordinarily paid no attention to them. I saw the birds on occasion 

 tearing at the sores made by parasitic fly larvae. As no specimens 

 were taken identification is made on geographic grounds. 



POLYBORUS CHERIWAY CHERIWAY (Jacquin) 



Falco cheruvay Jacquin, Beytrage zur Geschichte der Vogel, 1784, p. 17, pi. 4 

 (Aruba, and coast of Venezuela). 



The caracara was found in small numbers near Ocumare de la 

 Costa, was fairly common near Maracay, and was observed daily 

 at El Sombrero from November 13 to 21. 



FALCO FUSCO-CGERULESCENS FUSCO-COERULESCENS VieUlot 



Falco fusco-coerulescens Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 11, 1817, p. 90 

 (Paraguay) . 



On November 13 Ventura Barnes and I found a beautiful pair of 

 these falcons in a tree at the edge of a small savanna 12 miles south 

 of El Sombrero. They rested quietly, facing the wind, while we 

 walked up within easy shooting distance. On November 15 I saw 

 two more pairs flying across open country on the Meseta. The male 

 taken measm-es as follows: Wing 237, tail 157, culmen from cere 

 15.0, tarsus 44.5 mm. 



The geographic races of this falcon are not clearly outUned at the 

 present time in material that I have seen, which includes the speci- 

 mens in the U. S. National Museum and the American Museum of 

 Natural History. According to Swann ^ there are four forms, of 

 which three are found in South America — a very large one, pichinchae, 



' Monograph of the birds of prey, pt. 14, Dec. 1936, pp. 424-427. 



