1909] Beebe: Birds of Northeastern Venezuela. 79 



Anhinga anhinga Linn. Snake-bird. 



On April 2nd as our sloop was drifting slowly up the Cafio 

 Guanoco, a male snake-bird rose from the water and flew heavily 

 to a protruding snag, from which it watched us as we passed. 



Fregata aquila (Linn.). Frigate Bird. 



Pelecanus fuscus Linn. Brown Pelican. 



Numbers of these two species were seen in the first few 

 miles of mangroves, along the Caiio San Juan. 



Order CATHARTIDIFORMES. 



Catharistes urubu urubu (VieiW.) . (?) Black Vulture. 



This was by far the more abundant of the vultures in this 

 region. A flock was always perched on the roof of the village 

 slaughter shed at Guanoco. As no specimens were secured I 

 cannot be perfectly certain of the sub-species. 



Cathartes perniger (Sharpe). (?) Venezuelan Turkey 



Vulture. 



Turkey Vultures were abundant, although less so than the 

 above species. We observed them on the very edge of the man- 

 groves at the mouth of the San Juan. My only note concerning 

 these is "common soaring as in Virginia, but they seem smaller 

 than those in the north." I collected no specimens but from this 

 observation and with the aid of Mr. Cherrie's criticism I judged 

 them to be perniger. 



Order AGGIPITRIFORMES. 

 Ibycter ater (Yieill.) . Black Garrion Hawk. 



We saw these birds first on April 10th at La Brea where 

 three were flying about over the expanse of weed-grown pitch, 

 calling hoarsely with raven-like croaks to each other. The na- 

 tives know them as the ko-kai birds from their cry. One of the 

 three, the tamest, was in a dull brownish, immature plumage, and 

 although full grown, I saw him called and fed by one of the 

 parents. 



They were striking birds, the adults wholly black except for 

 a wide band of white across the base of the tail, the head mostly 

 bare of feathers and of an orange color, giving the bird the gen- 



