THE GEOOVE-BILLED AOT. 11 



bulky exterior are left nnliatched. It would be interesting to watcli the progress 

 of a large nestful of eggs and note results. The nests found by me were all 

 composed of dead black twigs, rather loosely put together, very bulky and 

 conspicuous structures, lined with green leaves, or, if old nests, with leaves that 

 had the appearance of having been picked green. On one occasion I saw a 

 bird, with nesting material in its bill, taking short flights from one bamboo to 

 another, followed by several other birds composing the company, but none of 

 these latter had nesting material with them. 



"At Mr. Haymond's plantation, on the Escondido River, above Bluefields, 

 this species was unusually plentiful, owing, uo doubt, to a large number of cattle 

 kept there. The birds follow these animals as they meander over the pastures, 

 hopping along on each side of an animal, catching grasshoppers and other insects 

 which the cow disturbs as it moves along. Frequently the cow moves too 

 rapidly and the birds lag behind, when they make short flights to the front 

 again, passing over one another after the manner of the Grrackles when feeding 

 in a field. Only half a dozen birds or so follow a cow iisually, and not many 

 congTegate in one flock, except when roosting. On this plantation, where the 

 species is more abundant than usual, the birds appear to roost in numbers. An 

 orange tree near the house was a favorite place where thirty or forty birds came 

 to pass the night, flying in from the surrounding pasture about dusk, and after 

 a few short flights from one tree to another, passed into the roost one or two at a 

 time, hopping about as if seeking a favorable perch, uttering their peculiar note 

 meanwhile. Out of this roost I shot seventeen birds one evening, and the males 

 greatly predominated; there were only five females in the lot. The note of 

 this species reminds one somewhat of the Flicker, Colaptes auratus, but may 

 be better represented by the combination 'plee-co,' rapidly repeated, with the 

 accent usually on the first syllable, but sometimes on the last. I have frequently 

 found one of the small flocks resting on a bush or bamboo along the water's 

 edge, perfectly silent, until my near approach started them ofi", one or two at a 

 time, scolding as they went. Their flight is even, slow, as short as possible, and 

 consists of a few flaps of the wings, followed by a short sail, then a few more 

 flaps, etc. 



"The food of those examined by me on banana plantations consisted almost 

 entirely of small grasshoppers, the stomachs being much distended with these 

 insects. From the fresh earth found on tlie bill and feet of these birds, I should 

 judge they also feed on the ground. The Crotopliaga is gregarious all the year 

 round." 



The following observations on the nesting habits of this species, based on 

 manuscript notes of Mr. Anastasio Alfaro, director of the National Museum of 

 Costa Rica, at San Jose, and recently publislied by Mr. Greorge K. Cherrie, are 

 especially interesting. 



"The ZopilotilJo (so-pee-lo-te'e-yo), also known as 'Tijo-tijo' (tee-ho), in 

 imitation of its peculiar notes, which seem to repeat the -word fijo over and over 

 again, is very abundant in the fields near Tambor (a little town about 20 miles 



