BIRDS OF PORTO RICO. 31 



Gundlach (1874, p. 307) says emphatically that the turkey vulture was not 

 found in Porto Rico, so that we may consider it as introduced since his travels 

 on the island, as he visited the region about Guanica in November, 1873. A. B. 

 Baker (MS.) saw several during the latter part of January, 1899. 



PORTO RICAN SPARROW HAWK. Falco sparverius loquacula Riley. 

 Falcon. 



Dry areas with a rather open brush growth, as on the south coast of Porto 

 Rico, were apparently very favorable to the Porto Rican sparrow hawk, and 

 in some of these localities the birds were almost abundant. On Porto Rico a 

 few were found scattered through the coconut groves along the coast, but they 

 were more common in the foothills, and inland on the north coast few were 

 seen below 1,000 feet elevation. They are also common on Vieques and Culebra. 

 Few were found in the cane fields, as commanding perches from which to watch 

 for food were lacking, but they were common about openings in the coffee plan- 

 tations. 



Sparrow hawks began to breed about April 1 and were nesting through May 

 and June. Many young birds under their parents' care were found during 

 July and August, when they remained quiet in perches shaded from the glare 

 of the sun, chiefly in the coffee plantations. When abandoned by the adults, 

 the young birds were very noisy and restless, giving voice to their displeasure 

 continually. The nests were in cavities in palms and other trees. Many adults 

 taken during the breeding season had the tips of the rectrices much abraded 

 from wear in the nesting cavity or from bracing on the tree trunks before the 

 entrance. A female taken near Salinas, April 30, contained an egg almost 

 developed. Fragments of the shell were whitish with scattered cinnamon spots, 

 but whether or not all of the color had been deposited could not be determined. 

 Three young were the greatest number observed in one party, though Gundlach 

 (1878, p. 163) says that from three to five eggs are laid. The birds uttered a 

 sharp kilty hilly kill)/, and during the early part of the nesting season especially 

 were very noisy. On Culebra Island one was seen pursuing a red-tailed hawk 

 and screaming shrilly. 



From field observations these little hawks fed largely on lizards picked up 

 easily from the ground or captured on fence posts, stumps, or tree trunks. One 

 taken at the old naval encampment on Culebra Island had eaten a common 

 house mouse. Sparrow hawks were seen on several occasions in pursuit of wood- 

 peckers, doves, or yellow-shouldered blackbirds, but none were observed eating 

 or holding birds that were certainly identified as such. A. B. Baker (MS.) saw 

 one strike an ani in a bush and bear it to the ground. Ground doves were the 

 only birds that showed great fear of them. Near Quebradillas on July 3 a spar- 

 row hawk swung down under an overhanging ledge with a low chattering call 

 and examined several cliff swallows' nests, but they were apparently empty. 



Food. — Forty-eight stomachs of the sparrow hawk were examined, taken from 

 January to August, inclusive. Animal food made up 99.68 per cent, and vege- 

 table 0.32 per cent. The vegetable matter, composed entirely of rubbish, was 

 found in three stomachs and need not be considered, as it was not actually 

 taken as food. 



Mole crickets (Scapteriscus didactylus) were found in 17 stomachs and made 

 up 28.69 per cent of the total food. One bird had eaten four of these destructive 

 insects, another three, and several had taken two. They were found in every 

 month represented, except August, and occurred constantly in a large series 

 collected in March and April. Other Orthoptera formed 20.86 per cent and were 

 composed mainly of locusts (Acrididse) with a good many katydids (Locustidre). 



