BUTEOGALLUS. 245 



the two outer primary-quills almost entirely black, the third has a 

 patch of rufous — this colour increases in extent towards the inner 

 ones, which are mottled at the base and broadly tipped with black; 

 tail black edged with white at the tip, with an incomplete band of 

 smoky-white, and rufous mottlings towards the base ; head and 

 neck all round black ; remainder of the under surface rufous 

 barred with brown. 



Total length -iOG mm., culmen (including the cere) 30, wing 31G, 

 tail 150, tarsus 80, middle toe and claw 56. 



The male described was collected on the Ituribisi River. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. Wing 32G mm. 



Immature. Brown aljove with buff edges to the feathers and buff 

 bars and mottlings on the wings, quills, and tail-feathers ; crown 

 of head black; forehead, eyel'row, sides of face, and throat white 

 or buffy-white with dark shaft-streaks to the feathers ; remainder 

 of tlie under surface fulvous with dai'k lanceolate markings to the 

 feathers. 



Breeding-season. Unrecoriled in British Guiana. 



Xest. " Builds its nest in the forked branches of the courida trees. 

 The nest is a heap of dry sticks, a few green leaves on which 

 the solitary egg is laid are placed at the bottom " (Lloi/d Price). 



K<jg. "Dirty white colour, blotched with red-brown" (IJoi/d 

 Prire). 



Range in British Guiana. Ituribisi River, Abary River 

 {McConnell collection) ; Coast-woods and Savannas {SchomOui'gk) ; 

 Georgetown (Quelch). 



E.rtralimital Range. Colombia, Paraguay. 



Hahits. According to Schomburgk (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 7-JO) 

 tliis is one of the most common birds of prey in British Guiana, 

 and is found in the coast-woods as well as on the Savannas. It 

 is one of the first to make an appearance at a Savanna fire, 

 to prey on the smaller creatures escaping from the fire. Its 

 nidification was not known to Schomburgk. 



Mr. Lloyd Price (Timehri (2) v. p. G7) remarks : — "One species 

 of a reddish-brown colour (^Buteogallus (npiinoctialis ?) huWds its 

 nest in the forki'd branches of the courida trees. The nest is a 

 heap of dry sticks, a few green leaves on which the solitary egg 

 is laid are })laced at the bottom. These hawks are very partial 

 to crabs, and may frequently be observed catching tliem on the 

 nmd-flats This may a«.'count for the state of tlie egg when found, 

 which is always covered with a thick coaling of mud, probably 



