ELANOIDES. 2 OB 



Elanoides furcatus Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 317, 1S74 ; Salvin, 



Ibis, 1886, p. 76 (Bartica Grove) ; Lloyd Price, Timehri (2) v. 



p. 67, 1891 (nesting-habits); Quelch, op. cit. vi. p. 120, 1892 



(food), p. 136 (liabits). 

 Elanoides forficatiis Beetle, Our Search for a Wilderness, pp. lo-t, 



250, 1910 (AVaini River, Aremu River) ; Brabourne & Chubb, 



B. S. Arner. i. p. 71, no. 654, 1912. 



" Scissor-tailed Hawk " or " Kite " (Quelch) ; " Blue and White 

 Scissor-tail Hawk^' {Lloyd Price). 



Adult female. Head, hind-neck, and entire under surface white, 

 as is also the lower back ; mantle and lesser upper wing-coverts 

 bronzy brown ; winos, long scapulars^ and tail slaty black, all 

 the feathers of the dark portion have white bases. *' Bill dark 

 horn-blue ; feet light milk- blue ; iris rich dark reddish brown. '^ 



Total length 530 mm., culmen (including the cere) 28, wing 425, 

 tail 293, tarsus 35, middle toe and claw 40. 



The female from which the description is taken was collected 

 on the Demerara River. 



Adult male. Similar to the adult female. Wing 423 mm. 



Nestling. Covered with short wdiite down. 



Breeding-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 



Nest. " Is built in the high branches of the lofty mora-trees " 

 {Lloyd Price). " Composed of twigs and built on inaccessiI)lo 

 trees" (Schomhurc/k). 



Eggs. " Two eggs of a glossy white ^^ [Lloyd Price). 



Range in British Guiana. Demerara River [McConnell col- 

 lection) ; Bartica (WJtitely) ; Waiui River and Aremu River 

 {Deehe). 



Extralimxtal Range. South America to South-east Brazil and 

 Paraguay, and Central America to the United States. 



Habits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 735) that this 

 beautiful Falcon is more often found in the woods on or near the 

 coast than in those of the interior. It is quite a common sight to 

 see a small flock of tliese birds sitting on the outermost branches 

 of a tall tree while others in graceful flight are circling round. 

 The pearly long-forked tail, by which one can always distinguisli 

 the species at a distance, is in continuous movement during flight. 

 It is a very shy bird. The nest, like that of most other Hawks, is 

 conipo.sed of twigs and built on inaccessible trees. It is im- 

 possil>le, therefore^, to see what the eggs, or iiowly-liatched young, 

 are like. Its food con.sists of small birds and amphiltia. 



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



