2GG BIRDS OF BRITISH GL'IANA. 



Breeding-season. Unknown in Britisli Guiana. 



Nest. " Composed of twigs and built in tall trees wliich are 

 inaccessible " {Sclwmhurgk). 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British Guiana. Sujienaam Eiver, Abary River, 

 Mahaicoy (McConnell collection). 



E.rtralimital Range. Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Para- 

 guay, Argentina. 



Hahits. According to Schomburgk (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 73'>), 

 iliis bird lives entirely on the Savannas. Its favourite resling- 

 jilace is on a tree at the edge of the oasis, from which it can 

 survey the surrounding country. Tts flight is easy and graceful. 

 Its chief food ap[iears to be amphibia and not so much birds and 

 mammals. Schomburgk infers that the nesting-habits are the 

 same as those of the preceding species = Elanoides furcalus. 

 The " Macusis " call it Zitoic. 



Regarding this bird, Mr. J. J. Quelch writes (Timehri (2) vi. 

 pp. 120, 133, 135): — "The Sociable Kite {Rostrliamiis sociabilis) 

 feeds chiefly on the various species of apple-snails, Ampidlaria 

 glaui'a and A. amazonica (see ' The MoUusca of British Guiana,' 

 Timehri, vol. iv. Xew Series, 1890, p. 37, where the latter specif^s 

 is referred doubtfully to A. jiapyracea). ... (p. 133). The 

 Sociable Shell-eating Kite (Rostrhamiis socialilis), known to the 

 old huntsmen in the Abary district by the common name (i 

 ' cricketty hawk,' the term ' cricketty ' being applied to all the 

 apple-snails (Anipullaria) found along the creeks or in the 

 savannah-swamps. ... (p. 135). As already mentioned, the food 

 of this bird is chiefly restricted to a molluscan diet ; and at times, 

 at the edges of creeks, swamps, and savannah-pools, piles of empty 

 shells, left by this Hawk, may be found at the foot of some low 

 bush or stump, on which the birds had perched while feeding. 

 Along the savannah-creeks, and especially along the Abary 

 districts, these birds are extremely plentiful ; and at sundown it 

 will be found perched in masses at special roosting-places on the 

 low bushes by the creek-side, or it will be seen passing overhead, 

 seekinfj shelter for the night, in continuous fliohts of some 

 hundreds at a time, made up of young and adult birds of both 

 sexes. While settling down to roost by the creek-side, this 

 species will be noticed darting down and skimming for short 

 distances almost on the surface of tlie water, as though catching 



