96 FALCONID^. 



p. 289'; ix. p. 134'; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 369"; Sharps, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 

 i. p. 317"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 43 "; Sumichrast, La Nat. x. p. 237". 

 Nauderus furcatus, Salv. Ibis, 1872, p. 323 "; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 45 ". 



Elanoides forficatus (Linn.), Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 592 " ; Herrera, La Nat. (2) pp. 175, 



319"; Richm. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 521"; Bendire, Life Hist N. Amer. Birds, i. 



p. las', t. 5. figs. I, 2" ; Fisher, Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. no. 3, p. 20, t. 1 =°. 



Capita toto, cervice, dorso postico et corpore subtus albis ; tectricibus supracaudalibus plumbeo-nigris, ad basin 



albis ; alls extus et cauda chalybeo-nigris, griseo vix tinctis ; dorso et tectricibus alarum minoribus 



purpureo-nigro suffusis ; humeris, subalaribus et axillaribus albis ; rostro nigro, pedibus lactescenti- 



cyaneis. Long, tota circa 23-0, alae 16-7, caudae rectr. med. 5-.i, rectr. lat. 13-5, tarsi 1-4. (Descr. 



exempl. ex Vera Paz, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 



Hah. NoETH America, Southern States, North Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Texas, 

 and generally to the New England States 20._Mexico, Valley of Mexico {Herrera^''), 

 Cacoprieto (Sumichrast ^^); British Honduras, Belize (0. S.) ; Guatemala, Vera 

 Paz (Sarg), Tactic [Owen^), Kokak, Lanquin, Raxche, Vera Paz (0. S.% Cahabon 

 [Skinner 3) ; Honduras, R. Segovia (Townsend ^^) ; Nicaragua, San Rafael del 

 Norte (Richardson i^), Chontales (Belt i*), R. Escondido (Bichmond i^) ; Costa Rica, 

 Birris (Zeledon^), Aguacate, Quebrada Honda, Cervantes lo (v.Frantzius), Naranjo 

 (Boucard^^), San Miguel, Juan Vinas (Underwood) ; Panama, Cordillera de Tole«, 

 Calovevora (E. ArcS''), Lion Hill (M'Leannan^). — South America, from Colombia 

 and Guiana to South Brazil ^^ ; Cuba ^^. 



The Swallow-tailed Kite is a somewhat scarce visitor to North America, breeding in 

 the Southern States, where a few individuals are believed to winter ; it has even been 

 observed as far north as Manitoba. According to Bendire, the species is distributed 

 from Florida westward through the Gulf States, including the greater part of Texas. 

 From Neotropical countries it has been described as a migrant, often seen in flocks of 

 considerable size. Though not definitely known to breed in Central America, there is 

 every probability that it does so, since a nest has been reported near Belize in British 

 Honduras ^, and when collecting in Vera Paz in March 1861 we noticed several of 

 these Kites soaring above us, and the natives stated that they nested in the patches of 

 pine-trees which occur throughout the forest. Mr. Richmond observed a small 

 number circling about on the Escondido River on the 15th of May ^^, and Mr. Townsend 

 noted one on the Segovia River in Honduras as late as the loth of June^^. In Brazil 

 specimens were obtained by Natterer from September to March. 



The food consists of reptiles, frogs, and beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects ; 

 Bendire doubts if it ever kills a bird. 



A very interesting account of E. furcatus is given by Robert Owen in ' The Ibis ' 

 for 1860"*. Journeying from Coban to San Geronimo, in Guatemala, he came upon a 

 flock of some three hundred flying in a cloud over a swarm of bees ; they passed 

 within four or five yards of the observers, thus enabling them to see the bees conveyed 



