IBYCTER. 129 



Falco americanus, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. p. 25 ^ 



Ibycter americanus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 214'; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 368'; 1870, p. 838'; 



Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 223"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 288'; ix. p. 132*; v. Prantz. 



J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 367"; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 214"; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 508"; 



Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. i. p. 35"; Ridgw. Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. i. 



p. 470" ; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 408'° ; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 



1887, p. 125". 

 Falco aquilinus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 280 ". 

 Ibycter aguilinus, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 133". 



Niger, chalybeo nitens ; pileo cristato : subtus quoqiie niger, peetore imo et abdomine, tibiis et subcaudalibus 

 albis ; subalaribus nigris : rostro fiavo ; cera pallide plumbea ; mento vix plumato, laete aurantiaco ; 

 palpebiis nudis saturate aurantiacis ; pedibus saturate aurantiacis, unguibns nigris ; iride aurantiaca. 

 Long, tota circa 21-5, alae 15"1, caudse lO'O, culm, (cum cera) 1"45, tarsi 2'2. (Descr. maris ex Savana 

 Grande. Mus. nostr.) 

 5 baud a mari distinguenda ; pectoris lateribus pauUulum albo mixtis. Long, tota circa 22*0, alae 15"3. 

 (Descr. femiiiEB ex Savana Grande. Mus. nostr.) 



Hab. Gv ATEM ALA {Constancia ^^), Pacific coast-region *, Savana Grande (0. S. & F. B. G.), 

 Retalhuleu {Richardson) ; Honduras, San Pedro ( WJiitely ^), Taulevi {Taylor '') ; 

 NiCABAGUA, Los Sabalos {Xiittivg ^^) ; Costa Rica, San Jose {Calleja ^*, Carmiol ^), 

 Peje {Carmiol), Guaitil, Guanacaste {v. Frantzius ^*'), Jimenez, Tacares de Alajuela, 

 Pozo Azul de Pirris {Zeledon ^^), Talamanca ( G^a55 ^*) ; Panama, Chiriqui, Mina 

 de Chorcha {F. Arci^'^), Lion Hill {M'Leannan^^), Turbo {Wood is).— Tropical 

 South America. 



This species is well known as an inhabitant of Tropical South America, and ranges 

 as far north as Guatemala. Here we found it on the Pacific coast, to the forests of 

 which the bird is apparently confined. It frequently occurs in collections from Costa 

 Eica and Panama, but Mr. Nutting procured only one specimen in Nicaragua. On the 

 Isthmus of Panama, Lieut. Wood found the species abundant in the neighbourhood of 

 Turbo, though less numerous in the interior; he remarks that it is always seen in 



trees. 



This bird utters a very disagreeable note, which we have frequently heard in the dense 

 tropical forests of Guatemala : it may be well expressed by the word " cacao," uttered 

 with the first syllable reiterated several times. The cry is emitted by the bird when 

 sitting on a branch, and the tail is expanded with a jerk on the utterance of each 

 note. The species may be generally observed in pairs, seldom singly, though some- 

 times several individuals are seen in company. 



The late George Cavendish Taylor '^ relates an amusing experience of this Hawk 

 in Honduras. He calls it the " Curassow " Hawk, from its similarity to these game- 

 birds, both in appearance and flight. Late one evening, as he was returning to his 

 home in Taulevi, his companion pointed out five black birds sitting on a tree, and after 

 much trouble in reaching the spot he killed one of them. Without waiting to pick it 

 up he pressed on through the jungle, and stalked the other birds, securing three out of 



BIOL, centr.-amee., Aves, Vol. III., April 1901. 17 



