146 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



This is supposed to be a ver}' rare hawk, so that it was a surprise 

 to find so many in this region, where it was found from the lower 

 edge of the foothills up to S,ooo feet at Cincinnati. It is usually found 

 in the forest or the woodland, and feeds entirely upon small birds. 

 Mrs. Carriker had one for a pet for almost four months — a wing-tipped 

 bird brought in alive. The writer has seen many savage hawks and 

 owls, but never any to equal this bird. When approached it would 

 throw itself back with wings half open and make lightning-like springs 

 at its tormentor, and whenever its claws struck blood was sure to flow. 

 In a few days it became less savage and began to eat the bodies of small 

 birds which had been skinned. Its wings soon healed and we had to 

 keep it tied with a strong cord to its foot, and after about a month 

 it became quite tame, and Mrs. Carriker could do anything with it. 

 Its capacity for meat was astonishing; it would gorge itself to the 

 limit, then fluff up its plumage and sit with one eye open, gaping con- 

 tentedly all about. Sometimes, if given a bird with the feathers on, 

 its eyes would contract to mere pin-heads and glare with all their old- 

 time ferocity, as it snatched the bird with one foot. For a long time 

 it would never eat while watched, but in the end became used to it, 

 and it was interesting to see it prepare a bird for eating. First all the 

 feathers were pulled out, including the wing-feathers, then the brains 

 were eaten, and finally the whole body. When we quit collecting it 

 was too much trouble to get food for it, and as neither of us could 

 bear the thought of making a specimen of it we released it and let it 

 return to its native abode. 



30. Ictinia plumbea (Gmelin). 



Ictinia plumbea Sclater, Proc. Z06I. Soc. London, 1855, 134 (" Santa 



Marta")- — Salvin and Godman, Ibis, 1879, 206 (Manaure). — Allen, Bull. 



Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 131 (Valparaiso). 

 Ictinia plumbea vagans Miller and Griscom, Am. Mus. Novit., No. 25, 



1921, s ("Santa Marta"; crit.). 



Four specimens : Bonda and Cincinnati. 



Specimens from this region are precisely like those from other locali- 

 ties in Central and South America. Individual variation, however, is 

 considerable, some examples having practically no exposed rufous on 

 the outer webs of the primaries, while in others it is very conspicuous 

 indeed. 



All the records for this kite come from the Tropical Zone, from 



