CARANCHO Sr 
hunt him from their ground, for it was near the 
breeding-season, when their jealous irascible temper 
is most excited. All at once, just as a Lapwing swept 
close by and then passed on before it, the Hawk 
quickened its flight in the most wonderful manner 
and was seen in hot pursuit of its tormentor, The 
angry hectoring cries of the Lapwings instantly 
changed to piercing screams of terror, which in a 
very short time brought a crowd numbering between 
two and three hundred birds to the rescue. Now, 
I thought, the hunted bird will escape, for it twisted 
and turned rapidly about, trying to lose itself amongst 
its fellows, all hovering in a compact crowd about 
it and screaming their loudest. But the Carancho 
was not to be shaken off; he was never more than 
a yard behind his quarry, and I was near enough to 
distinguish the piteous screams of the chased Lap- 
wing amidst all the tumult, as of a bird already 
captive. At the end of about a minute it was seized 
in the Carancho’s talons, and, still violently scream- 
ing, borne away. The cloud of Lapwings followed 
for some distance, but presently they all returned 
to the fatal spot where the contest had taken 
place; and for an hour afterwards they continued 
soaring about in separate bodies, screaming all the 
time with an unusual note in their voices as of 
fear or grief, and holding excited conclaves on 
the ground, to all appearance as greatly disturbed 
in their minds as an equal number of highly 
emotional human beings would be in the event 
of a similar disaster overtaking them. 
F II 
