88 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
to punish an offender, and Be cases the punish- 
ment is death. 
Their cry is exceedingly loud and harsh, a short 
abrupt note, like cruk, repeated twice; after which, 
if the bird is violently agitated, as when wounded or 
fighting, it throws its head backwards until the crown 
rests on the back, and rocks it from side to side, 
accompanying the action with a prolonged piercing 
cry of great power. This singular gesture of the 
Carancho, unique among birds, seems to express 
very forcibly a raging spirit. 
The nest is built in a variety of situations: on 
trees, where there are any, but on the treeless pampas, 
where the Carancho is most at home, it is made on 
the ground, sometimes among the tall grass, while 
a very favourite site is a small islet or mound of 
earth rising well out of the water. When a suitable 
place has been found, the birds will continue to use 
the same nest for many consecutive years. It is a 
very large, slovenly structure of sticks, mixed with 
bones, pieces of skin, dry dung, and any portable 
object the bird may find to increase the bulk of his 
dwelling. The eggs are three or four, usually the 
last number, slightly oval, and varying greatly in 
colour and markings, some having irregular dark red 
blotches on a cream-coloured ground, while others 
are entirely of a deep brownish red, with a few black 
marks and blotches. 
