CARACARA 75 
modern ornithology,—the representative of a small group of birds, 
which from their Falconine structure and Vulturine habit, to say 
nothing of certain peculiarities, might be not unfitly regarded as 
forming a distinct Family. Three genera, Jbycter which is arboreal, 
Milvago which is not, and Polyborus proper are usually admitted ; 
but Mr. Sharpe (Cat. 5. Br. Mus. i. p. 34) unites the first two, 
though as the figures here given shew, their bills are very differ- 
ently formed, while he places as of equal rank in the same sub- 
Mitvaco. wtf IBYCTER. 
(After Swainson.) 
family Cariama (SERIEMA) and Serpentarius (SECRETARY-BIRD). 
Mr. Ridgway in a careful monograph of the group (bull. Geol. 
Geogr. Surv. Territ. No. 6, pp. 451-473, pls. 22-26) regards a fourth 
genus, Phalcobenus, as necessary, and Gurney (List. Diwrn. B. of 
Prey, pp. 11-14) would have six genera. These birds, with some 
others, are the “Carrion-hawks” so frequently mentioned in 
Darwin’s Voyage; but the fullest description of the habits of those 
frequenting the southern part of South America is by Mr. W. H. 
Hudson (Argent. Ornithology, ii. pp. 74-88) under the names of 
“Chimango” and ‘“Carancho”—the former belonging to Milvago 
and the latter being the species which more to the northward is 
called ‘“Caracara,” namely Polyborus tharus. Still further north- 
ward, extending throughout Guiana and thence to Ecuador, as 
well as to Central America, California, and the Gulf States of 
North America, besides Cuba, a form is found now recognized by 
many as a distinct species under the name of P. cheriway or P. 
auduboni—the last being applied especially to examples from the 
northern side of the Gulf of Mexico; while the Guadelupe Islands 
on the coast of Lower California possess what is deemed by Mr. 
Ridgway (ut supra) to be a third species, P. Jutosus. All the 
members of this group are said to walk or run on the ground— 
a peculiarity not possessed in perfection by any of the other 
Falconine birds with which they are generally associated. It is 
worthy of remark that, according to Mr. Hudson (wf supra), since 
the introduction of large herds of cattle to the plains of South 
America the abundance of food supplied by their carcases has 
produced a great increase in the numbers of these birds. 
