264 Wonders of the Bird World 



sleepless night, endless scratchings, and consequent sores. 

 So I stalked up to them and shot one, while the others 

 flew off to a not very distant tree. From their flight, cries, 

 and general appearance, I still thought they were Curas- 

 sows. The bird I had killed fell into a dense thicket, 

 across a stream. Could I only have got at it, I should have 

 been spared additional agarrapatas and disappointment ! 

 However, not stopping to pick up the dead one, I followed 

 the others across the plantain-patch, then forced my way 

 through an aloe-fence, which presented a perfect chevaux de 

 frise of spikes, and succeeded in shooting three birds out 

 of the remaining four. I now felt proud of what I had 

 done, and of how well I had provided for our pot, which 



was in want of supplies at the time. E , who had been 



watching me, went to pick the birds up. As he took hold 

 of the first, he said, ' This is a Hawk ! ' and Hawks 

 they all were, sure enough; to my great disgust and dis- 

 appointment. When dead, they still resembled Curassows, 

 but they were Hawks nevertheless nothing but great, 

 black, stinking, red-legged Hawks. However, I was not 

 disappointed in agarrapatas, for I went home well stocked 

 with them, and in no pleasant humour at having little 

 or nothing to repay me for the discomfort I had to 

 undergo." 



Here it is evidently to the advantage of the Caracara 

 (except when he gets shot in error, as related above) to be 

 mistaken for the peaceful Curassow, as he is able to sit like 

 the latter in a tree and capture any prey which chooses to 

 settle near the supposed Game-bird, in the quiet assurance 

 that a Curassow would do it no harm. 



The same " mimicry " is observable in the Cuckoos, 

 especially in the genus Hierococcyx, the Hawk-Cuckoos, of 

 India and Africa. These birds are so called on account of 

 their wonderful resemblance to a Sparrow-hawk (Accifiter). 



