152 FALCONIFORMES 



and tail, more or less barred with dusky, and broad l:)lackish tips 

 to the reetrices. The bare red skin of the cheeks and throat 

 imparts a vultiirine look, belied, however, by the almost gallin- 

 aceous feet. It inhabits South America from Ecuador and Guiana 

 southwards; but thence the very similar P.c/ierMr?/ranges to Florida 

 and Lower California, F. lutosus occurring in Guadelupe Island off 

 the latter. The Carancho or Caracara, as F. tharus is called, re- 

 sembles in habits the " Turkey -Buzzards " {Rhinogryplius), with 

 which it consorts, though somewhat shy and quarrelsome. Semi- 

 gregarious, and avidacious if unmolested, it passes the hot hours 

 in the shade, and roosts in company at night ; while the powerful 

 and graceful flight, with its alternate sailing or flapping move- 

 ments, though not rapid, enables it to soar in spirals to a great alti- 

 tude. It walks or runs with ease. The far-reaching grating note 

 is usually uttered with the head thrown back ; the food of refuse 

 and carrion is supplemented by young lambs or alligators, birds, 

 frogs, reptiles, land-crabs, worms, and insects. When on a tree, 

 bush, or cliff, the large shallow nest, often renewed yearly, is made 

 of sticks and lined with grass, leaves, roots, wool, or scraps of any 

 sort ; but, when on the ground or in swamps, reeds and herbage 

 are commonly utilized. The three or four eggs ranging from white 

 with red blotches to cinnamon with a few l)lack marks. 



Ihycter, Fhalcohaenus, and Sene-x are kindred Neotropical genera 

 of a greenish-black colour, with a variable amount of white on the 

 tail, lower parts, and even the wings and nape ; the cheeks and 

 throat are naked and red in the first, and orange in the second, while 

 the cheeks only are yellow in the third. Fhalcohaenus has a slight 

 crest, F. carunculatus a fleshy orange caruncle at the base of the 

 bill, Senex rufous thighs. Ihycter ater occurs in Amazonia, I. 

 americanus from Guatemala and Honduras to Brazil, Fhalcohaenus 

 megalopterus from Chili to West Peru, F. carunculatus in Ecuador 

 and New Granada, F. alhigularis in Patagonia, while Seiiex 

 australis is the " Johnny Book " of the Falklands. Close allies 

 are Milvago chimachima and M. chimango, ranging from Panama 

 to Paraguay, and from about lat. 20 S. to Tierra del Fuego 

 respectively ; the former is brown, with creamy head, neck, tail, 

 and under-parts, and reetrices barred with brown; the latter has the 

 head rufous and black, the lower surface streaky-looking yellowish- 

 brown, the tail greyer. The lores and naked orbits are pinkish. 



These forms are similar in manners to Folyhorus, but 3Iilvago is 



