84 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



hopelessly far behind* But before long they reached 

 and passed it, and each bird as he did so would turn 

 and rush downwards, striking at the Egret with his 

 claws, and while one descended the others were 

 rising, bird following bird with the greatest regularity, 

 In this way they continued toiling upwards until the 

 Egret appeared a mere white speck in the sky, about 

 which the four hateful black spots were still revolv- 

 ing. I had watched them from the first with the 

 greatest excitement, and now began to fear that they 

 would pass from sight and leave me in ignorance of 

 the result ; but at length they began to descend, 

 and then it looked as if the Egret had lost all hope, 

 for it was dropping very rapidly, while the four birds 

 were all close to it, striking at it every three or four 

 seconds. The descent for the last half of the distance 

 was exceedingly rapid, and the birds would have 

 come down almost at the very spot they started from, 

 which was about forty yards from where I stood, but 

 the Egret was driven aside, and sloping rapidly down 

 struck the earth at a distance of two hundred yards 

 from the starting-point. Scarcely had it touched the 

 ground before the hungry quartet were tearing it 

 with their beaks. They were all equally hungry no 

 doubt, and perhaps the old birds were even hungrier 

 than their young ; and I am quite sure that if the 

 flesh of the dead horse had not been so far advanced 

 towards putrefaction they would not have attempted 

 the conquest of the Egret. 



I have so frequently seen a pure white bird singled 

 out for attack in this way, that it has always been a 



