-popular iBtcttanarg at ftnimateti $ature. 505 



lour between the Ferret and the Polecat, or 

 of a dingy yellowish- brown. 



POLLACK. (Gadtis pollachius.) This 

 flsh, sometimes called the Whiting Pollack, 

 is common on many of the rocky coasts of 

 this island ; and during summer large shoals 

 of them are seen sporting on the surface of 

 the water, ready to bite at any bait that may 

 be thrown to them. The under jaw is longer 

 than the upper ; the head and body rise 

 pretty high ; and the lateral line is incur- 

 vated, rising towards the middle of the back, 

 then sinking, and running straight to the 

 tail, which is broad and of a brownish co- 

 lour : the back is dusky, inclining to green : 

 the sides are marked with yellow streaks ; 

 and the tail is slightly forked. Fine speci- 

 mens of the Pollack are taken at Scarborough, 

 where it has the name of Leet. It is also 

 caught at Hastings, Weymouth, and on the 

 Devonshire coast, and bought by the inex- 

 perienced as Whiting. Hand-line fishing 

 for Pollacks, Mackerel, &c. is called whiffing. 



POLYBORUS. A genus of rapacious 

 birds which frequent the extra tropical parts 

 of South America, and in their habits (ac- 

 cording to Mr. Darwin) well supply the 

 place of our carrion-crows, magpies, and 

 ravens ; a tribe of birds not known there. 

 The reader will observe that we have fre- 

 quently availed ourselves of valuable zoo- 

 logical information contained in that gentle- 

 man's ' Journal of Researches ; ' and in this 

 instance we are largely indebted to the same 

 source for the following graphic ornitho- 

 logical observations, which we have only 

 slightly abridged. 



" To begin with the PoJyborus Braziliensis. 

 This is a common bird, and has a wide geo- 

 graphical range ; it is most numerous on the 

 grassy savannahs of La Plata (where it goes 

 by the name of Carrancha), and is far from 

 unfrequent throughout the sterile plains of 

 Patagonia. The Carranchas, together with 

 the Polyborus Chimango, constantly attend 

 in numbers the estancias and slaughtering- 

 houses. If an animal dies on the plain the 

 Gallinazo commences the feast, and then the 

 two Caracaras pick the bones clean. These 

 birds, although thus commonly feeding 

 together, are far from being friends. When 

 the Carrancha is quietly seated on the branch 

 of a tree, or on the ground, the Chimango 

 often continues for a long time flying back- 

 wards and forwards, up and down, in a semi- 

 circle, trying each time, at the bottom of 

 the curve, to strike its larger relative. The 

 Carrancha takes little notice, except by bob- 

 bing its head. Although the Carranchas 

 frequently assemble in numbers, they are 

 not gregarious : for in desert places they 

 may be seen solitary, or more commonly by 

 pairs. Besides the carrion of large animals, 

 these birds frequent the borders of streams 

 and sea beaches, to pick up whatever the 

 waters may cast on shore." * * * * " A 

 person will discover the Necrophagous haluts 

 of the Carrancha, by walking out on one of 

 the desolate plains, and there lying down to 

 sleep. When he awakes, he will see, on each 

 surrounding hillock, one of these birds pa- 

 tiently watching him with an evil eye. It 



is a featiire in the landscape of these conn- 

 tries, which will be recognized by every one 

 who lias wandered over them. If a party 

 goes out hunting with dogs and horses, it will 

 be accompanied during the day by several of 

 these attendants. After feeding, the un- 

 covered craw protrudes ; at such times, and 

 indeed generally, the Carrancha is an in- 

 active, tame, and cowardly bird. Its flight 

 is heavy and slow, like that of an English 

 rook. It seldom soars ; but I have twice 

 seen one at a great height gliding through 

 the air with much ease. It runs (in contra- 

 distinction to hopping), but not quite so 

 quickly as some of its congeners. At times 

 the Carrancha is noisy, but is not generally 

 so : its cry is loud, very harsh, and peculiar, 

 and may be likened to the sound of the 

 Spanish guttural g, followed by a rough 

 double r r. Perhaps the Gauchos, from this 

 cause, have called it Carrancha. Molina, 

 who says it is called Cham in Chile, states, 

 that when uttering this cry, it elevates its 

 head higher and higher, till at last, with its 

 beak wide open, the crown almost touches 

 the lower part of the back. This fact, which 

 has been doubted, is quite true. I have seen 

 them several times with their heads back- 

 wards in a completely inverted position. 

 The Carrancha builds a large coarse nest, 

 either in a low cliff, or in a bush or lofty tree. 

 To these observations I may add, on the high 

 authority of Azara, that the Carrancha feeds 

 on worms, shells, slugs, grasshoppers, and 

 frogs ; that it destroys young lambs by tear- 

 ing the umbilical cord ; and that it pursues 

 the Gallinazo, till that bird is compelled to 

 vomit up the carrion it may have recently 

 gorged. Lastly, Azara states that several 

 Carranchas, five or six together, will unite in 

 chase of large birds, such as herons. All 

 these facts show that it is a bird of very ver- 

 satile habits and considerable ingenuity. 



" The Polyborus Chimanpo is considerably 

 smaller than the last species. It is common 

 on both sides of the continent, but does not 

 appear to extend so far northward as the 

 last species. We have already remarked 

 that it feeds on carrion, in common with the 

 Carrancha. It is generally the last bird 

 which leaves the skeleton ; and may often 

 be seen within the ribs of a cow or horse, 

 like a bird in a cage. The Chimango often 

 frequents the sea-coast and the borders of 

 lakes and swamps, where it picks up small 

 flsh. It is truly omnivorous, and will eat 

 even bread, when thrown out of a house 

 with other offal. They are more active than, 

 the Carranchas, but their flight is heavy : 

 they are very tame ; not gregarious ; and 

 frequently utter a gentle, shrill scream. 



"Tue Polyborus Novae Zelandice is ex- 

 ceedingly numerous over the whole of the 

 Falkland Islands. In many respects these 

 hawks resemble in their habits the Car- 

 ranchas. They live on the flesh of dead 

 animals and on marine productions. They 

 are extraordinarily tame and fearless, and 

 haunt the neighbourhood of houses for offal. 

 If a hunting party kills an animal, a 

 number soon collect, and patiently await, 

 standing on the ground on all sides. After 

 eating, their uncovered craws are largely 



