TURKEY-BUZZARD AND GALLINAZO. 75 



The turkey-buzzard Is a solitary bird, or at most 

 goes in pairs. It may at once be recognised from 

 a long distance by its lofty, soaring, and most ele- 

 gant flight. It is well known to be a true carrion- 

 feeder. On the west coast of Patagonia, among 

 the thickly-wooded islets and broken land, it lives 

 exclusively on what the sea throws up, and on the 

 carcasses of dead seals. Wherever these animals 

 are congregated on the rocks, there the vultures 

 may be seen. The Gallinazo (Cathaites atratus) 

 has a different range from the last species, as it 

 never occurs southward of lat. 41°. Azara states 

 that there exists a tradition that these birds, at the 

 time of the Conquest, were not found near Monte 

 Video, but that they subsequently followed the 

 inhabitants from more northern districts. At the 

 present day they are numerous in the valley of the 

 Colorado, which is three hundred miles due south 

 of Monte Video. It seems probable that this ad- 

 ditional migration has happened since the time of 

 Azara. The Gi-allinazo generally prefers a humid 

 climate, or rather the neighbourhood of fresh wa- 

 ter ; hence it is extremely abundant in Brazil and 

 La Plata, while it is never found on the desert and 

 arid plains of Northern Patagonia, excepting near 

 some stream. These birds frequent the whole 

 Pampas to the foot of the Cordillera, but I never 

 saw or heard of one in Chile : in Peru they are 

 preserved as scavengers. These vultures certain- 

 ly may be called gregarious, for they seem to have 

 pleasure in society, and are not solely brought to- 

 gether by the attraction of a common prey. On a 

 fine day a flock may often be obsei'\'ed at a great 

 height, each bird wheeling rovmd and round with- 

 out closing its wings, in the most gi'aceful evolu- 

 tions. This is clearly performed for the mere pleas- 

 ure of the exercise, or perhaps is connected with 

 \heir matrimonial alliances. 



