Chimango Hawk 223 



Of the two other known species of this genus, one is found in the Tres Marias 

 Islands and the other on Guadalupe Island, Lower California. 



Chimango Hawk. Passing over the genus, Phalcob&nus, with its four or 

 five species, we may mention briefly the Chimango Hawk (Milvago chimango) 

 as typical of another genus. This species, which inhabits the southern half of 

 South America, is about fifteen inches long, buffy brown above and gray below, 

 lighter on the rump and tail, and more or less barred or freckled with brownish 

 gray. The legs are slender, the claws weak, and the bill only very slightly hooked. 

 "It has," says Hudson, "an easy loitering flight, and when on the wing does not 

 appear to have any object in view, like the Hawk, but wanders and prowls about 

 here and there, and when it spies another bird it flies after him to see if he has 

 food in his eye." They appear to be a strange conglomeration, presenting suc- 

 cessively the life habits of a dozen species. "On the same day you will see one 

 bird in violent Hawk -like pursuit of its living prey, with all the instincts of rapine 

 hot within it, and another less ambitious individual engaged in laboriously tearing 

 at an old cast-off shoe, uttering mournful notes the while. They are loquacious 

 and sociable, frequently congregating in loose companies of thirty or forty indi- 

 viduals, when they spend several hours every day in spirited exercises, soaring 

 about like Martins, performing endless evolutions, and joining in aerial mock 

 battles. When tired of these pastimes they all settle down again, to remain for 

 an hour or so perched on the topmost boughs of trees or other elevations; and 

 at intervals one bird utters a very long leisurely chant, with a falling inflection, 

 followed by a series of short notes, all the other birds joining in the chorus 

 and uttering short notes in time with those of their soloist or precentor." 



The Chimangos are strictly omnivorous, feeding as occasion presents upon 

 carrion, offal, birds, small mammals, insects, frogs, and in times of scarcity upon 

 a peculiar fungus which appears in the rain pools. They are constantly on the 

 watch for the weak, the sickly, or injured among birds or other animals, which 

 they quickly pounce upon and destroy, often acting in company. But while an 

 inordinate lover of carrion, it has apparently discovered that this diet is unsuited 

 to the tender stomachs of its young, hence these are fed almost exclusively on the 

 young of small birds. An especial source of supply is the young of a small bird 

 known as the Teru-reru (Synallaxis hudsoni), which builds a small domed nest 

 in the dense tangle of low bushes. Although it is almost impossible for man to 

 locate these nests, the Chimango apparently has little difficulty and must destroy 

 incredible numbers. The nest of the Chimango is built on trees or bushes in 

 swamps or on the ground among grass and thistles. The eggs, usually three or 

 four in number, are nearly spherical in shape, and creamy white blotched with 

 deep red in color. The location of the nest is easy to determine, as the parents 

 when returning invariably utter a series of long mournful notes. When a nest 

 containing young is discovered and visited by man, the old birds apparently 

 always remove the young within a few hours to a place of safety, a very rare 

 practice among birds. 



Red-throated Falcon. One of the most remarkable members of the Poly- 

 borincz is the Red-throated Falcon (Ibycter americanus), a bird of very striking 



