i^^'\.] l!\KK(i\\s <>// lllnls of the f.ii.:rr rriii^i/iiy. I I :^ 



and unnilllt'd. to hu skinned lalcr. I laid lluan sohk'W hal (int of 

 sio-lit anionj^' llic pampas L;iass, intc'iuliiii4- to take IIkmii on m\- rc- 

 Inrn in half an hour. At that time, howcxcr. I I'onnd onl\- a 

 couple of Carranchos. each scaled sleepih' in the niidsL of a little 

 circle ori)i()\\'n feathers, am()nu;st which not the smallest morsel of 

 skin, flesh, or Iione was to lie found. 



The ei>\<>\s were laid at Concepcion from the middle of Septcni- 

 lur until late in Xo\ember. ThcN \aiy vcr\' much in color. Init 

 the a\era<4"e egg showed litlle trace of the original ground-crdor, 

 being simply mottknl Avith hea\y dashes, spots, and blotches of 

 several shades of brown. Eggs average 2}^ in. by i^ in. The 

 bulky nests were sometimes placed quite low on the tops of low, 

 spreading trees, one which I found being onlv eight feet from the 

 ground. More often. ho\\ever. the nest is placed at a height of 

 from twenty to fort\' feet. 



140. Cathartes atratus (/>(r /-//-.). CuER^■o (CitowK — Xot 

 seen at all at Conception, but said to have been very nimierous 

 in times of drcMght, when the sheep died faster than \hc\ could be 

 skinned. It was occasionally seen in small mmibers about the 

 Sierras of the Pampas, the last being seen at Carhue, April 4. 



On the Uruguay it was alwavs spoken of as the Cuervo (Crow : 

 Raven) , but aliout Buenos Aires the commoner name was GaJ- 

 Ji iiaza (A'ulture) . 



Notp:. — I am not sure that I e^er saw CatJiartcs aitra. not 

 being familiar \\\i\\ its appearance on the wing, but I tind the 

 following in m\ note-book, under date of JNIarch 4, iSSo, while 

 camped at the foot of the Sierra de la \"entana. 



"Several times since camping here. I ha\e seen a \<:\\ large 

 bird which seems to be larger in bodv than the common Eagle 

 ( G. DiclaitoIcHciis) and with a verv long tail. The\' hunt o\-er 

 the mountains as well as the le\'el groimd, and rise in spirals 

 nearh' as \vell as Maliacf/ts.'" I remember that w hen attacked 

 bv a pair of the latter, \\hich probably had an e^•rie among the 

 crags near bv. thev soon distanced them by rising in spirals, 

 though both species did considerable flapping before the Eagles 

 abandoned the pursuit. I thought at the time, and am still in- 

 clined to believe, that this bird wris Cathartes aura. 

 * 



{ /'o /•<■ coiitiinn-d.) 



