^"^^^ Notices of Books, 



Patagonia, until we were very hungry) can answer for is far fronl 

 being the case with the flesh of the carrancha, or Polyborus Brasili- 

 ensis. It is a strange anomaly that any of the Falconidse should 

 possess such perfect powers of running as is the case with this bird, 

 and likewise with the Phalcobaenus montanus of D'Oibigny. It 

 perhaps indicates an obscure relationship with the gallinaceous order, 

 a relation which M. D'Orbigny suggests is still more plainly shown 

 in the secretary bird, which he believes represents in Southern Africa 

 the Polyborinae of America. The Milvago leucurus is a noisy bird, 

 and utters several harsh cries, of which one is so like that of the Eng- 

 lish rook that the sealers always call it by this name. It is a curious 

 circumstance, as showing how, in allied species, small details of habit 

 accompany similar structure, that these hawks throw their heads up- 

 wards and backwards in the same strange manner as the carranchas 

 (the tharu of Molina) have been described to do.' The following par- 

 ticulars respecting the nidification of this species are extracted from 

 a very interesting paper on the birds of the Falkland Islands, contri- 

 buted by Captain C. C. Abbott to the third volume of the ' Ibis' : — 

 This is one of the commonest birds in East Falkland ; one or two of 

 their nests are sine to be found near a penguin rookery. During an 

 expedition I made to the North Camp in December, 1860, I found at 

 least fifteen nests along the cliffs of the north shore ; all these had two 

 young ones in them, covered with down of a light yellow colour. The 

 nest is generally composed of the dead fibres of the tussac grass, and 

 frequently has some sheep's wool in it. The eggs are laid the first 

 week in November, and are generally two, sometimes three, in num- 

 ber. In a nest that I once robbed of three eggs, on going to it again 

 about a week later, I was surprised to find two more laid, one of 

 which was a very light-coloured one. * * * * I once had my cap 

 knocked off by this bird while taking its eggs, and had it not been 

 for a friendly piece of tussac growing near, I should have fallen into 

 the sea from the perpendicular cliff where the nest was situated.' The 

 iris in this caracara is dark brown ; the cere, legs and feet are a bright 

 lemon-yellow, and the bare skin of the crop is of the same colour, but 

 paler and not so bright. In immature birds the cere and feet are of a 

 slaty colour." — P. 20. 



Edward Newman. 



