6 BIRDS OF TIEKRA DEL FUEGO 



la province de Corrientes, actif autant que juclicieux, s'empressant 

 autour du troupeau que, seul, il conduit, surveille et ramcne, 

 n'en laisser jamais impunement approcher un Canicara. Le 

 voyao'eur a pu se croire entierement seul au sein des vastes 

 solitudes . . . erreur ; des botes caches I'y accompagnent. 

 Qu'il suspende sa marche; et, soudain, il verra plusieurs Cara- 

 cards paraitre aux environs, se percher sur les arbres voisins, ou 

 attendre, aupres, les restes de son repas. Eux repus, et le 

 voyageur endormi, plus de Car^cards, jusqu'au lendemain . . . 

 mais ils partent avec lui, le suivent toujours, sans se montrer, 

 et ne reparaitront de nouveau qu'a sa balte procbaine." 



" Met-on, enfin, le feu a la campagne, pour renouveler les 

 paturages ? Le Caracara, le premier, plane sur ce theatre de 

 destruction, et vient y saisir, au passage, tous les pauvres 

 animaux q'une fuite rapide allait derober a leur perte." 



"It is a feature in the landscape of these countries," says 

 Darwin, "which will be recognized by everyone who has wandered 

 over them. Although they 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 

 the sea beach, for the sake of picking up whatever the waters 

 may cast on shore. In Tierra del Fuego, and on the west coast 

 of Patagonia, they must live almost exclusively on this last 

 means of supply." 



" A person will discover their necrophagous habits 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 patiently watching him with an evil eye." 



" Its flight is generally heavy and slow. It seldom soars, 

 but I have twice seen one at a great height gliding through 

 the air with much ease. It runs, in contradistinction to hopping, 

 but not so quickly as some of its congeners. Its cry is loud, 

 very harsh and peculiar, and may be compared to the sound of 

 the Spanish guttural (r, followed by a rough double r7\" 



