CARRION HA WKS 57 



that I changed my opinion ; but now Mr. Gould says that they 

 are certainly distinct ; a conclusion in conformity with the 

 trifling difference of habit, of which, however, he was not 

 aware. 



The number, tameness, and disgusting habits of the carrion- 

 feeding hawks of South America make them pre-eminently 

 striking to any one accustomed only to the birds of Northern 

 Europe. In this list may be included four species of the 

 Caracara or Polyborus, the Turkey buzzard, the Gallinazo, and 

 the Condor. The Caracaras are, from their structure, placed 

 among the eagles : we shall soon see how ill they become so 

 high a rank. In their habits they well supply the place of our 

 carrion-crows, magpies, and ravens ; a tribe of birds widely dis- 

 tributed over the rest of the world, but entirely absent in South 

 America. To begin with the Polyborus Brasiliensis : this is a 

 common bird, and has a wide geographical range ; it is most 

 numerous on the grassy savannahs of La Plata (where it goes 

 by the name of Carrancha), and is far from unfrequent through- 

 out the sterile plains of Patagonia. In the desert between the 

 rivers Negro and Colorado, numbers constantly attend the line 

 of road to devour the carcasses of the exhausted animals which 

 chance to perish from fatigue and thirst. Although thus 

 common in these dry and open countries, and likewise on the 

 arid shores of the Pacific, it is nevertheless found inhabiting the 

 damp impervious forests of West Patagonia and Tierra del 

 Fuego. The Carranchas, together with the Chimango, con- 

 stantly attend in numbers the estancias and slaughtering-houses. 

 If an animal dies on the plain the Gallinazo commences the 

 feast, and then the two species of Polyborus pick the bones 

 clean. These birds, although thus commonly feeding together, 

 are far from being friends. When the Carrancha is quietly 

 seated on the branch of a tree or on the ground, the Chimango 

 often continues for a long time flying backwards and forwards, 

 up and down, in a semicircle, trying each time at the bottom 

 of the curve to strike its larger relative. The Carrancha takes 

 little notice, except by bobbing its head. Although the 

 Carranchas frequently assemble in numbers, they are not 

 gregarious ; for in desert places they may be seen solitary, or 

 more commonly by pairs. 



The Carranchas are said to be very crafty, and to steal great 



