58 MALDONADO 



numbers of eggs. They attempt, also, together with the Chi- 

 mango, to pick off the scabs from the sore backs of horses and 

 mules. The poor animal, on the one hand, with its ears down 

 and its back arched ; and, on the other, the hovering bird, 

 eyeing at the distance of a yard the disgusting morsel, form a 

 picture, which has been described by Captain Head with his 

 own peculiar spirit and accuracy. These false eagles most 

 rarely kill any living bird or animal ; and their vulture-like, 

 necrophagous habits are very evident to any one who has fallen 

 asleep on the desolate plains of Patagonia, for when he wakes, 

 he will see, on each surrounding hillock, one of these birds 

 patiently watching him with an evil eye : it is a feature in 

 the landscape of these countries, which will be recognised by 

 every one who has wandered over them. If a party of men go 

 out hunting with dogs and horses, they will be accompanied, 

 during the day, by several of these attendants. After feeding, 

 the uncovered craw protrudes ; at such times, and indeed 

 generally, the Carrancha is an inactive, tame, and cowardly 

 bird. Its flight is heavy and slow, like that of an English rook. 

 It seldom soars ; but I have twice seen one at a great height 

 gliding through the air with much ease. It runs (in contradis- 

 tinction to hopping), but not quite so quickly as some of its 

 congeners. At times the Carrancha is noisy, but is not 

 generally so : its cry is loud, very harsh and peculiar, and may 

 be likened to the sound of the Spanish guttural g, followed by a 

 rough double r r ; when uttering this cry it elevates its head 

 higher and higher, till at last, with its beak wide open, the 

 crown almost touches the lower part of the back. This fact, 

 which has been doubted, is quite true ; I have seen them 

 several times with their heads backwards in a completely 

 inverted position. To these observations I may add, on the high 

 authority of Azara, that the Carrancha feeds on worms, shells, 

 slugs, grasshoppers, and frogs ; that it destroys young lambs by 

 tearing the umbilical cord ; and that it pursues the Gallinazo, 

 till that bird is compelled to vomit up the carrion it may have 

 recently gorged. Lastly, Azara states that several Carranchas, 

 five or six together, will unite in chase of large birds, even such 

 as herons. All these facts show that it is a bird of very 

 versatile habits and considerable ingenuity. 



The Polyborus Chimango is considerably smaller than the 



