Across the Fields. 269 



seven white eggs, about an inch and three fifths long by an inch and a quarter 

 broad. 



They are found throughout North America, in fact are almost cosmopoli- 

 tan. They breed irregularly and locally from Virginia and Kansas northward. 



During the winter months these birds are often gregarious, and hunt by 

 day as well as in the twilight. Flocks of from twenty to two hundred have 

 been recorded, and I have personally seen such congregations in the winter 

 in New Jersey, where I have also found them breeding near the coast. They 

 are largely mouse hunters, though they occasionally prey on small birds. 



In Southern Florida and on the Mexican border of the United States 

 the Caracara is a common bird, and has in many localities the same scavenger 

 Audubon's Cara- habits that characterize the Buzzards. With these birds 

 cara. they frequent the vicinity of towns and villages, watching 



poiyborus cheriway (jacq.). f^j. ^^^ carrion, and lingering about slaughter houses for the 

 offal thrown aside by the butcher. They also hunt live food for themselves, 

 which consists largely of 'frogs and other small reptiles captured as the birds 

 stalk about in the open country on the ground. When in South Florida, in 

 the region about Lake Okeechobee, these birds frequently visited our camp, 

 and were almost as familiar and tame, though not nearly as abundant, as the 

 Buzzards. Their flight is essentially hawkrlike, direct, swift, and graceful. 



They were breeding during my stay in the above-mentioned region, and 

 on April 13th I found a nest containing young half grown. This nest was 

 built in a pine tree about thirty feet from the ground, and closely resembled 

 an ordinary crow's nest in size and shape, being compact and small for a bird 

 so large as a Caracara. Two other nests found the same day also contained 

 young, and were about twenty feet from the ground in palmetto trees. Two 

 eggs are generally laid. They are cream color or buff, strongly marked and 

 washed with shades of dark brown. They are about two inches and one 

 third long by rather more than an inch and four fifths broad. 



The Caracara is a large bird, about two feet long, with a decidedly 

 eagle-like head, long legs, and rather slim body. The face is bare. The 

 crown is black with elongated feathers, forming almost a crest. The wings 

 and lower back and the belly are black. The throat is yellowish buff. The 

 region between the wings, the back of the neck, and the breast are yellowish 

 buff finely barred with black. The tail is white, tipped and barred clearly 

 with black. The sexes are alike, and young birds are duller, the buff areas 

 replaced by dull browns generally unbarred. 



