14 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. 



I did not perceive that the species were different ; hence I cannot speak with 

 certainty of their range, but it would appear probable that the 31. pezoporus 

 replaces in Chile, Tierra del Fuego and Southern Patagonia the 31. chimango 

 of La Plata. In the same manner the 31. chimango is replaced between the 

 latitudes of Buenos Ayres and Corrientes by a third closely allied species, the 

 31. ochrocephalus. D'Orbigny, (p. 614, in the Zoological part of his work) 

 speaking of the Chimango, says, " 11 n'est pas etonnant qu'on ait long-temps 

 confondu cette espece avec lefalco degener, Illiger, (the 31, ochrocephalus) et qu'on 

 l'ait cm de sa famille. II est impossible de presenter plus de rapports de 

 forme et surtout de couleur. Nous les avions, nous-meme confondus au pre- 

 mier abord ; mais, en remarquant, ulterieurement, que le sujet que nous re- 

 gardions comme le male ne se trouvait qu'a Corrientes, tandis qu'il y avait 

 seulement des femelles sur les rives de la Plata, l'etude plus attentive des 

 moeurs de ces oiseaux, et les localites respectives qu'habite chacun d'eux, ne 

 tarda pas a nous y faire reconnaitre, avec Azara, deux especes vraiment tres- 

 distinctes ; mais qui, depuis, ont encore ete confondues, sous la meme nom, par 

 M. la Prince Maximilien de Neuwied. *" I may observe that the figure given 

 in Meyen's work, has the iris coloured bright red, instead of which it should have 

 been brown. 



2. MlLVAOO CHIMANGO. 



Polyborus chimango, Vieill. 



Haliaetus chimango, Less. 



Chimango, Azar. Voyage, vol. iii. p. 35. 



My specimen was obtained at Maldonado, on the banks of the Plata. In the 

 following short account of the habits of this bird, it must be understood that 

 I have confounded together, the 31. chimango and the 31. pezoporus; but I 

 am certain that almost every remark is applicable to both species. From what 

 has been said under the last head, it may be inferred, that both of these allied 

 birds have comparatively limited ranges, compared with that of the P. Brasiliensis. 

 Azara says the Chimango (and he first distinguished this species from the 

 31. ochrocephalus, or 31. chimachima) is rarely found so far north as Paraguay. 

 D'Orbigny saw the Chimango (31. pezoporus ?) at Arica in lat. 16°, and I killed 

 the 31. pezoporus in the extreme southern point of America, in lat. 55° 30' south. 



The Chimango, in La Plata, lives chiefly on carrion, and generally is the last 

 bird of its tribe which leaves the skeleton, and hence it may frequently be seen 

 standing within the ribs of a cow or horse, like a bird in a cage. The Chimango 

 often frequents the sea-coast and the borders of lakes and swamps, where it picks 

 up small fish. It is truly omnivorous, and will eat even bread, when thrown out 



* Tom. iii. p. 162. 



