Ill 
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 
