. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. iiii |!^. !'!!'!I^. SOL'TlIKliN CAHAi'AUA â. .lusfnifis !â )'â i, IM h' t if '!^l!!l i. ! 1 1' Tlie SoUTHEiiN Caracara is not ([uite so large as some of its brethren, but is quite as useful and as repulsive a bird. Its length is aliout eighteen inches, and its colour a grcv-l brown upon the back and upper surface, and jialer beneath, diversified with reddisli bands. The thighs are of a banded rusty-red, and the tail is yellowish-grey. The cerel and feet are yellow, and the liill blue-g
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. iiii |!^. !'!!'!I^. SOL'TlIKliN CAHAi'AUA â. .lusfnifis !â )'â i, IM h' t if '!^l!!l i. ! 1 1' Tlie SoUTHEiiN Caracara is not ([uite so large as some of its brethren, but is quite as useful and as repulsive a bird. Its length is aliout eighteen inches, and its colour a grcv-l brown upon the back and upper surface, and jialer beneath, diversified with reddisli bands. The thighs are of a banded rusty-red, and the tail is yellowish-grey. The cerel and feet are yellow, and the liill blue-grey. It is an onniivorous bird, eating vegetable orl animal substances with eijual willingness, and is said to do damage to the potato croplvf digging into the cuttings before they have time to sprout. It maybe that the bird isj urged by the desire of eating, not the potatoes, Init the grubs which talvcn up tlieitl residence therein, and so confers a favour on the ])lanter instt'ad of doing him an injunf This opinion is strengtliened by an oliservation of ^Ir. Darwin, wlm says that he has socii| them by scores following the plough, like English rooks, and picking the worms and gruUl out of the furrows. The ordinary food of the Southern Caracara is vermin and putrid meat, and it iJ believed never to kill either birds or tiuadru}ieds. Tlie llight is very ditferent from tliatl of th(j vulture, being slow, heavy, and laborious, and the bird is never known to soar inl the vulturine fashion, neither does it generally perch on trees, but prefers to seat itsdij upon stones, walls, and similar resting-places. The Southern Caracara is a most imimdent and bird, as may be seen ftml ilr. Darwin's admirable account :â" They actually made an attack on a dog that was lyini| asleep close to one of the party, and the sportsmen had difficulty in preventing'tlir wounded d^er from being seized before their eyes. It is said that several together waiij at the mouth of .i r
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectnaturalhistory
