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Show 30 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. . . f h same brown as the rest of the upper sur-about!- of an mch Wide, 0 .t e dir; brown. Tail-coverts; upper face; extremities tippeddwtth veryh;alewith ~mall brown spots on the shaft ones brown and the un er ones w 1 e, h towards th~ir extremities. Under surface.- Chin, pale fulvous, or oc re ellow. Breast, belly, thighs and under tail-coverts the same; the feathers ~n the lower part of the breast and on the belly have a dark bro~n mark alon the shaft, which widens but very little towards the extre.nnty ; the bro:n on those on the upper part of the breast and on the throat 1s broader, and some of the feathers are of a darker fulvous, and as the dark brown of the back encroaches on each side, this part is much dar~er th~n the rest ~f the under surface. Above this, and just beneath the chm, a kmd of collar 1s formed from ear to ear, of short feathers of a more st~o?gly pro~ounced fulvous tint with a narrow brown streak on their shafts. Lmmg of wmgs, and flanks alm~st white, with transverse brown bars. Under side of tail pale gr~y passing into fulvous, with the terminal dark brown b~rs seen throug~. ~Ill, horn-coloured, with some white markings towards 1ts base; tarsi bnght yellow. FonM.-Third primary rather longer than fourth, second equal to fifth; fi~st .more nearly equal to the sixth than to the seventh. Wings reach~ng w1thm an inch of the end of the tail. Feathers on thighs depend but little below the knee. In. In. Total length 22 Tarsi 3k Wings folded 17 Middle toe to end of claw 2i Tail IO! From tip of bill to nearest part of cere m Habitat, Maldonado, La Plata, (July.) This hawk was not uncommon on the grassy savannahs and hills in the neighbourhood of the Rio Plata. Mr. Gould remarks "that in size it fully equals the Circus ceruginosus of Europe, which it doubtless represents in the countries it inhabits. This species has a remarkable specific character in the lanceolate and conspicuous stripes down its breast." 2. Cmcus CINERIUs. Vieill. Circus cincrius, Vieill. Ency. Moth. Falco histrionicus, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. autour du monde, Plate 15. Circus histrionicus, Vi9ors, Zoological Journal, vol. iii. p. 425, note. My specimens were obtained at the Falkland Islands, and at Concep~ion in Chile. M. D'Orbigny states that it is a wild bird ; but at the Falkland Islands it BIRDS. 31 was, for one of its order, very tame. The same author gives a curious account of its habits: in a different manner from other raptorial birds, when it has killed its prey, it does not fly to a neighbouring tree, but devours it on the spot. It roosts on the ground, either on the top of a sand hillock, or by the bank of a stream : it sometimes walks, instead of hopping, and when doing so, it has some resemblance in general habit to the Milvago cltimango. It preys on small quadrupeds, mollus~ cous animals, and even insects; and I find in my notes, that I saw one in the Falkland Islands, feeding on the carrion of a dead cow. Although in these respects this Ci1·cus manifests some relation in its habits with the Polyborince, yet it has the elegant and soaring flight, peculiar to its family; and in form it does not depart from the typical structure. Mr. Gould remarks that "we see in this elegant bird as perfect an analogue of the Circus cyaneus of Europe, as in the preceding species of the Ci1·cus te1·uginosus." FAMILY.-STRI GI D lE. Sun-FAM.-SURNIN lE. ATHENE CUNICULARIA. Bonap. Strix cunicularia, Mol. Bonap. Am. Omi. I. 68. pl. 7. f. 2. This bird, from its numbers and the striking peculiarities of its habits has been mentioned in the works of all travellers, who have crossed the Pampas. In Banda Oriental it is its own workman, and excavates its burrow on any level spot of sandy soil ; but in the Pampas, or wherever the Bizcacha is found, it uses those made by that animal. During the open day, but more especially in the evening, these owls may be seen in every direction standing frequently by pairs on the hillock near their habitation. If disturbed, they either enter the hole, or, uttering a shrill harsh cry, move with a remarkably undulatory flight to a short distance, and then turning round, steadily gaze at their pursuer. Occasionally in the evening they may be heard hooting. I found in the stomachs of two which I opened the remains of mice; and I saw a small snake killed and carried away by one. It is said that reptiles are the common object of their prey during the day time. Before I was aware, from the numbers of mice caught in my traps, how vastly numerous the small rodents are in these open countries, I felt much surprise how such infinite numbers of owls could find sufficient means of support. I never saw this bird south of the Rio Negro, (Lat. 41° S.) In North America they frequent only the trans-Mississippian territories in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains. The account given by Say of their habits, agrees with what |