(PUCHERAN'S HAWK.)
+Asturina pucherani+, _Scl. et Salv. Ex. Orn._ pl. 89, p. 177; _iid.
Nomencl._ p. 118; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres);
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 187 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_,
1884, p. 30 (Entrerios); _Withington, Ibis_, 1888, p. 469 (Lomas
de Zamora); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ i. p. 205.
_Description._--Above dark brown; upper tail-coverts fulvous barred
with brown; wings deep chestnut, barred and broadly tipped with
black; tail fulvous, with four blackish cross bands: beneath,
abdomen pale ochraceous, barred across with rufous; throat
blackish, with slight white stripes; breast ochraceous, with narrow
black shaft-stripes; thighs ochraceous, narrowly barred with
orange-rufous; bill black; feet dark yellow: whole length 18·0
inches, wing 11·0, tail 8·2. _Female_ similar, but rather larger.
_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.
This brown-plumaged, short-winged, and exceedingly vociferous Hawk is
common in the woods along the shores of the Plata and its tributaries,
and is never found far removed from water. It perches on the summit of a
tree, and sits there motionless for hours at a time, and at intervals
utters singularly long loud cries, which become more frequent and
piercing when the bird is disturbed, as by the approach of a person.
Its flight is rapid and irregular, the short blunt wings beating
unceasingly, while the bird pours out a succession of loud vehement
broken screams.
Mr. Barrows observed it on the Lower Uruguay, and writes:--"It feeds
largely if not exclusively on fish, nearly every specimen having
their remains (and nothing else) in their stomachs." It would be very
interesting to learn how it captures its prey.