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24 PICIDJK.

moustaches, but no red nape-band, whereas the more northern C. pitra
of Peru shows a red nape-band in both sexes.

260. COLAPTES AGRICOLA (Malh.).

(PAMPAS WOODPECKER.)

Colaptes agricola, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 101 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549|
(Rio Negro) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25 (Entrerios) ; Wtthington, Ibis, 1888)
p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Colaptes australis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 445 (Parana). Colaptes campestris, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 618
(Misiones).

Description. — Above greyish white, transversely barred with blackish ; wings
Mack, with golden-yellow shafts, and white bars on the outer webs ; rump
white, with smaller black cross bars ; crested head black • sides of head and
whole neck in front yellow ; malar stripe red ; abdomen white, with regular
transverse black bars ; under wing-coverts yellowish white ; bill and feet black :
whole length 13-0 inches, wing 6-8, tail 4-9. Female similar, but no red malar
stripe.

Hab. Argentina and Patagonia.

The species commonly called Carpintero in the Argentine country,
and ranging south to Patagonia, is one of a group of the Picidae of
South America which diverge considerably in habits from the typical
Woodpeckers. On trees they usually perch horizontally and crosswise,
like ordinary birds, and only occasionally cling vertically to trunks of
trees, using the tail as a support. They also seek their food more on
the ground than on trees, in some cases not at all on trees, and they
also breed oftener in holes in banks or cliffs than in the trunks of
trees. As Darwin remarks in ' The Origin of Species/ in his chapter on
Instinct, these birds have, to some slight extent, been modified structu-
rally in accordance with their less arboreal habits, the beak being
weaker, the rectrices less stiff, and the legs longer than in other Wood-
peckers. In South Brazil and Bolivia the Colaptes campestris repre-
sents this group, in Chili C. pitius, and in the Argentine country
C. agricola.

Azara's description, under the heading El Campestre, probably refers
to the Brazilian species, but agrees so well in every particular with the
pampas Woodpecker that I cannot do better than to quote it in full.

"Though this name (Campestre) seems inappropriate for any Wood-
pecker, no other better describes the present species, since it never
enters forests, nor climbs on trunks to seek for insects under the bark,
but finds its aliment on the open plain, running with ease on the
ground, for its legs are longer than in the others. There it forcibly
strikes its beak into the matted turf, where worms or insects lie con-

COLAPTES AGRICOLA. 25

jaled, and when the ant-hills are moist it breaks into them to feed on
ants or their larvae. It also perches on trees, large or small, on
the trunks or branches, whether horizontal or upright, sometimes in a
liriging position and sometimes crosswise in the manner common to
>irds. Its voice is powerful, and its cry uttered frequently both when
flying and perching. It goes with its mate or family, and is the most
common species in all these countries. It lays two to four eggs, with
white and highly polished shells, and breeds in holes which it excavates
in old walls of mud or of unbaked brick, also in the banks of streams ;
and the eggs are laid on the bare floor without any lining."

In Patagonia, where I have found this bird breeding in the cliffs of
~the Rio Negro, its habits are precisely as A zara says ; but on the pampas
of Buenos Ayres, where the conditions are different, there being no
cliffs or old mud-walls suitable for breeding-places, the bird resorts to
the big solitary ombii tree (Pircunia dioica], which has a very soft
wood, and excavates a hole 7 to 9 inches deep, inclining upwards
near the end, and terminating in a round chamber.

This reversion to an ancestral habit, which (considering the modified
structure of the bird) must have been lost at a very remote period in its
history, is exceedingly curious. Formerly this Woodpecker was quite
common on the pampas. I remember that when I was a small boy
quite a colony lived in the ombu trees growing about my home; now
it is nearly extinct, and one may spend years on the plains without
meeting with a single example.

Mr. Barrows speaks as follows of this species : — " Abundant and
breeding at all points visited. At Concepcion, where it is resident, it
is by far the commonest Woodpecker. The ordinary note very much
resembles the reiterated alarm-note of the Greater Yellow-legs ( Totanus
melanoleucus), but so loud as to be almost painful when close at hand,
and easily heard a mile or more away. They spend much time on the
ground, and I often found the bills, of those shot quite muddy. They
are very tough and hard to kill, and a wounded one shows about as
many sharp points as a Hawk. A nest found near Concepcion,
November 6, 1880, was in the hollow trunk of a tree, the entrance
being through an enlarged crack at a height of some three feet from
the ground. The five white eggs were laid on the rubbish at the
bottom of the cavity, perhaps a foot above the ground. In the treeless
region about the Sierra de la Ventaiia we saw this bird about holes on
the banks of the streams, where it doubtless had nests."

BIOLOGY

LIBRARY COCKED

G k CASE

ARGENTINE ORNITHOLOGY.

DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE

OF THE

BIRDS OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC,

P. L. SCLATER, M.A., PH.D., F.R.S., ETC.
WITH NOTES ON THEIR HABITS

W. H. HUDSON, C.M.Z.S.,

LATE OF BUENOS AYRES.

BURMEISTEKS

VOLUME II.

LONDON:

It. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES ST11EET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, \Y.

1889.

BIOLOGY

LIBRARY

ALERK

FLAMMAM.

PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

PEEFACE TO THE SECOND VOLUME.

THIS volume contains our account of all the Orders of Birds met
with within the Argentine Republic except the Passeres, which
were treated of in the First Volume. It also comprises an
Appendix and Index, and completes the work. The Intro-
duction is issued with this, but is intended to be bound up with
the first volume, and is paged to follow the contents of that
volume.

The total number of species which we have thus assigned to
the Argentine Avifauna is 434. To this list, no doubt, consider-
able additions will have to be made when the more remote
provinces of the Republic have been explored. We trust that
this work may at least serve to excite residents in Argentina to
make fresh investigations, for we are quite aware how imperfect
is the compilation now offered to the public.

It will be seen that in the following pages, as in the first
volume, we have availed ourselves liberally of the information on
Argentine birds contained in the writings of Dr. Burmeister,
Mr. Barrows, and Mr. Gibson. To all of these gentlemen we
wish to offer our most sincere thanks, together with apologies for

255159

iv PREFACE.

the liberty we have taken. We have likewise to express our high
estimation of the valuable notes which we have extracted from
the published writings of the late Henry Durnford and Ernest
William White, both most promising Naturalists, and both alike
lost to Science at an early age. Nor must we omit to record our
thanks to Hans, Graf von Berlepsch, of Miinderi, Mr. Walter
B. Barrows, and Mr. Frank Withington, and other friends and
correspondents who have aided us by information and by the loan
of specimens.

To the Zoological Society of London and to Mr. Henry
Seebohm we are likewise much indebted for the loan of the wood-
cuts of which impressions are contained in these volumes.

P. L. S.
February \, 1889.

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

Order II. MACROCHIRES.

Fam. XX. TROCHILID^E, or HUMMING-BIRDS.

Page

230. Oreotrochilus leucopleurus , Gould. (White-sided Humming-

bird.) 1

231. Chatocercus* burmeisteri, Scl. (Burmeister's Humming-

bird.) [Plate XL] 2

232. Sparganura sappho (Lesson). (Sappho Humming-bird.). . 3

233. Petasophora serrirostris (Vieill.). (Violet-eared Humming-

bird.) 3

234. Patagona gigas (Vieill.). (Giant Humming-bird.) ... 4

235. Calliperidia furcifera (Shaw). (Angela Humming-bird.) . 5

236. Leucippus chionogaster (Tsch.). (White-breasted Humming-

bird.) . 7

237. Leucochloris albicollis (Vieill.). (White-throated Humming-

bird.) 7

238. Chrysuronm ruficollis (Vieill.). (Golden-tailed Humming-

bird.) . . 8

239. Hylocharis sapphirina (Gm.). (Red-throated Humming-

bird.) 8

210. Chlorostilbon splendidus (Vieill.). (Glittering Humming-

bird.) 9

Tarn. XXI. CYPSELID^, or SWIFTS.

211. Hemiprocne zonaris (Shaw). (Ringed Spine-tailed Swift.) . 11

Far

242. Podage

243. Chordei

244. Antrost

245. Stenops

246. Hi/drop

[Plat

247. Heleoth

Order III. P1CI.
Fam. XXIII. PICID^E, or WOODPECKERS.

248. Campephilus boiai (Wagl.). (Boie's Woodpecker.) . .

249. Campephilus schulzi (Cab.). (Schulz's Woodpecker.) .

250. Dryocopus erythrops (Val.) . (Red- faced Woodpecker.)

17
18
18

251. Picus mixtus, Bodd. (Varied Woodpecker.) 19

252. Picus cactorum, d'Orb. et Lafr. (Cactus Woodpecker.) . . 19

253. Chloronerpes affims (Wagl.). (Allied Woodpecker.) ... 20

254. Chloronerpes frontalis, Cab. (Red-fronted Woodpecker.) . . 20

255. Chloronerpes aurulentus (Liclit.). Gold-backed Woodpecker.) 21

256. Chloronerpes tucumanus, Cab. (Tucuman Woodpecker.) . . 21

257. Chrysoptilus cristatus (Vieill.). (Red-crested Woodpecker.) 21

258. Leuconerpes candidus (Otto) . (White-bellied Woodpecker.) . 23

259. Colaptes longirostris, Cab. (Long-billed Woodpecker.) . . 23

260. Colaptes agricola (Malh.). (Pampas Woodpecker.) ... 24

Order IV. COCCYGES.
Fam. XXIV. ALCEDINID^E, or KINGFISHERS.

261. Ceryle torquata (Linn.). (Ringed Kingfisher.) . . . . . 26

262. Ceryle amazona (Lath.). (Amazonian Kingfisher.) ... 27

263. Ceryle americana (Gm.). (Little Kingfisher.) 27

CONTENTS OF VOL. II. vii

Page
Fam. XXV. TROGONID^E, or TROGONS.

264;. Trogon variegatus, Spix. (Purple-breasted Trogon.) ... 29

265. Trogon surucura, Vieill. (Azara's Trogon.) 29

Fam. XXVI. BUCCONHXE, or PUFF-BIRDS.

266. Bucco maculatus (Gm.). (Spotted Puff-bird.) 30

Fam. XXVII. CUCULID^E, or CUCKOOS.

267. Crotophaga aniy Linn. (Black Ani.) 31

268. Guira piririgua (Vieill.). (Guira Cuckoo.) 32

269. Diplopterus ncevius (Gm.). (Brown Cuckoo.) 35

270. Piaya cay ana (Linn.). (Chestnut Cuckoo.) 36

271. Coccyzus americanus (Linn.). (Yellow-billed Cuckoo.) . . 37

272. Coccyzus melanocoryphus, Vieill. (Black-billed Cuckoo.) . 38

273. Coccyzus cinereus, Vieill. (Cinereous Cuckoo.) [Plate

XIII.] ^ 38

274. Coccyzus pumilus, Strickl. (Dwarf Cuckoo.) 39

Fam. XXVIII. RHAMPHASTID^E, or TOUCANS.

275. Rhamphastos toco, Gm. (Toco Toucan.) 40

Order V. PSITTACI.

Fam. XXIX. PSITTACID^, or PARROTS.

276. Conurus patagonus (Vieill.). (Patagonian Parrot.) ... 41

277. Conurus acuticaudatus (Vieill.). (Sharp-tailed Parrot.) . . 42

278. Conurus mitratus, Tsch. (Mitred Parrot.) 43

279. Conurus molina, Mass, et Souanc. (Molina's Parrot.) [Plate

XIV.] 43

280. Bolborhynchus monachus (Bodd.). (Green Parrakeet.) . . 43

281. BolborhynchusaymaraitfQifo.). (Aymara Parrakeet.) [Plate

XV.] 46

viii CONTENTS OF VOL. IT.

Page

282. Bolborhynchus rubrirostris (Burrn.). (Red-billed Parrakeet.) 46

283. Chrysotis vinacea (Max.). (Vinaceous Amazon.) .... 46

284. Chrysotis (estiva (Linn.). (Blue-fronted Amazon.) ... 47

285. Pionus maximiliani (Kuhl) . (Prince Maximilian's Parrot.) . 47

Order VI. STEIGES.
Fam. XXX. STRIGIDJE, or BARN-OWLS.

286. Strix flammea, Linn. (Common Barn-Owl.) 48

Fam. XXXI. BUBONIDJE, or OWLS.

287. Asio brachyotus (Forst.). (Short-eared Owl.) 49

288. Bubo virginianus (Gin.). (Virginian Owl.) 50

289. Scops brasilianw (Gm.). (Choliba Owl.) 51

290. Speotyto cumcularia (Mol.). (Borrowing-Owl.) 52

291. Glaucidium nanum (King) . (Pygmy Owl.) 56

Order VII. ACCIPITRES.
Fam. XXXII. FALCONIDJB, or FALCONS.

292. Circus cinereus, Vieill. (Cinereous Harrier.) 57

293. Circus macropterus, Vieill. (Long-winged Harrier.) . . . f>8

294. Asturina pucker ani, Verr. (Pucheran's Hawk.) 58

295. Buteo swainsoni, Bp. (Swainson's Buzzard.) [Plate XVI.] 59

296. Buteo albicaudatus, Vieill. (White-tailed Buzzard.) . . .61

297. Buteo erythronotus (King). (Red-backed Buzzard.) ... 62

298. Antenor unicinctus (Temm.). (One-banded Buzzard.) . . 63

299. Htterospizias meridionaHs (Lath.). (Brown Buzzard.) . . 63

300. Geranoaetus melanoleucus (Vieill.). (Chilian Eagle.) ... 64

301. Harpy haliaetus coronatus (Vieill.). (Crowned Harpy.) . . 66

302. Geranospizias c&rulescens (Vieill.) . (Grey Crane-Hawk.) . 67

303. Falco peregrinus, Linn. (Peregrine Falcon.) 67

CONTENTS OF VOL. II. ix

Page

304. Falcofusco-ccerulescem, Vieill. (Orange-chested Hobby.) . 69

305. Tinnunculus cinnamominus (Sw.). (Cinnamomeous Kestrel.) 69

306. Elanus leucurus (Vieill.). (White-tailed Kite.) .... 71

307. Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieill.). (Sociable Marsh-Hawk.) . 72

308. Spiziapteryx circumcinctus (Kaup). (Spot-winged Falcon.) 73

309. Mill-ago chimango (Vieill.). (Chimango Carrion-Hawk.) . 74

310. Polyborm tharus (Mol.) . (Carancho Carrion -Hawk.). . . 81

Fam. XXXIII. CATHARTIC or CONDORS.

311. Cathartes aura (Linn.). (Turkey- Vulture.) 89

312. Cathartes atratus (Bartram). (Black Vulture.) .... 89

313. Sarcorhamphus griffons (Linn.). (Great Condor.) ... 90

Order VIII. STEGANOPODES.
Fam. XXXiV. PHALACROCORACID^, or CORMORANTS.

314. Phalacrocorax brasilianus (Gm.). (Brazilian Cormorant.) . 91

Order IX. HERODIONES.
Fam. XXXV. ARDEID^E, or HERONS.

315. Ardea cocoi, Linn. (Cocoi Heron.) 93

316. Ardea egretta, Gm. (White Egret.) 98

317. Ardea candidisdma, Gm. (Snowy Egret.) 99

318. Ardea carulea, Linn. (Blue Heron.) 99

319. Ardea sibilatrix, Temm. (Whistling Heron.) 100

320. Butorides cyanurus (Vieill.) . (Little Blue Heron.) ... 101

321. Arddta involucris (Vieill.). (Variegated Heron.) [Plate

XVII.] 101

322. Tlgrisoma marmoratuin (Vieill.) . (Marbled Tiger-Bittern.) 104

323. Nycticorax ibscurus, Bp. (Dark Night-Heron.) .... 105

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

Earn. XXXVI. CICONIID^E, or STORKS.

324. Myderia americana, Linn. (Jabiru.) 106

325. Euxenura maguari (Gm.). (Maguari Stork.) 106

326. Tantalus loculator, Linn. (Wood-Ibis.) 108

Earn. XXXVII. PLATALEID^E, or IBISES.

327. Plegadis guarauna (Linn.). (White-faced Ibis.) .... 109

328. Theristicus caudatus (Bodd.) . (Black-faced Ibis.) .. . . 110

329. Harpiprion ccerulescens (Vieill.). (Plumbeous Ibis.) . . . 112

330. Phimosus infuscatus (Licht.). (Whispering Ibis.) . . . 113

331. Ajaja rosea, Reichenb. (Roseate Spoonbill.) 114

Fam. XXXVIII. PHCENICOPTERID^E, or FLAMINGOES.

332. Phosnicopterus ignipalliatus, Geoffr. et d'Orb. (Argentine

Flamingo.) 117

333. Phcenicopterus andinus, Philippi. (Andean Flamingo.) . . 119

Order X. ANSERES.

Fam. XXXIX. PALAMEDEID.E, or SCREAMERS.

334. Chauna chavaria (Linn.). (Crested Screamer.) . . . . 119

Fam. XL. ANATID^E, or DUCKS.

335. Bernida melanoptera (Eyton). (Andean Goose.) . . . . 122

336. Bernida dispar, Ph. et Landb. (Barred Upland Goose.) . 123

337. Bernida poliocephala, Gray. (Ashy-headed Goose.) . . . 124

338. Cygnus nigricollis, Gm. (Black-necked Swan.) [Plate

XVIII.] 124

339. Coscoroba Candida (Vieill.). (Coscoroba Swan.) .... 126

340. Dendrocygna fulva (Gm.) . (Fulvous Tree-Duck.) . . . . 126

341. Dendrocygna viduata (Linn.). (White-faced Tree-Duck.) . 128

342. Sarcidiornis carunculata (Licht.). (Crested Duck.) . . . 128

343. Cairina moschata (Linn.). (Muscovy Duck.) 129

344. Heteronetta melanocephala (Vieill.). (Black-headed Duck.) 130

CONTENTS OF VOL. II. xi

Page

345. Querquedula cyanoptera (Vieill.). (Blue-winged Teal.) . . 130

346. Querquedula flavirostris (Vieill.). (Yellowed-billed Teal.) . 131

347. Querquedula versicolor (Vieill.). (Grey Teal.) 131

348. Querquedula torquata (Vieill.). (Ring-necked Teal.) . . 132

349. Querquedula brasiliensis (Gm.). (Brazilian Teal.) .... 133

350. Dafila spinicauda (Vieill.). (Brown Pintail.) 134

351. Dafila bahamensis (Linn.). (Bahama Pintail.) 135

35.2. Mareca sibilatrix (Poepp.). (Chiloe Wigeon.) 135

353. Spatula platalea (Vieill.). (Red Shoveller.) 136

354. Metopiana peposaca (Vieill.) . (Rosy-billed Duck.) . . . 137

355. Erismaturaferruginea, Eyton. (Rusty Lake-Duck.) . . 138

356. Nomonyx dominicus (Linn.). (White-winged Lake-Duck.) . 138

Order XI. COLUMBJE.
Fam. XLI. COLUMBID^E, or PIGEONS.

357. Columba plcazvro, Temm. (Picazuro Pigeon.) 139

358. Columba maculosa, Temm. (Spot-winged Pigeon.) . . . 140

359. Zenaida maculata (Vieill.). (Spotted Dove.) 141

360. Metriopelia melanoptera (MoL). (Black-winged Dove.) . . 142

361. Metriopelia aymara (Knip et Prev.) (Aymara Dove.) . . 142

362. Columbula picui (Temm.). (Picui Dove.) 143

363. Chamceptlia talpacoti (Temm.). (Talpacoti Dove.) . . . 144
361. Engyptila chalcauchenia (Scl. et Salv.) (Solitary Pigeon.). 144

Order XII. GALLING.
Fam. XLII. CRACID^E, or CURASSOWS.

305. Crax sclateri, G. R. Gray. (Sclater's Curassow.) .... 145

366. Penelope obscura, Temm. (Dark Guan.) . 146

367. Pipile cumanensis (Jacq.). (White-headed Guan.) . . . 146

368. Or tails canicollis, Wagl. (Hoary-necked Guan.) .... 147

xii CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

Order XIV. GERANOMORPH^E.

Fam. XLIII. RALLID^, or RAILS.

Page

369. Rallus maculates, Bodd. (Spotted Rail.) [Plate XIX.] . 148

370. Rallus antarcticus, King. (Antarctic Rail.) 148

371. Eallus rhytirhynchus, Vieill. (Black Rail.) 149

372. Rallus nigricans, Vieill. (Plumbeous Rail.) 150

373. Aramides ypecaha (Vieill.). (Ypecaha Rail.) - 150

374. Porzana leucopyrrha (Vieill.). (Red-and-Wliite Crake.) . 154

375. Porzana salinasi (Philippi). (Spot-winged Crake.) . . . 155

376. Porzana notata (Gould) . (Marked Crake.) 155

377. Porphyriops melanops (Vieill.). (Little Waterhen.) . . . 156

378. GaUinula galeata (Licht.) . (American Waterhen.) . . . 156

379. Fulica armillata, Vieili. (Red-gartered Coot.) 157

380. Fulica leucopyga, Hartl. (Red-fronted Coot.) 157

381. Fulica leucoptera, Vieill. (Yellow-billed Coot.) .... 158

Fam. XLIV. ARAMIDJE, or COURLANS.

382. Aramus scolopaceus (Gm.). (Southern Courlan.) . . . 159

Fam. XLV. CARIAMID^l, or CARIAMAS.

383. Cariama cristata (Linn.) . (Crested Cariama.) .... 161

384. Clmnga burmeisteri (Hartl.). (Burmeister's Cariama.) . . ]62

Order XV. LLMICOL/E.

Fam. XLVI. PARRID^E, or JACANAS.

385. Parra jacana, Linn. (The Jacana.) 163

Fam. XLVII. CHARADRIID^E, or PLOVERS.

386. Vanellus cayennensis (Gm.). (Cayenne Lapwing.) . . . 165

387. Charadrius dominicus, Miiller. (American Golden Plover.) 170

CONTENTS OF VOL. II. xiii

Pa^e

388. Eudromias modest a (Licht.). (Winter Plover.) . . . . 171

389. Mgialitis falUandica (Lath.). (Patagonian Sand-Plover.) . 172

390. Mgialitis collaris (Vieill.). (Azara's Sand- Plover.) ... 173

391. Oreophilus ruficollis (Wagl.). (Slender-billed Plover.) . . 174

392. Hcematopus palliatus, Temm. (American Oyster-catcher.) . 176

Fam. XLVIII. THINOCORID^], or SEED-SNIPES.

393. Thinocorus rumicivorus, Eschsch. (Common Seed-Snipe.) . 176

394. Thinocorus orbignyanus, Geoftr. et Less. (D'Orbigny's Seed-

Snipe.) 178

Fam. XLIX. SCOLOPACID^E, or SNIPES.

395. Himantopus brasiliensis, Brehm. (Brazilian Stilt.) . . . 179

396. Phalaropus wilsoni, Sabine. (Wilson's Phalarope.) . . . 180

397. Gallinago paraguaice (Vieill.). (Paraguay Snipe.) . . . 181

398. Rhynchaa semicollaris (Vieill.). (Painted Snipe.) ... 182

399. Tringa maculata, Vieill. (Pectoral Sandpiper.) .... 183

400. Tringa bairdi (Cones) . (Baird's Sandpiper.) . . . . . 184

401. Tringa fuscicollis, Vieill. (Bonaparte's Sandpiper.) . . . 185

402. Calidris arenaria (Linn.). (Sanderling.) 186

403. Tot anus melanoleucus (Gin.). (Greater Yellowshank.) . . 186

404. Tot anus flavipes (Gm.). (Lesser Yellowshank.) .... 187

405. Rhyacophilus solitarius (Wils ) . (Solitary Sandpiper.) . . 188

406. Actiturus bartramius (Wils.). (Bartram's Sandpiper.) . . 189

407. Try ngites mfrscens (Vieill.). (Buff-breasted Sandpiper.) . 190

408. Limosa hfemastica (Linn.). (Hudsonian Godwit.) . . . . 191

409. Numenius borealis (Forst.) . (Esquimo Curlew.) .... 192

Order XVI. GAVLE.

Fam. L. LARID^E, or GULLS.

410. Rhynchops melanura, Sw. (Black-tailed Skimmer.) . . . 193

411. Phaethusa magnirostris (Licht.). (Great-billed Tern.) . . 194

xiv CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

Page

412. Sterna maxima, Bodd. (Great Tern.) 195

413. Sterna trudeauii, Aud. (Trudeau's Tern.) 195

414. Sterna hirundinacea, Less. (Gassings Tern.) 196

415. Sterna super ciliaris, Yieill. (Eyebrowed Tern.) .... 197

416. Larus dominie anus, Licht. (Dominican Gull.) 197

417. Larus maculipennis, Licht. (Spot-winged Gull.) .... 198

418. Larus cirrhocephalm, Yieill. (Grey-capped Gull.) . . . 201

Order XVII. PYGOPODES.

Fam. LI. PODICIPEDID^, or GREBES.

419. jfichmophorus major (Bodd.). (Great Grebe.) 202

420. Podiceps caliparceus, Less. (Bright-cheeked Grebe.) . . . 204

421. Podiceps rollandi, Quoy et Gaim. (Holland's Grebe.) . . 204

422. Tachybaptes dominions (Linn.) (American Dabchick.) . . 205

423. Podilymbus podiceps (Linn.). (Thick-billed Grebe.) . . . 206

Order XVIII. IMPENNES.

Fam. LII. APTENODYTIMJ, or PENGUINS.

424. Spheniscus demersus (Forst.). (Jackass Penguin.) . . . 206

Order XIX. CRYPTURI.

Fam. LIII. TINAMID/E, or TINAMOUS.

425. Crypturus obsoletus, Temm. (Brown Tinamou.) .... 207

426. Crypturus tataupa, Temm. (Tataupa Tinamou.) .... 208

427. Rhynchotus rvfescens (Temm.). (Great Tinamou.) . . . 209

428. Nothoprocta pentlandi (Gray). (Pentland's Tinamou.) . . 210

429. Nothoprocta cinerascens (Burm.). (Cinereous Tinamou.) . 210

CONTENTS OF VpL. II. xv

430. Nothura maculosa (Temm.) . (Spotted Tinamou.) . . . . 211

431. Nothura darwini, Gray. (Darwin's Tinamou.) [Plate XX.] 213

432. Calodromaselegansfi'Orb.et Geoffr.). (Martineta Tinamou.) 214

Order XXI. STRUTH1ONES.

Fam. LIV. RHEID^E, or RHEAS.

433. Rhea americana, Lath. (Common Rhea.) 216

434. Rhea darwini, Gould. (Darwin's Rhea.) 219

APPENDIX 221

I. List of the principal Authorities upon the Ornithology of the

Argentine Republic referred to in the present Work . . 221

II. List of some of the principal Localities where Collections

have been made, mentioned in this Work 231

INDEX 233

LIST OF PLATES IN VOL. II.

Plate Page

XI. CH.ETOCERCUS BURMEISTERI 2

XII. HYDROPSALTS FURCIFERA 15

XIII. COCCYZUS CINEREUS 38

XIV. CONURUS MOLINA ...,,. 43

XV. BOLBORHYNCHUS AYMARA ...,,...,,. 46

XVI. BUTEO SWAINSONI 59

XVII. ARDETTA INVOLUCRIS 101

XVIII. CYGNUS NIGRICOLLIS , , 124

XIX. RALLUS MACULATUS , , 148

XX. NOTHURA DARWINI , 213

ARGENTINE ORNITHOLOGY.

Order II. MACROCHIRES.

Fam. XX. TROCHILIDJE, OR HUMMING-BIRDS.

OF the great American family Trochilidse, which, according to the
most recent authorities, contains about 450 species, eleven members
have been ascertained to occur within the limits of the Argentine
Republic. But of these only three ( Calliperidia furcifera, Hylocharis sap-
phirina, and Chlorostilbon splendidus) reach the neighbourhood of Buenos
Ayres, where they occur as summer visitors. The remaining eight
have been met with only in the northern and western provinces of
Argentina. Of these two (Oreotrochilus leucopleurus and Patagona gigas)
are also found in Chili, the others are Bolivian and South-Brazilian
species.

230. OREOTROCHILUS LEUCOPLEURUS, Gould.
(WHITE-SIDED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Oreotrochilus leucopleurus, ScL et Salv. NotwncL p. 81; White, P. Z. S.
1882, p. 615 (Catamarca) ; Elliot, Syn. Track, p. 36 ; Gould, Mon. Troch. ii.
pi. 71.

Description. — Head, upper surface, and wings greyish olive-brown, passing
into dull coppery green on the upper tail-coverts ; two central tail-feathers and
outer one bronzy green, the others white, narrowly edged externally with
brown ; throat shining green, bordered below by a band of black with bluish
reflexions ; flanks olive-brown ; breast and sides of belly white ; centre of belly
black with steel-blue reflexions ; under tail-coverts olive : whole length 5'0
inches, wing 2- 7, tail 2'1. Female above like the male ; beneath white, throat
densely spotted with brown ; flanks brownish.

Hob. Chili and Northern Argentina.

VOL. II. B

2 TROCHILID^E.

White obtained a single specimen of this Humming-bird in Septem-
ber 1880, at Fuerte de Andalgala, in Catamarca. It is a well-known
species in Chili,, where, according to Gould, " it inhabits the sheltered
valleys of the Andes, just below the line of perpetual congelation/'

231. CH^TOCEECUS BUEMEISTEBI, Scl.
(BURMEISTEE/S HUMMING-BIRD.)

[PLATE XI.]
Chaetocercus burmeisteri, Scl P. Z. S. 1887, p. 639.

Description. — Bill straight, entirely black and as long as the head ; whole
upper part of the body of a dark green metallic colour, except the wings, which
are black ; the small feathers of the throat on the under jaw are whitish with a
darker spot in the middle ; there begins on the throat the crimson-red bilateral
beard, which is composed on both sides of three rows of very small feathers,
these becoming somewhat larger in the middle of the beard and terminating
with two ranges of feathers in the exterior half part. Many of these feathers
are shining metallic green in certain positions. A white spot behind the eyes
descends from there to the breast, which is also whitish, but with a dark spot
on every feather, causing a greyish appearance in the middle of the breast. The
hinder half of the breast and the belly are black, but the anal portion is white,
as also the sides of the body, except the thighs, which are black. The
inferior feathers behind the anal region are clear yellow-brown, but those in
the middle have a green metallic spot. The tail is composed of eight feathers ;
the two exterior on each side are more than an inch long, very small but of
equal size in the whole extent, and rounded at the tip, not pointed. The
exterior rectrix is entirely black ; the second has a clear brown stripe on the
inside border. The third feather of each side is very short, only half an inch
long and more than eight lines shorter than the exterior ; its colour is
entirely black. The fourth feathers on each side, that is in the middle of the
tail, are shorter than the third pair and partly covered by the coverts : they are
of metallic green colour like the coverts.

Hub. Tucuman.

The only known specimen of this species was procured in the Valle
de Tafi, in the mountains of Tucuman, by Herr Schulz, and is now in
the National Museum of Buenos Ayres. This species is nearly allied
to C. bombus, Gould (Mon. Troch. Suppl. p. 45, pi. 32), but differs in
the form of the tail. The figure (Plate XI.) is taken from a water-
colour sketch of this specimen kindly sent to us by Dr. Burmeister.

ARG. ORN. PL. XL

CH^TOCERCUS BURMEISTERI

PETASOPHORA SERRIROSTRIS. 3

232. SPARGANURA SAPPHO (Lesson).
(SAPPHO HUMMING-BIRD.)

Sparganura sappho, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 80; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 615 (Catamarca). Cometes sparganurus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 449 (Mendoza, Catamarca, Tucuman); Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. pi. 174.
Sappho sparganura, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 154 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 360
(Tucuman, Salta).

Description. — Head, upper back, wing-coverts, and under surface shining
bronze-green ; lower back and upper tail-coverts shining crimson ; tail dark
brown at base, remaining part fiery orange, tipped with black ; basal half of
outer web of external rectrices pale brown ; wings purplish brown ; under tail-
coverts light brown with purplish centres ; bill and feet black : whole length
6-2 inches, wing 2-5, tail 4-1. Female: crown and back greenish brown;
throat and sides of face buify white, spotted with green ; rest of under surface
whitish, with large spots of green on the flanks ; rump and upper tail-coverts
shining crimson ; central rectrices crimson, lateral rectrices brownish glossed
with crimson ; outer web of external rectrix white ; bill and feet black.

Hob. Bolivia and North-western Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister tells us that the Sappho Humming-bird is not
uncommon in Mendoza, Catamarca, and Tucuman, but keeps to the
mountains, and does not descend on to the plains. In the neighbour-
hood of Mendoza it specially affects the flowers of Loranthus cuneifolius ••
at Tucuman Dr. Burmeister found it also on the orange-blossoms.

Durnford obtained specimens of this species at Tucuman and Salta
in the month of June.

White (P. Z. S. 1882, p. 6J5) gives us the following notes on its
habits : —

" I have met with these Humming-birds scattered, although some-
what sparsely, over the upper provinces of the Republic, feeding princi-
pally upon Nicotiana glauca, the Quichua name for which is ' palan-
palan/ They follow it southwards as it flowers, even as far as
Cordoba ; but their true habitat is the Andean region. In Quichua,
Humming-birds generally are called ' Tuminicos.' When these birds are
poised in front of a flower with wings and tail expanded in the full
sunshine, they offer the most brilliant feathery picture imaginable; and as
they dart off their flight is so speedy that the eye cannot follow them."

233. PETASOPHORA SERRIROSTRIS (VieilL).
(VIOLET-EARED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Petasophora serrirostris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 89 j Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 52 ;
Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. pi. 223. Petasophora crispa, Burm. La-Plata
Reise, ii. p. 447 (Tucuman).

u 2

4 TROCHILID.E.

Description. — Head, upper surface, wing-coverts, flanks, and abdomen dark
yellowish green ; ear-coverts rich violet-blue ; wings purplish brown ; tail dark
bluish green, crossed near the tip by a broad chalybeate band, beyond which the
tips are of a lighter bluish green ; throat and upper part of the breast luminous
green ; across the breast a gorget of shining bluish green ; vent and under tail-
coverts pure white ; bill black ; feet blackish brown : whole length 3*8 inches,
wing 2*8, tail 1*7. Female similar, but not so bright.

Hab. S.E. Brazil.

Dr. Burmeister informs us that he met with this Humming-bird in
multitudes in the month of September among the orange-blossoms in
the Quintas of Tucuman. It is a well-known species in South-east
Brazil, but we know of no other record of its occurrence so far south
as Tucuman.

234. PATAGONA GIGAS (Vieill.).
(GIANT HUMMING-BIRD.)

Patagona gigas, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 89; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 615
(Catamarca) ; Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 67 ; Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. pi. 232.

Description. — Head and upper surface pale brown, glossed with green ; wings
and tail darker and more green ; basal portion of the shafts of the lateral
rectrices white ; patch on the rump white ; upper tail-coverts edged with white ;
breast mottled brown and buff; throat and abdomen rusty red; under tail-
coverts white, with brownish centre spots ; bill blackish brown ; feet brown :
whole length 7'0 inches, wing 4-9, tail 3-4. Female similar but smaller.

Hab. Andes of Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, Chili, Patagonia, and
Northern Argentina.

White seems to be the only observer who has met with this Hum-
ming-bird within tbe limits of tbe Argentine Republic. He obtained a
pair at Andalgala, in Catamarca, in September 1880, and wrote the
following notes on the habits of tbe species : —

" This magnificent bird, which tbe natives say they have never seen
before at Andalgala, was shot on the ' palan-palan/ tbe usual plant
tbat it frequents at tbis season. It appeared here just after a two days'
severe snow-storm, so that in all probability it had been driven down
bitber by it.

" It is exceedingly powerful on the wing, and flutters in front of a
flower, sipping tbe nectar, exactly as the smaller species of tbis family.
They have a most peculiar, zig-zag, jerky flight, whicb, when making a
long detour for any particular spot, becomes undulating.

" They are without doubt partially insect-eaters, as I have not only

CALLTPERIDIA FURCIFERA. 5

observed their crops full of flies and small beetles, but have also seen
them pursue and catch them in the air, with the motions of a Fly-
catcher.

' ' They perch on some bare branch of a plant, which they entirely
appropriate, driving off every other bird that dares to approach, and every
now and then visit all its flowers to sip the sweets. The large humble-
bees, however, cause them some trouble, as they likewise are addicted
to sipping nectar ; these the P. gigas attacks with all its force, and by
fluttering its wings, rushing at, pushing and pecking them, succeeds in
ridding the spot of their presence.

"The note of this bird is similar to the chirp of a young Sparrow, but
much stronger.

" These birds, like animals generally in the Argentine Republic, take
no notice of a person mounted, but instantly disappear when a foot-
passenger approaches ; so that as I was on muleback I was enabled to
ride close up to and observe them.

" The seat of P. gigas is so firm and close to the branch, that its tiny
feet are invisible ; the breast is puffed out, and its head in continued
motion from one side to the other with a jerky movement. When dis-
turbed it darts off around with a rough jerky flight for a minute or so,
and then endeavours to return, but, if still interfered with, seeks a dry
twig at the i^op of some neighbouring tree on which to alight. Its
poise when suspended, sipping at the flowers, is heavy and laboured,
and the motion of its large wings, although rapid, is perceptible to the
eye ; and it never remains more than half a minute in this position,
when it retires to a branch to rest for at least five minutes, perching,
with its head towards the sun and its beak slightly elevated."

235. CALLIPEEJDIA FURCIFERA (Shaw).
(ANGELA HUMMING-BIRD.)

Calliperidia furcifera, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 90; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 184 (Buenos Ayres). Heliomaster furcifer, White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 616 (Catamarca) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 21 (Entrerios) ; Elliot, Syn. Troch.
p. 86. Ornismya angelae, d'Orb. et Lafr. Syn. Av. ii. p. 28 (Corrientes).
CaUiperidia angelae, Ettiot, Ibis, 1877, p. 137. Heliomaster angelae,
Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. pi. 263; Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 448; id.
P. Z. S. 1865, p. 466; id. Anales Mus. B. A. i. p. 70. Campylopterus
inprnatus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 447 (jr.).

Description. — Crown of head luminous metallic green, changing in some lights
to aquamarine, in others to bluish green, and in others to golden green ; all the

6 TROCHILID.E.

upper surface and wing-coverts golden green, the golden hue predominating on
the lower part of the back ; wings purplish brown ; tail purplish black, glossed
with dark green ; behind the eye a spot of white, and on the cheeks a streak of
grey ; centre of throat rich metallic purplish crimson, on each side of which is
a series of elongated feathers of a rich deep metallic blue ; under surface deep
green, passing into rich blue on the middle of the body ; tuft on each side and
vent white ; under tail-coverts green, fringed with white ; bill black ; feet
blackish brown: whole length 5-2 inches, wing 2-3, tail 1-7. Female: the
whole of the upper surface golden bronze, inclining to grey on the crown ; tail
green, deepening into black towards the extremity, and a spot of white at the
tip of the three outer feathers of each side ; wings purplish brown ; under sur-
face grey, fading into white on the throat and middle of belly.
Hab. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Of the three Humming-birds which visit the vicinity of Buenos
Ayres in the summer months, Mr. Durnford tells us this is the rarest.
It is occasionally seen in the riverain wood, and like the other two (Hylo-
charis sapphirina and Chlorostilbon splendidus) may generally be found
hovering over the flowers of the Ceiba-tree — a species of Erythrina.

Further to the north this species would seem to be more abundant.
Dr. Burmeister met with it near Tucuman and Parana, and at one time
described the young birds obtained in the latter locality as of a distinct
species ( Campy lopterus inornatus), an error which he subsequently
corrected (cf. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 466). White procured it in the city of
Catamarca in August 1880.

Mr. Barrows has published the following interesting account of his
observations on this species in Entrerios (Auk, 1882, p. 2]) : —

" Early in September, at Concepcion, when the orange-trees are just
whitening with blossoms, these magnificent Humming-birds arrive from
the north, and may occasionally be seen about the orange-trees in
any garden, as well as about blossoming trees elsewhere. The males
seemed for some reason to be much less abundant than the females,
hardly more than a dozen being seen in an entire season. They
probably nest in November and December, and leave for the north
again in February or March. A nearly finished nest, found November
17, was very similar to that of our own Ruby-throat (Trochilus colubris)
but larger, and was built in the compound fork of a large limb at a
height of over 25 feet from the ground. It was deserted soon after,
perhaps as a result of my examination. Ten days later another nest
was found saddled on the topmost horizontal limb of a dead and moss-
grown stub ; only about seven feet from the ground, and exposed to
the full force of the sun. This nest contained two eggs nearly ready
to hatch. Both nests were beautifully covered with lichens, and the
last was lined with the finest of vegetable down. The female made

LEUCOCHLORIS ALBICOLLIS. 7

several angry rushes at me before the nest was touched, but as
soon as she saw that it was discovered became so shy that it was
difficult to secure her. The male was not seen at all. I once saw a
bird of this species attack and put to rout a wild dove which passed
near it while feeding, and though the dove made every effort to escape,
the Hummer not only kept up with it easily, but darted above and
below it as well, and finally both went out of sight in the distance
together."

236. LEUCIPPUS CHIONOGASTER (Tsch.).
(WHITE-BREASTED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Leucippus chionogaster, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 91 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 616 (Catamarca) ; Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 199; Gould, Mon. Troch. v.
pi. 290.

Description. — Head, upper surface, wing-coverts, and flanks bronzy green ;
throat and whole lower surface white ; wings purplish brown ; central tail-
feathers bronzy green, lateral dull bronzy brown on the outer webs ; inner webs
and shafts white, the inner webs clouded with bronzy brown in the centre ; bill
black, lower mandible paler at the base: whole length 4*2 inches, wing 2-1,
tail 1'3. Female similar.

Hob. Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

White obtained examples of this species at Fuerte de Andalgala, in
Catamarca, in September 1880. They were feeding on the flowers
of the " Idiondilla," which is one of the " Humming-bird-plants " of
that district. " They are very swift and wild in their movements," he
tells us, and (f make a very loud hum/' louder iu fact than any other
species with which he was acquainted.

237. LEUCOCHLORIS ALBICOLLIS (Vieill.).
(WHITE-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Leucochloris albicollis, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. pi. 291; Elliot, Syn. Troch.
p. 200. Thaumatias albicollis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 448 (Tucu-
man).

Description. — Head, all the upper surface, wing-coverts, chin and sides of
the neck, abdomen and flanks deep shining grass-green ; on the centre of throat
and breast a large patch of white ; lower part of abdomen and under tail-coverts
white ; wings purplish brown ; two middle tail-feathers deep shining grass-
green, the remainder bluish black, the three outer ones tipped with white ;
upper mandible black ; basal two thirds of the lower mandible fleshy, apical
third brown ; feet brown : whole length 4-2 inches, wing 2-3, tail 1'4. Female
similar.

8 TROCHILIM;.

Hab. S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister states that this species is found near Tucuman in
company with Calliperidia furcifera and Petasophora serrirostris ; but
we have no other authority for its occurrence within the limits of the
Argentine Republic.

238. CHRYSURONIA RUFICOLLIS (Vieill.).
(GOLDEN-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Chrysuronia ruficollis, Berlepsch, J.f. O. 1887, p. 18. Chrysuronia chry-
sura, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 93 ; Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 169 (Arg. rep.) ;
Gould, Monogr. Troch. v. pi. 329.

Description. — Head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail-coverts of a golden
hue, inclining to brown on the head ; wings purplish brown ; tail of a very rich
golden lustre both above and beneath ; chin buff; under surface grey, washed
with a golden hue, which is richest on the flanks ; vent and thighs white ;
under tail-coverts grey, with a slight golden lustre ; bill fleshy, red at the base
of both mandibles and dark at the tip ; feet brown : whole length 4*2 inches,
wing 2-2, tail 1-2. Female similar.

Hab. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

Hans v. Berlepsch has lately shown that Azara described this species
under the designation " Picaflor cola de topacio" and that it must
consequently bear the name ruficollis of Vieillot, instead of chrysura
of Lesson, by which it is more commonly known. It visits the more
northern portion of the Argentine Republic, and was obtained in the
vicinity of Buenos Ayres by Hudson at Conchitas, and by Durnford at
Punta Lara. The British Museum contains specimens from both these
localities.

239. HYLOCHARIS SAPPHIRINA (Gm.).
(RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD.)

Hylocharis sapphirina, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 93 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 184 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 22 (Entrerios) ; Elliot, Syn.
Troch. p. 236 ; Gould, Mon. Troch. v. pi. 342.

Description. — Head, upper surface and under wing-coverts, flanks and abdomen
rich deep shining green; chin rufous chestnut; fore part of the neck and breast
rich sapphirine blue, with violet reflexions ; upper tail-coverts bronzy brown ;
tail-feathers chestnut, the two centre ones with a bronzy hue, the remainder
edged with blackish brown ; wings purple-brown ; under tail-coverts light
chestnut ; bill fleshy red, except at the point, which is black ; feet brown :

CHLOROSTILBON SPLENDIDUS. 9

whole length 3-5 inches, wing 2-2, tail 1-2. Female : upper surface green as in the
male, crown approaching to brown, throat pale rufous ; only a trace of the blue
on the throat ; under surface much paler, fading into white on the centre of the
abdomen ; tail-feathers dark brown, the lateral ones tipped with greyish, and
the middle feathers glossed with deep bronze.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

The Red-throated Humming-bird is abundant in the woods along the
Plata river, and ranges, I believe, fifty or sixty miles south of Buenos
Ayres city. Outside of the littoral woods it is very rarely met with.
The only nest I have found was in my own garden, and was placed on a
horizontal branch. The female continued sitting on the nest, which
contained two eggs, even when I placed my hand almost touching it ;
the male bird in the mean time exhibiting the greatest anxiety, and
hovering so near as almost to brush my face with its wings.

240. CHLOROSTILBON SPLENDIDUS (Vieill.).
(GLITTERING HUMMING-BIRD.)

Chlorostilbon splendidus, Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 184 (Buenos Ayres);
Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 360 (Salta) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 616 (Catarnarca) ;
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 22 (Entrerios) ; Elliot, Ibis, 1877, p. 136; id. Syn.
Troch.*p. 244. Ornismya aureoventris, d'Orb. et Lafr. Syn. Av. ii. p. 28
(Corrientes). Chlorostilbon aureiventris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 94.
Hylocharis bicolor, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 448 (Mendoza, Parana,
Tucuman). Chlorostilbon phaethon, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. pi. 354.

Description. — Head, all the upper surface, and wing-coverts rich golden
bronze, but inclining to green on the upper tail-coverts, wings purplish brown ;
tail black, glossed with deep green ; throat and breast glittering emerald-green,
merging into glittering coppery bronze on the sides of the neck and abdomen ;
under tail-coverts green ; bill fleshy red at the base, with a darker tip ; feet
blackish : whole length 3*5 inches, wing 2'2, tail 1-3. Female bronzy green
above and grey beneath, washed with bronze on the flanks ; wings purplish
brown ; tail bluish black, the two lateral feathers tipped with greyish white.

Hab. South Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

The Glittering Humming-bird appears in the vicinity of Buenos
Ayres in September, and later in the spring is found everywhere on the
pampas where there are plantations, but it is never seen on the treeless
plains. Its sudden appearance in considerable numbers in plantations
on the pampas, where there are flowers to which it is partial, like those
of the acacia-tree, and its just as sudden departure when the flowers
have fallen, -have led me to conclude that its migration extends much

10 TROCHILID^E.

further south, probably into mid-Patagonia. Like most H umming-birds
it is an exquisitely beautiful little creature, in its glittering green
mantle; and in its aerial life and swift motions a miracle of energy.
To those who have seen the Humming-bird in a state of nature all
descriptions of its appearance and movements must seem idle. In the
life-habits of the Trochilidae there is a singular monotony ; and the
Glittering Humming-bird differs little in its customs from other species
that have been described. It is extremely pugnacious; the males
meet to fight in the air, and rapidly ascend, revolving round each
other, until when at a considerable height they suddenly separate and
dart off in opposite directions. Occasionally two or three are seen
flashing by, pursuing each other, with such velocity that even the
Swift's flight, which is said to cover four hundred miles an hour, seems
slow in comparison. This species also possesses the habit of darting
towards a person and hovering bee-like for some time close to his face.
It also flies frequently into a house, at window or door, but does not,
like birds of other kinds, become confused on such occasions, and is
much too lively to allow its retreat to be cut off. It feeds a great deal
on minute spiders, and is fond of exploring the surfaces of mud and
brick walls, where it is seen deftly inserting its slender crimson bill
into the small spider-holes in search of prey. The nest, like that of
most humming-birds, is a small, beautifully-made structure, composed
of a variety of materials held closely together with spiders' webs, and is
placed on a branch, or in a fork, or else suspended from slender
drooping vines or twigs. Sometimes the nest is suspended to the
thatch overhanging the eaves of a cottage, for except where persecuted
the bird is quite fearless of man's presence. The eggs are two, and
white.

Besides the little creaking chirp uttered at short intervals while flying
or hovering, this species has a set song, composed of five or six
monotonous squeaking notes, uttered in rapid succession when the
bird is perched.

Dr. Burmeister met with this Humming-bird at Mendoza, Parana,
and Tucuman, and says it is the commonest species in La Plata, and
easily recognizable by its red bill.

Mr. Durnford also pronounces this species to be the commonest
Humming-bird in the province of Buenos Ayres, and " abundant in
the summer." It is not usual to meet with them in the winter ; but
Durnford saw a single specimen in a sheltered garden in the beginning
of June. This Humming-bird feeds principally, he tells us, on the
flowers of the Ceiba-tree, but not exclusively on honey, for the stomach
of a specimen examined contained fragments of minute Coleoptera.

C YPSELID^:.— CAPRIMULGUXE. 1 1

During his last journey Durnford obtained examples of this species
near Salta; and White found it very abundant and breeding near
Catamarca in the month of September.

According to Mr. Barrows the Glittering Humming-bird is also
very common in Entrerios ; he writes as follows : — " Very abundant
at Concepcion in summer, arriving from the north early in September
and departing again in April. Though found everywhere among
flowers,, they are particularly partial to open ground, flowery fields,
gardens, &c., and in October it was not uncommon to have six or eight
in sight at once.

Fam. XXI. CYPSELID^E, on SWIFTS.

The cosmopolitan family of Swifts is, so far as is yet known, repre-
sented by one species only in the Argentine Republic. This is a fine
large form of wide distribution, which extends over most of Southern
and Central America.

241. HEMIPROCNE ZONAEIS (Shaw).
(RINGED SPINE-TAILED SWIFT.)

Hemiprocne zonaris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 95. Acanthylis collaris,
Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 449 (Mendoza).

Description. — Black, glossed with bronzy ; a white collar round the neck,
rather broader in front ; tail spiny, slightly forked : whole length 8*5 inches, wing
7'5, tail 2-8. Female similar.

Hab. Central and South America down to Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister observed specimens of this fine large Spine-tailed
Swift near the Sierra of Mendoza in December and the following
month.

Fam. XXII. CAPKEMULGID.E, OR GOATSUCKERS.

Nearly fifty different species of the singular nocturnal birds com-
monly known as " Goatsuckers " are found in the Neotropical Region.
They are most numerous within the tropics, where insect-life is more
abundant, but also occur more sparingly intemperate latitudes. Six of
them have been recorded as having been met with within the limits
assigned to this work.

The Goatsuckers generally take their insect-prey on the wing late in

12 CAPRIMULGID.E.

the evening ; but many of them often alight on the ground, and usually
nest there or in hollow trees.

242. PODAGER NACUNDA (Vieill.).

(NACUNDA GOATSUCKER.)

Podager nacunda, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 95 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 142
(Buenos Ayres) ; Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 449 (Parana) ; Barrows, Auk,
1884, p. 24 (Entrerios, Bahia Blanca).

Description. — Above brown with dense black vermiculations and occasional
blotches ; wings black, with a broad white cross bar across the base of the
Drimaries ; secondaries and coverts like the back ; tail above like the back,
beneath grey with blackish cross bands ; four outer tail-feathers broadly tipped
with white : beneath, breast brown variegated with black, as above ; chin
fulvous ; band across the throat and whole belly and crissum white ; bill black ;
feet pale brown: whole length 11-0 inches, wing 9-5, tail 4'9. Female similar,
but without the white ends to the tail-feathers.

Hab. South America.

The specific name of this Goatsucker is from the Guarani word
Nacundd, which Azara tells us is the Indian nickname for any person
with a very large mouth. In the Argentine country it has several
names, being called Dormilon (Sleepy-head) or Duerme-duerme (Sleep-
sleep), also Gallina ciega (blind hen) . It is a large handsome bird, and
differs from its congeners in being gregarious, and in never perching on
trees or entering woods. It is an inhabitant of the open pampas. In
Buenos Ayres, and also in Paraguay, according to Azara, it is a
summer visitor, arriving at the end of September and leaving at the
end of February. In the love season the male is sometimes heard
uttering a song or call, with notes of a hollow mysterious character ;
at other times they are absolutely silent, except when disturbed in the
daytime, and then each bird when taking flight emits the syllable kuf
in a hollow voice. When flushed the bird rushes away with a wild
zigzag flight, close to the ground, then suddenly drops like a stone,
disappearing at the same moment from sight as effectively as if the
earth had swallowed it up, so perfect is the protective resemblance in
the colouring of the upper plumage to the ground. In the evening
they begin to fly about earlier than most Caprimulgi, hawking after
insects like swallows, skimming over the surface of the ground and
water with a swift, irregular flight ; possibly the habit of sitting in
open places exposed to the full glare of the sun has made them some-
what less nocturnal than other species that seek the shelter of thick
woods or herbage during the hours of light.

CHORDEILES VIRGINIANUS. 13

The Nacunda breeds in October, and makes no nest, but lays two
eggs on a scraped place on the open plain. Mr. Dalgleish says of the
eggs : — " They are oval-shaped, and resemble much in appearance those
of the Nightjar, except that the markings, which are similar in character
to those of the latter, are of a reddish-brown or port-wine colour/'

After the breeding-season they are sometimes found in flocks of
forty or fifty individuals, and will spend months on the same spot,
returning to it in equal numbers every year. One summer a flock of
about two hundred individuals frequented a meadow near my house,
and one day I observed them rise up very early in the evening and
begin soaring about like a troop of swallows preparing to migrate. I
watched them for upwards of an hour; but they did not scatter as on
previous evenings to seek for food, and after a while they began to rise
higher and higher, still keeping close together, until they disappeared
from sight. Next morning I found that they had gone.

In Entrerios, Mr. Barrows tells us, this Goatsucker is an abundant
summer resident, arriving early in September, and departing again in
April. It is strictly crepuscular or nocturnal, never voluntarily taking
wing by daylight. In November it lays a pair of spotted eggs in a hollow
scooped in the soil of the open plain. These in shape and markings
resemble eggs of the Nighthawk (Chordeiles virginianus) somewhat, but
are of course much larger, and have a distinct reddish tinge. We
found the birds not uncommon near Bahia Blanca, February 17, 1881,
but elsewhere on the Pampas we did not observe them.

243. CHORDEILES VIRGINIANUS (Om.).
(WHIP-POOR-WILL.)

Chordeiles virginianus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 96; Barrows, Auk, 1884,
p. 24 (Entrerios) ; Berlepsch, J.f. O. 1887, p. 120 (Paraguay).

Description. — Above black, varied and mottled with brown ; wings black,
with a broad white bar across the bases of the five outer primaries ; tail black,
with brown cross bands and a broad white subapical bar : beneath white, with
dense blackish cross bands ; breast blacker ; broad throat-band white ; bill
black ; feet pale brown : whole length 8*5 inches, wing 7*8, tail 4*0. Female
similar, but throat-band tawny and no white band on the tail.

Hab. North and South America.

The well-known " Whip-poor-Will " of the U. S. appears to extend
its winter-migration into Northern Argentina. Mr. Barrows has re-
corded the capture of two specimens of this species at Concepcion in

14 CAPRIMULGID^E.

Entrerios in January 1880 and December of the same year. Its
occurrence in Paraguay is also known to us, and Natterer obtained
examples of it in S.E. Brazil.

244. ANTROSTOMUS PARVULUS (Gould).
(LITTLE GOATSUCKER.)

Caprimulgus parvulus, Gould, ZooL Voy. Beagle, iii. p. 37. Antrostoxnus
parvulus, Scl P. Z. S. 1866, p. 138, pi. xiii. ; Scl et Salv. Nomend. p. 96 ;
Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 451 (Parana) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 184
(Buenos Ayres) j Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 24 (Entrerios) ; Withington, Ibis,
1888, p. 467 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above rufous mottled with blackish, crown black ; tips of wing-
coverts spotted with white ; beneath fulvous with irregular black cross bands ;
primaries black, with white bars across the second, third, and fourth about half-
way down ; tail like the back, but tips of outer rectrices white : whole length
7*5 inches, wing 5*3, tail 4*0. Female similar, but without the white spots on
the wings and tail.

Hab. Brazil and Argentina.

Resident, according to Mr. Durnford, in the province of Buenos
Ayres, " but probably, from its shy and retiring disposition, considered
rarer than it really is. Like our Nightjar (Caprimulgus europceus) it
frequents open spots in sheltered coppices on banks under a sheltering
hedge of thorns, and may generally be found in the same place from
day to day, coming out about dusk in quest of moths and other
insects."

Mr. Barrows tells us that this species is not uncommon in Entrerios
in summer time, and " doubtless breeds." At dusk he frequently saw
it near the margins of the woods and thickets, where it makes only
short nights, soon settling on the ground.

Gould's original description of this species was based on a specimen
obtained by Darwin near Santa Fe on the Parana, which is now in the
British Museum.

245. STENOPSIS BIFASCIATA (Gould).
(WING-BANDED GOATSUCKER.)

Stenopsis bifasciata, Scl. et Salv. Nomend. p. 96 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 142
(Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 37 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 396 (Centr.
Patagonia). Antrostomus longirostris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 450
(Mendoza).

Description. — Above greyish brown variegated with black, crown black;

ARC. ORN. PL. XII

HYDROPSALIS FURCIFERA.

HYDROPSALIS FURCIFERA. 15

light rufous collar at the back of the neck ; wing-coverts with large light brown
spots ; primaries black, with a broad white bar across the five outer ones ; tail
black ; lateral rectrices with a white bar near the base, and very broad white
tips : beneath fulvous, with narrow blackish cross bands : throat-band white ;
crissum pale fulvous : whole length 1OO inches, wing 6'0, tail 5-0. Female
similar, but the white on the throat, wings, and tail replaced by fulvous and
less extended.

Hab. Chili, Patagonia, and Argentina.

A single skin of this species was obtained at Conchitas by Hudson.
Durnford also found it rather rare in Chupat and its vicinity, though
resident and breeding in that district. f( When flushed it never flies
very far, but seeks the shelter of a small hush, squatting flat on the
ground, and from its peculiar zigzag mode of flight it is difficult for
the eye to follow it."

246. HYDROPSALIS FURCIFERA (VieilL).

(FORK-TAILED GOATSUCKER.)

[PLATE XII.]

Hydropsalis furcifera, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 96; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 185 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 24 (Entrerios). Hydro-
psalis psalurus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 450 (Parana). Hydropsalis
torquata, Lee, Ibis, 1873, p. 134 (Gualeguaychii).

Description. — Above brown varied with black ; a light rufous collar on the
back of the neck ; wing-coverts with numerous rounded white or fulvous spots ;
wings black, crossed beneath by pale rufous bands ; outer primary edged with
white : beneath paler, with a pale fulvous throat- collar ; tail with the outer
rectrix twice as long as the middle pair, black, edged with white ; the next
three pairs similar, but gradually diminishing in length ; the middle pair like
the back, and rather longer than the second pair : whole length 20*0 inches,
wing 7*2, tail 15-5. Female similar, but tail short, black banded with fulvous,
and without any white.

Hab. Paraguay and Argentina.

This remarkable Goatsucker was often observed by Durnford in the
province of Buenos Ayres in spring and autumn. It lives on the
ground, generally in damp situations, and where the grass is long and
thick enough to afford some slight cover, and is generally observed in
parties of four or five individuals. Its flight is noiseless, and performed
by jerky erratic movements. In Entrerios Mr. Barrows tells us this
species is a " rather common summer resident, arriving in August and
leaving in May. While hunting capybaras and armadillos by moon-

16 CAPRIMULGID^;.

light he frequently had good opportunities for watching its movements.
Its flight is nearly as irregular and as noiseless as that of a butterfly,
while its beautiful tail is opened and shut in the same manner as with
the Scissor- tailed Flycatcher. Alighting frequently on the ground or
on stones or roots, it keeps up a continual but very soft clucking,
which is the only note uttered. It was most often seen in open grassy
or sandy spots in the woods, especially along the margins of the streams.
By day it sits close on the ground, and if disturbed only flies a few
yards, though it evidently sees well." Of its nesting-habits and eggs
Mr. Barrows did not obtain any information.

The figure (Plate XII.) is taken from a specimen in Sclater's collection,
which was obtained at Gualeguaychu in Entrerios by Mr. Lee.

247. HELEOTHREPTTJS ANOMALUS (Gould).
(SHORT-WINGED GOATSUCKER.)

Amblypterus anomalus, Gould, Icon. Av. pi. 11. Heleothreptus ano-
malus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 97 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 62 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 12.

Description. — Greyish brown, irregularly dashed and spotted with black ;
long superciliaries and faint nuchal collar pale fawn-colour ; wing-coverts and
secondaries like the back, but with pale fawn-coloured spots ; primaries black,
with the basal portion reddish fawn-colour and tips white, the first six nearly
equal in length, and curved inwards ; tail fawn-colour, irregularly barred with
blackish, two centre feathers like the back : beneath, throat and breast blackish
brown, with slight fawn-coloured shaft-spots ; abdomen pale fawn-colour, with
irregular blackish cross bands ; tarsi long, naked : whole length 7'0 inches,
wing 5*2, tail 3*5. Female similar, but wings banded with rufous, and without
the white tips.

Hob. South Brazil and Argentina.

Mr. Durnford obtained a single female of this rare and anomalous
Caprimulgine form on the 31st of March, 1877, near Quilmes in the
province of Buenos Ayres. It was flushed from a clump of thistles, and
its stomach was full of insect-remains.

CAMPEPHILUS BOLEI. 17

Order III. PICI.

Fam. XXIII. PICID^E, OR WOODPECKERS.

The Woodpeckers are distributed all over the world except Australia
and the adjacent islands (up to Plores and Celebes) and Madagascar.
They are very abundant in the Neotropical and Oriental Regions,
where great forests predominate. From South and Central America
about 120 species, mostly belonging to peculiar genera, have been
recorded. In Argentina, as might have been expected from the vast
extent of the pampas districts, Woodpeckers are not so plentiful as in
the densely wooded countries of Amazonia and Colombia. But four
Woodpeckers are met with in the riverain woods of Buenos Ayres, and
a fifth, a curiously modified form, is peculiar to the Pampas, while
eight others are known with more or less certainty from the northern
provinces of the Republic.

248. CAMPEPHILUS BOLEI (WagU
(BOIE'S WOODPECKER.)

Campephilus boiaei, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 98 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 185
(Buenos Ayres) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 360 (Salta) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 617 (Catamarca, Salta) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above and beneath black ; crested head and neck scarlet, ear-
coverts black, with a white line below ; upper back and interscapulium pale
tawny white ; bend of wing cinnamomeous ; inner webs of primaries pale
chestnut ; bill white, feet black : whole length 12-0 inches, wing 7'4, tail 4-2.
Female similar, but head black, except the sides of the back of the head and
the under portion of the crest, which are scarlet.

Hab. Bolivia and Northern Argentina.

Durnford found this fine Woodpecker " resident and common " to
the north of Buenos Ayres, and on the banks of the Parana. It is
likewise met with in the more northern provinces of the Republic.
White obtained specimens in Catamarca and Salta, and Durnford,
during his last expedition, in the latter locality. Mr. Barrows speaks
of its occurrence in Entrerios as follows : —

" A part of the last week in April 1880 was spent in a considerable
tract of forest bordering a stream known as the f Arroyo Gualeguaychii '
at a point about twenty miles west of Concepcion. The wood borders
the stream to a depth of a mile or more on each side and stretches up
and down stream indefinitely. It had suffered comparatively little from
the axe of the charcoal-burner, and many birds, uot elsewhere Been,

VOL. II. C

18 PICID^E.

were met with here. Among these was the present beautiful Wood-
pecker, of which, however, only a single pair was observed, and the
male alone taken. It is said to occur sparingly in all the large
forests."

249. CAMPEPHILUS SCHULZI (Cab.X
(SCHULZ'S WOODPECKER.)

Phloeotomus schulzi, Cab. Journ. f. Orn. 1883, p. 102. Dryocopus atri-
ventris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 444 (?).

Under this title Dr. Cabanis has shortly described a Woodpecker
procured in Central Argentina by Herr Schulz. It is a diminutive
form of C. pileatus of North America, and differs from that species in
colour only in the following points : — The red crest is comparatively
more developed and more pointed ; the general colour is more intensely
black ; the white markings of C. pileatus are present in C. schulzi,
but the extent of the white on the underside of the wings and on the
carpal joint is much less in the latter species. No dimensions are
given.

Dr. Cabanis is of opinion that the bird from Mendoza described by
Dr. Burraeister as the young of C. boicei is referable to this new species.

250. DRYOCOPUS ERYTHROPS (Vol.).
(RED-FACED WOODPECKER.)

Dryocopus erythrops, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 99 j White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 617
(Misiones).

Description. — Above black; crested head scarlet; broad line from front
beneath the eye and down the neck white ; malar patch scarlet : beneath,
throat white, with black striations ; breast black ; belly white, transversely
barred with black ; under surface of wings white ; bill plumbeous ; feet black :
whole length 13'0 inches, wing 7'5, tail 5-0. Female similar, but anterior half
of head black, and no scarlet malar patch.

Hab. Brazil.

White states that he " observed " a few specimens of this Brazilian
species in the dense forests of Misiones ; but its occurrence so far
south requires confirmation. A more likely species of this genus to
occur there would be D. lineatus, which has been found in Paraguay
(cf. Berlepsch, J. f. 0. 1887, p. 20).

PIOUS CACTORUM. 19

251. PIOUS MIXTUS, Bodd.
(VARIED WOODPECKER.)

Picus mixtus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 99 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 62 (Buenos
Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 617 (Catamarca) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884,
p. 25 (Entrerios) ; Withi-ngton, Ibis, 1888, p. 467 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above black, with regular white cross bars ; head black, with
narrow yellowish shaft-spots ; a large patch behind the ear on each side of the
neck white ; feathers of the nape slightly pointed with rosy red : beneath white,
with longitudinal black stripes ; under surface of wings white, with black cross
bars : whole length 6'0 inches, wing 3'5, tail 2-2. Female similar, but head
uniform black, and no red on the nape.

Hab. South Brazil and Argentina.

In the district of Buenos Ayres this little Woodpecker, the smallest
of the Argentine species of the family, is usually called Come-palo
(Wood-eater) in the vernacular. It has all the habits characteristic of
the true Woodpeckers, inhabiting the woods and perching vertically on
the trees, where it is heard vigorously striking the bark to dislodge the
lurking insects with its sharp beak. When disturbed it flits away with
a shrill querulous cry, passing to the nearest tree with a rapid undu-
lating flight, and conceals itself by running round the bole to the
opposite side. It excavates a straight hole in a rotten or decaying
branch to breed in, and a common species of Synallaxis (Leptasthenura
cegithaloides}*£rQqiient\y makes use of its forsaken breeding-holes. The
entire plumage in both sexes is very dark, nearly black, densely and
evenly marked with oblong white spots. The loose feathers of the
crown are black tipped with scarlet, but in the female the one spot of
bright colour is scarcely if at all perceptible.

White met with this Woodpecker near Cordova and in Catamarca,
and Mr. Barrows in Entrerios, where, however, though resident, it does
not appear to be common.

252. PICUS CACTORUM, d'Orb. et Lafr.
(CACTUS WOODPECKER.)

Picus cactorum, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 99 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 361 (Salta) ;
White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 617 (Catamarca); Narrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25
(Gualeguaychu). Dendrobates cactorum, Bunn. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 445 (Catamarca).

Description. — Above black; large blotch on the front and another on the
nape dull white ; small coronal spot scarlet ; wings and tail black, with white
cross bands ; rump white, spotted with black : beneath buffy white, throat

20 PICID^E.

strongly tinged with orange ; bill and feet black : whole length 6-8 inches, wing
4-1, tail 2*3. Female similar, but without the red spot on the crown.

Hob. Bolivia and Northern Argentina.

Prof. Burmeister met with three specimens of this Woodpecker at
Capellan, south-west of Catamarca. White obtained examples of both
sexes in Catamarca, and found it tolerably abundant in that province.
" Three or four are usually observed together on a large cactus, but on
being disturbed either take to another cactus or to the lofty branches
of algaroba- trees/'

In Entrerios Mr. Barrows tells us this species is more common than
P. mixtus, but abundant only on the Gualeguaychu, about twenty
miles west of Concepcion.

253. CHLORONERPES AFFINIS (WagU
(ALLIED WOODPECKER.)

Chloronerpes affinis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 99; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 617
(Salta).

Description. — Above dull olive-green, with fine yellowish shaft-spots ; wings
and tail black, spotted with white ; head black, bordered behind by a yellow
nuchal collar, front of head with white shaft-spots, hinder half with scarlet
ends to the feathers : beneath greyish white, with narrow black cross bands ;
under surface of wings white, barred with black : whole length 6-5 inches, wing
3- 7, tail 2-4. Female similar, hut without any red on the nape.

Hob. Brazil.

White identified a pair of birds obtained at Campo Santo, in Salta,
as belonging to this species, but his determination requires confirmation,
as there are several forms of this genus nearly alike which require
accurate discrimination.

254. CHLORONERPES FRONTALIS, Cab.

(RED-FRONTED WOODPECKER.)
Chloronerpes (Campias) frontalis, Cab. Journ.f. Orn. 1883, p. 110.

Description. — Like C. maculifrons (Spix), hut larger ; red of head darker and
broader, and without any golden-yellow border ; beneath darker and more
thickly cross-banded, with the bright bands narrower.

Hob. Tucuman.

This little-known species is one of Herr Fritz Schulz's discoveries in
the mountain-forests of Tucuman.

CHRYSOPTILUS CRISTATUS. <2l

255. CHLORONERPES AURULENTUS (LichU
(GOLD-BACKED WOODPECKER.)

Chloronerpes aurulentus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 99 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 617 (Misiones).

Description. — Above olive-green, crown and malar stripe scarlet ; sides of
head slaty, with a yellowish line above and beneath ; wings black, with trans-
verse bars of rusty red ; tail black : beneath greyish white, regularly barred
across with black, throat yellow : whole length 8'0 inches, wing 4-8, tail 2-2.
Female similar, but only the nape scarlet, rest of cap like the back.

Hob. Brazil.

The occurrence of this Woodpecker in Argentina also rests upon
White's authority. But as it is found in Paraguay (cf. Berlepsch,
J. f . O. 1887, p. 120), it is very likely to extend into Misiones. White
states that it is common in San Javier, and usually " seen singly in
dead high trees."

256. CHLORONERPES TUCUMANUS, Cab.
(TUCUMAN WOODPECKER.)

Chloronerpes tucumanus, Cab. Journ.f. Om. 1883, p. 103.

Description. — Like C. rubiginosus, and principally distinguishable by its
rather larger size and darker under surface, in which the yellowish hue is
wanting. t

Hob. Tucuman.

This is another discovery of Herr Fritz Schulz in Tucuman, which
has been shortly described by Dr. Cabanis.

257. CHRYSOPTILUS CRISTATUS (Vieill.).
(RED-CRESTED WOODPECKER.)

Chrysoptilus melanochlorus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 445 (Parana,
Cordova, Tucuman). Chrysoptilus chlorozostus, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S.
1868, p. 143 (Conchitas). Chrysoptilus cristatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 100; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 11 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 618 (Catamarca) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25 (Entrerios) ; Wellington
Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Colaptes leucofrenatus, Leybola,
Leopoldina, Heft viii. p. 53 (1873) .

Description. — Above black, barred across with white; rump white, with
black spots ; top of head black, nape scarlet ; sides of head white, bordered
beneath by black, which carries a scarlet malar stripe : beneath white, on the
neck yellowish, thickly covered with round black spots ; throat white, striped
with black ; under surface of wings white, tinged with yellow ; tail black,
lateral rcctriecs slightly barred with yellowish ; bill and feet black : whole

22 PICID^E.

length 10'5 inches, wing 5-8, tail 4-0. Female similar, but without the scarlet
malar patch.

Hob. Paraguay and Argentina.

This Woodpecker ranges as far south as the vicinity of Buenos
Ayres, and is not uncommon there in the few localities which possess
wild forests. It is the handsomest of our Woodpeckers, having brighter
tints than its congener of the plains, Colaptes agricola. Like that bird,
though not to the same extent, it has diverged from the typical Picidae
in its habits, alighting sometimes on the ground to feed, and also
frequently perching crosswise on branches of trees. It has a powerful,
clear, abrupt, and oft-repeated note, and a rapid undulating flight.

The following interesting account of its breeding-habits appears in
one of Mr. Gibson's papers : — " The excavation for the nest is begun
as early as September ; but the eggs are only laid during the first half
of October. The hole is generally commenced where some branch has
decayed away; but care is taken that the remainder of the tree is
sound. It opens at a height of from six to nine feet from the ground,
and is excavated to a depth of nearly a foot. Occasionally it is suf-
ficiently wide to admit of one's hand, but such is not always the case.
No preparation is made for the eggs beyond the usual lining of some
chips of wood.

" The pair which frequented the garden excavated a hole in a
paradise-tree, and bred there for two consecutive years. The tree
stood near one of the walks, and on any one passing the sitting bird
immediately showed its head at the aperture, like a jack-in-the-box,
and then flew away. Last year this pair actually bred in one of the
posts of the horse-corral, notwithstanding the noise and bustle incident
to such a locality. While waiting there, at sunrise, for the herd of
horses to be shut in I used often to knock at the post, in order to make
the Woodpecker leave its nest, but the bird seemed indifferent to such
a mild attack, and would even sit still while a hundred horses and
mares rushed about the corral or hurled themselves against the sides of
it. In another case I had worked with hammer and chisel for half-an-
hour, cutting a hole on a level with the bottom of a nest, when the
female first demonstrated her presence by flying out almost into my
face. This last nest contained four (considerably incubated) eggs,
which I took. Happening to pass the spot a fortnight after, I inspected
the hole and was surprised to find that it had been deepened and other
five eggs laid, while the entrance I had cut was the one now used by
the birds. The nest was again resorted to the following year and a
brood hatched out, but since then a pair of Wrens have occupied the
place to the exclusion of the rightful owners."

COLAPTES LONGIROSTRIS.

The eggs are white, four or five in number, pear-shaped, and with
polished shells.

White obtained specimens of this Woodpecker in Catamarca, and
Mr. Barrows found it resident in Entrerios. The latter tells us it is
" abundant in the woods everywhere, and conspicuous for its activity,
bright colours, and large size/''

258. LEUCONERPES CANDIDUS (Otto).
(WHITE-BELLIED WOODPECKER.)

Leuconerpes Candidas, JBurm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 445 (Parana, Cordova) ;
Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 100 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 361 (Salta) ; White, P. Z. S.
1882, p. 618 (Misiones) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above white ; wings and upper back, with a line on each side
running up to the eye, black ; nape tinged with yellow : beneath white ; tail
black, with white cross bands : whole length 11-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail 4'5.
Female similar, but without the yellow on the nape.

Hob. S. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

Prof. Burmeister met with this peculiarly coloured Woodpecker near
Parana, and Mr. Barrows found it resident in Entrerios, though not
very abundant.

White speaks of this species as follows : — <( These noisy birds,
abundant in various parts of Misiones as well as in the rest of the north
of the Republic, go about in flocks of eight or ten, and settle on the
same tree, which they proceed to ascend very comically in a spiral or
corkscrew fashion, each head touching the preceding tail. They are
not seen in dense forests, but only out in the open, on some old,
usually dead, tree, and I think I observed them as far south as the
sierras of Cordoba/7

259. COLAPTES LONGIROSTKIS, Cab.
(LONG-BILLED WOODPECKER.)

Colaptes longirostris, Cabanis, Journ.f. Orn. 1883, p. 97.
Description. — Similar to 0. rupicola, d'Orb., but with the bill much longer.

Hab. Tucuman.

This is a southern form of the Brazilian C. rupicola, which has been
recently described by Dr. Cabanis. Herr Schulz obtained a single male
example of this species in Tucuman. Like C. rupicola it has red

24 PICID^.

moustaches, but no red nape-band, whereas the more northern C. pwa
of Peru shows a red nape-band in both sexes.

260. COLAPTES AGBICOLA (Malh.).
(PAMPAS WOODPECKER.)

Colaptes agricola, Sol. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 101 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549J
(Rio Negro) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 25 (Entrerios) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888J
p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Colaptes australis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 445 (Parana). Colaptes campestris, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 618
(Misiones).

Description. — Above greyish white, transversely barred with blackish ; wings
black, with golden -yellow shafts, and white bars on the outer webs ; rump
white, with smaller black cross bars ; crested head black ; sides of head and
whole neck in front yellow ; malar stripe red ; abdomen white, with regular
transverse black bars ; under wing-coverts yellowish white ; bill and feet black :
whole length 13'0 inches, wing 6-8, tail 4-9. Female similar, but no red malar
stripe.

Hab. Argentina and Patagonia.

COLAPTES AGRICOLA. 2D

cealed, and when the ant-hills are moist it breaks into them to feed on
the ants or their larvae. It also perches on trees, large or small, OQ
the trunks or branches, whether horizontal or upright, sometimes in a
clinging position and sometimes crosswise in the manner common to
birds. Its voice is powerful, and its cry uttered frequently both when
flying and perching. It goes with its mate or family, and is the most
common species in all these countries. It lays two to four eggs, with
white and highly polished shells, and breeds in holes which it excavates
in old walls of mud or of unbaked brick, also in the banks of streams ;
and the eggs are laid on the bare floor without any lining."

In Patagonia, where I have found this bird breeding in the cliffs of
-the Rio Negro, its habits are precisely as Azara says ; but on the pampas
of Buenos Ayres, where the conditions are different, there being no
cliffs or old mud-walls suitable for breeding-places, the bird resorts to
the big solitary ombu tree (Pircunia dioica), which has a very soft
wood, and excavates a hole 7 to 9 inches deep, inclining upwards
near the end, and terminating in a round chamber.

This reversion to an ancestral habit, which (considering the modified
structure of the bird) must have been lost at a very remote period in its
history, is exceedingly curious. Formerly this Woodpecker was quite
common on the pampas. I remember that when I was a small boy
quite a colony lived in the ombu trees growing about my home ; now
it is nearly qxtinct, and one may spend years on the plains without
meeting with a single example.

Mr. Barrows speaks as follows of this species : — " Abundant and
breeding at all points visited. At Concepcion, where it is resident, it
is by far the commonest Woodpecker. The ordinary note very much
resembles the reiterated alarm-note of the Greater Yellow-legs ( Totanus
melanoleucus), but so loud as to be almost painful when close at hand,
and easily heard a mile or more away. They spend much time on the
ground, and I often found the bills of those shot quite muddy. They
are very tough and hard to kill, and a wounded one shows about as
many sharp points as a Hawk. A nest found near Concepcion,
November 6, 1880, was in the hollow trunk of a tree, the entrance
being through an enlarged crack at a height of some three feet from
the ground. The five white eggs were laid on the rubbish at the
bottom of the cavity, perhaps a foot above the ground. In the treeless
region about the Sierra de la Ventana we saw this bird about holes on
the banks of the streams, where it doubtless had nests."

26 ALCEDINlD^l.

Order IV. COCCYGES.

Fam. XXIV. ALCEDINID^, OR KINGFISHERS.

The Kingfishers, which form the subject of an excellent illustrated
Monograph by Mr. Sharpe *, are but feebly represented in the New
World. Out of the many varied generic forms which make up the
family, only a single genus, with about eight species, is met with in the
whole of the American Continent. This genus (Ceryle} is of wide
diffusion, having also representatives in Africa and Asia. There is
thus a great contrast with the Old World, where at least 120 species of
Kingfishers are met with.

261. CERYLE TORQUATA (Linn.).
(RINGED KINGFISHER.)

Ceryle torquata, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 103 ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 26
(Entrerios); Sharpe, Mon. Ale. pi. xxii. p. 73 j Wellington, Ibis, 1888,
p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Megaceryle torquata, Burm. La-Plata Reise,
ii. p. 446 (Parana).

Description. — Above bluish grey, with narrow black shaft-stripes and some
small round spots of white ; wings black, with a large portion of the inner webs
towards the base white, coverts like the back ; tail black, crossed by white bars,
central rectrices edged with bluish grey : beneath chestnut-red ; throat, centre
of belly, and crissum white : whole length 15-0 inches, wings 7*7, tail 5-5.
Female similar, but with a broad bluish-grey pectoral band.

Hab. Central and South America.

This beautiful bird, the largest of the American Kingfishers, is found
throughout the greater portion of South and Central America. In the
Argentine Republic it is somewhat rare, though widely distributed, and
ranging as far south as Buenos Ayres. Dr. Doring mentions Ceryle
torquata amongst the species collected by him on the Rio Negro, in
Patagonia ; but it is possible that the closely allied C. stellata is meant,
as this form represents the larger and more brightly -coloured bird in the
Magellanic district.

Notwithstanding its wide distribution and great beauty, little has
been recorded of the habits of this species. In Amazonia, Bartlett
says : — " It breeds in company with Ceryle amazona. The nest, how-
ever, is placed very much deeper in the bank than in the case of the last-
named bird, the hole being from 4 to 6 feet in depth, with a chamber at
the end sufficiently large for the young birds when nearly full-grown."

* A Monograph of the Alcedinidse, or Family of Kingfishers. By R. B. Sharpe.
London, 1868-71.

CERYLE AMERICANA. 27

262. CERYLE AMAZONA (Lath.).
(AMAZONIAN KINGFISHER.)

Ceryle amazona, Scl. et Salo. Nomencl p. 103 ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 40
(Cordova) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 26 (Entrerios) ; Sharpe, Man. Ale.
pi. xxiv. p. 83. Chloroceryle amazona, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 446
(Parana).

Description. — Above dark green, with a white neck-band: beneath white,
with a broad chestnut pectoral band ; flanks striped with green ; under surface
of wings white ; tail beneath slaty, with white bars on the inner webs : whole
length ll'O inches, wing 5'3, tail 3'4. Female without the red pectoral band,
which is incompletely replaced by dark green.

Hab. South America.

This Kingfisher was found by White at Cosquin, where it is usually
met with along the acequias, or canals made for the purpose of irrigating
the cultivated lands. These canals are in places bordered with brush-
wood and trees, and are tolerably deep, with a swiftly flowing current,
and abound in small fishes, so that this bird seems to prefer them as
hunting-grounds to the rocky river-bed.

In Entrerios Mr. Barrows tells us this Kingfisher is not uncommon
along the Lower Uruguay, and sometimes ascends the smaller streams
a short distance. It is much more easily approached than C. torquata.

C. amazona is also found as far south as Buenos Ay res, where I have
always seen them singly or in pairs. Its usual cry is exceedingly loud,
hard, and abrupt, and so rapidly reiterated as to give it a sound resem-
bling that of a policeman's rattle. But this is not its only language, and
I was greatly surprised one day at hearing one warbling long clear
notes, somewhat flute-like in quality, as it flew from tree to tree along
the borders of a stream. It seems very strange that there should be a
melodious Kingfisher; but Mr. Barrows also heard the allied Ceryle
americana sing, much to his surpise. My belief is, that the birds of
this group possess a singing faculty, but very rarely exercise it ; with
C. americana I am well acquainted, yet I never heard it utter any
note except its hard, rattling cry, resembling that of C. amazona,
but less powerful.

263. CERYLE AMERICANA (Gm.).
(LITTLE KINGFISHER.)

Ceryle americana, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 103 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 185
(Buenos Ayres) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 361 (Salta); Barroivs, Auk, 1884,
p. 26 (Entrerios) ; Sharpe, Mm. Ale. pi. xxvi. p. 89. Chloroceryle ameri-
cana, Burm. La-Plata Reisc, ii. p. 447 (Parana).

28 TROGONID^].

Description. — Above bronzy green : line along sides of head and neck-collar
white ; wings spotted with white ; tail above green, beneath blackish, barred
with white on the inner webs ; throat white ; breast chestnut-red ; belly and
crissum white, flanks with bronzy-green spots ; bill and feet black : whole
length 7*0 inches, wing 3*1, tail 2*5. Female similar, but no chestnut on the
breast, which is crossed by a bronzy-green band.

Hab. South America.

This in the smallest of our three Kingfishers, and nearly resembles
C. amazona in plumage. Durnford found it " not uncommon " about
the creeks and streams at the mouth of the Parana, and also obtained
specimens in the north of the Republic near Salta, during his last
journey. Prof. Burmeister met with it at Parana and Tucumnn.

Mr. Barrows gives us the following notes on this Kingfisher : —

" Resident through the year at Conception, but especially abundant
in winter, when it haunts the main river, the island-shores, and all the
streams, big and little. It is not in the least shy, and one once perched
in some willows directly over my boat and not 10 feet away, while he
swallowed a tiny fish he had just captured ; after which he twitted such
a hearty little song that I really felt as if his proper place must be
among the Oscines, in spite of all anatomical defects. On the Pampas,
we found this a rather common bird on the small streams, and its
presence on some streams whose waters are entirely absorbed by the
desert before they can reach either sea or lake, first called my attention
to the presence, even in these streams, of numbers of a small fish which
is found in many of the pools as well all over the Pampas. Although
both this and the preceding species must nest about Conception, I did
not succeed of learning anything of the nest or eggs."

Fam. XXV. TROGONID.E, OK TROGONS.

The Trogons, a family peculiar among all zygodactyle birds for
having the inner toe instead of the outer toe reversed in position, are
found in the Old World as well as in the New. But they are much
more abundant in the Tropics of America, where they number some
thirty species, and attain an astonishing development of ornamental
plumage in the celebrated Quezal (Pharomacrus) of Guatemala. In
Argentina two stray species only have, as yet, been recorded as met
with in the northern provinces.

The Trogons are purely arboreal in habits, and frequent the larger
trees of the denser forests, feeding mainly on insects.

TROGON SURUCURA. 29

264. TROGON VARIEGATUS, Spix.
(PURPLE-BREASTED TROGON.)

Trogon variegatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomend. p. 104 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 618
(Salta) ; Gould, Mm. Trog. ed. 2, pi. xix.

Description. — Above shining bronzy green ; head purplish ; wings blackish ;
coverts grey, finely vermiculated with black ; tail — two middle feathers like the
back, but tipped with black, next two pairs black, edged with green ; three
outer pairs white with broad black bars and white tips : beneath, breast dark
purple, separated from the rosy-red abdomen by a narrow white band : whole
length 9-0 inches, wing 5-0, tail 5'0. Female : above dark grey ; wing-coverts
and secondaries with transverse bars of black and white; tail blackish, two
middle feathers grey tipped with black, three outer pairs broadly edged extern-
ally and tipped with white : beneath, breast dark grey, separated from the rosy-
red abdomen by a white band.

Hob. Brazil and N. Argentina.

White obtained examples of this Trogon at Campo Colorado, near
Oran, where it frequents the topmost branches of the loftiest forest-
trees, and is very difficult to discover. It is said to have a peculiar
mournful cry.

265. TROGON SURUCURA, Vieill.
(AZARA'S TROGON.)

Trogon surucura, Scl. et Salv. Nomend. p. 104; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 619

(Misiones) j Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. xxv.

Description. — Above bronzy green, head purplish ; wings black, coverts and
outer secondaries grey, finely vermiculated with black ; tail— two middle feathers
like the back, but tipped with black ; others black, but three outer pairs with
most of the outer webs and broad tips white : beneath, breast purple, abdomen
red: whole length 11-0 inches, wing 5-3, tail 57. Female : grey ; belly rosy
red ; wing-coverts and outer secondaries black, with white bars.

Hob. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N.E. Argentina.

This is the only Trogon included by Azara in his Birds of Paraguay.
He calls it " Surucua," and states that it is confined to the larger
forests of that country.

White obtained a single example of this species in the forests of
Misiones, near Concepcion, in June 1881.

30 BUCCONID./E.

Fam. XXVI. BUCCONIDJE, OE PUFF-BIRDS.

The Bucconidffi, or Puff-birds, are entirely restricted to the Neo-
tropical Region, and are most numerous in the great forests of
Amazonia and Colombia, where most of the 43 known species have
been met with. These birds seem to pass their lives sitting upon the
topmost or outermost branches of the larger trees, looking out for
insects, which are captured flying and constitute their only food.
Southwards of the great forest-districts of South America, Puff-birds
become very scarce. One species only is as yet known to occur in Para-
guay, and some uncertainty prevails as to the single member of this family
stated to be found near Tucuman.

266. BUCCO MACULATUS (Gm.).
(SPOTTED PUFF-BIRD.)

Bucco maculatus, Scl. Jamacars and Puff-Urds, p. 99, pi. xxxii. ; Scl. et Salv.

Nomencl. p. 106. Capito maculatus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 446.
Description. — Above blackish, spotted with brown ; lores, superciliaries, and
neck-collar pale cinnamomeous white : beneath white, fore neck clear reddish
cinnamon ; breast and belly covered with round black spots ; chin and middle
of belly whitish ; tail black, with transverse bars of pale brown : under wing-
coverts and under surface of wings white ; bill red, with the culmehi and base
blackish ; feet plumbeous : whole length 8'0 inches, wing 3'2, tail 2-8. Female
similar.

Hob. S.E. Brazil.

Dr. Burmeister records the occurrence of this species of Puff- bird
near Tucuman, and it must therefore be placed in our list on his
authority. But it is possible that the species which he met with may
have been the nearly allied B. striatipectus of the Bolivian frontier of
Brazil, which is more likely to extend into Northern Argentina than
the true B. maculatus. B. striatipectus (figured and described in
Sclater's ' Monograph of the Jacamars and Puff-birds/ pi. xxxiii.
p. 101) is very similar to B. maculatus, but has the spots on the belly
elongated into long striations.

It is again possible that the Bucco of Tucuman may be the Para-
guayan B. chacuru of Vieillot, founded upon the " Chacuru " of Azara,
which is another species not remotely allied to B. maculatus.

CUCULID^]. 31

Fam. XXVII. CUCULID^E, OR CUCKOOS.

The Cuckoos form an extensive and rather varied family of zygo-
dactyle birds with a somewhat wide distribution, being found in all
parts of the world except in the extreme north, where their insect-food
would not be abundantly mgi with. The true Cuculi, so remarkable
for their parasitic habits, are not found in the New World, but several
genera of arboreal Cuckoos (Coccyzus, Piaya, &c.), and others of
terrestrial habits (Crotophaga, Geococcyx, and Saurothera), are met
with, chiefly in the Neotropical Region, and number altogether some
thirty species. Of these, eight are known to occur within the confines
of the Argentine Republic.

267. CROTOPHAGA ANI, Linn.
(BLACK ANI.)

Crotophaga ani, Sol et Salv. Nomencl p. 107; White f P. Z. S. 1882, p. 619
(Salta).

Description. — Black, glossed with bronzy and purplish ; bill and feet black ;
bill with the culmen much elevated, compressed and cultrate : whole length
13-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail 7*0. Female similar.

Hab. Veragua and South America down to Northern Argentina.

This strange Cuckoo, with the plumage and some of the habits of a
Crow, is of a nearly uniform black, glossed with bronze, dark green,
and purple. Its most peculiar feature is the beak, which is greater in
depth than in length, and resembles an immense Roman nose, occu-
pying the whole face, and with the bridge bulging up above the top of
the head. The Ani is found only in the northern portion of the
Argentine territory. According to Azara it is very common in Para-
guay, and goes in flocks, associating with the Guira Cuckoo, which it
resembles in its manner of flight, in being gregarious, in feeding on the
ground, and in coming a great deal about houses ; in all which things
these two species differ widely from most Cuckoos. He also says that
it has a loud disagreeable voice, follows the cattle about in the pastures
like the Cow-bird, and builds a large nest of sticks lined with leaves, in
which as many as twenty or thirty eggs are frequently deposited, several
females laying together in one nest. His account of these strange and
disorderly breeding-habits has been confirmed by independent observers
in other parts of the continent. The eggs are oval and outwardly
white, being covered with a soft white cretaceous deposit ; but this can
be easily scraped off, and under it is found a smooth hard shell of a
clear beautiful blue colour.

3.2 CUCULID.E.

268. GUIRA PIRIRIGUA (Vieill).
(GUIRA CUCKOO.)

Guira piririgua, Sol. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 107 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 185
(Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 8 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. 8.
1882, p. 619 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 26 (Entrerios) ; With-
ington, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Ptiloleptis guira, Burm.
La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 443.

Description. — Above dark brown, with white shaft-stripes ; head brown ;
wings reddish brown, passing into blackish brown on the outer secondaries ;
rump white ; tail white, at the base ochraceous, crossed by a very broad black
band, except the two central feathers, which are uniform brown : beneath
sordid white, throat and upper breast with long linear black shaft-stripes ; bill
and feet yellow : whole length 15-0 inches, wing 7'0, tail 8*0. Female similar.

Hob. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

" Piririgua" the specific term adopted by naturalists for this bird, is,
according to Azara, the vernacular name of the species in Paraguay.
He says that in that country it is abundant, but scarce in the Plata
district. No doubt it has greatly increased and extended its range
southwards during the hundred years which have elapsed since his time,
as it is now very common in Buenos Ayres, where its vernacular name
is Urraca (Magpie) . In the last-named country it is not yet quite in
harmony with its environment. Everywhere its habit is to feed exclu-
sively on the ground, in spite of possessing feet formed for climbing ;
but its very scanty plumage, slow laborious flight, and long square tail,
so unsuitable in cold boisterous weather, show that the species is a
still unmodified intruder from the region of perpetual summer many
degrees nearer to the equator.

The Guira Cuckoo is about sixteen inches long, has red eyes and
blue feet, and an orange-red beak. The crown of the head is deep
rufous, and the loose hair-like feathers are lengthened into a pointed
crest. The back and rump are white, the wings and other upper
parts very dark fuscous, marked with white and pale brown. Under
surface dull white, with hair-like black marks on the throat and
breast. The tail is square, 9 to 10 inches long; the two middle feathers
dark brown, the others three-coloured — yellow at the base, the middle
portion dark glossy green, the ends white ; and when the bird is flying
the tail, spread out like a fan, forms a conspicuous and beautiful
object.

During the inclement winter of Buenos Ayres the Guira Cuckoo is
a miserable bird, and appears to suffer more than any other creature
from cold. In the evening the flock, usually composed of from a dozen
to twenty individuals, gathers on the thick horizontal branch of a tree

GUIRA PIRIUKJUA. :;;>,

sheltered from the wind, the birds crowding close together for warmth,
and some of them roosting perched on the backs of their fellows. I
have frequently seen them roosting three deep, one or two birds at the
top to crown the pyramid ; but with all their huddling together a severe
frost is sure to prove fatal to one or more birds in the flock ; and some-
times several birds that have dropped from the branch stiff with cold
are found under the trees in the morning. If the morning is fair the
flock betakes itself to some large tree, on which the sun shines, to
settle on the outermost twigs on the northern side, each bird with its
wings drooping, and its back turned towards the sun. In this spirit-
less attitude they spend an hour or two warming their blood and dry-
ing the dew from their scanty dress. During the day they bask much
in the sun, and towards evening may be again seen on the sunny side
of a hedge or tree warming their backs in the last rays. It is owing,
no doubt, to fecundity, and to an abundance of food that the Guira
Cuckoo is able to maintain its existence so far south in spite of its
terrible enemy the cold.

With the return of warm weather this species becomes active, noisy,
and the gayest of birds; the flock constantly wanders about from place
to place, the birds flying in a scattered desultory manner one behind the
other, and incessantly uttering while on the wing a long complaining
cry. At intervals during the day they also utter a kind of song, com-
posed of a series of long modulated whistling notes, two-syllabled, the
first powerful and vehement, and becoming at each repetition lower
and shorter, then ending in a succession of hoarse internal sounds like
the stertorous breathing of a sleeping man. When approached all the
birds break out into a chorus of alarm, with notes so annoyingly loud
and sustained, that the intruder, be it man or beast, is generally glad
to hurry out of ear-shot. As the breeding-season approaches they are
heard, probably the males, to utter a variety of soft low chattering
notes, sounding sometimes like a person laughing and crying together :
the flock then breaks up into pairs, the birds becoming silent and very
circumspect in their movements. The nest is usually built in a thorn-
tree, of rather large sticks, a rough large structure, the inside often
lined with green leaves plucked from the trees. The eggs are large for
the bird, and usually six or seven in number ; but the number varies
greatly, and I have known one bird lay as many as fourteen. They are
elliptical in form and beautiful beyond comparison, being of an exquisite
turquoise-blue, the whole shell roughly spattered with white. The
white spots are composed of a soft calcareous substance, apparently
deposited on the surface of the shell after its complete formation : they
are raised, and look like snow-flakes, and when the egg is fresh laid

VOL. II. 1}

34 CUCULID.E.

may be easily washed off with cold water, and are so extremely delicate
that their purity is lost on the egg being taken into the hand. The
young birds hatched from these lovely eggs are proverbial for their
ugliness, Pichon de Urraca being a term of contempt commonly applied
to a person remarkable for want of comeliness. They are as unclean
as they are ugly, so that the nest, usually containing six or seven young,
is pleasant neither to sight nor smell. There is something ludicrous in
the notes of these young birds, resembling, as they do, the shrill half-
hysterical laughter of a female exhausted by over-indulgence in mirth.
One summer there was a large brood in a tree close to my home, and
every time we heard the parent bird hastening to her nest with food in
her beak, and uttering her plaintive cries, we used to run to the door
to hear them. As soon as the old bird reached the nest they would
burst forth into such wild extravagant peals and continue them so long,
that we could not but think it a rare amusement to listen to them.

According to Azara the Guira Cuckoo in Paraguay has very friendly
relations with the Ani (Crotophaga ant), the birds consorting together
in one flock, and even laying their eggs in one nest ; and he affirms that
he has seen nests containing eggs of both species. These nests were
probably brought to him by his Indian collectors, who were in the
habit of deceiving him, and it is more than probable that in this matter
they were practising on his credulity; though it is certain that birds of
different species do sometimes lay in one nest, as I have found — the
Common Teal and the Tinamou. for instance. I also doubt very much
that the bird is ever polygamous, as Azara suspected ; but it frequently
wastes eggs, and its procreant habits are sometimes very irregular and
confusing, as the following case will show : —

A flock numbering about sixteen individuals passed the winter in the
trees about my home, and in spring scattered about the plantation,
screaming and chattering in their usual manner when about to breed.
I watched them, and found that after a time the flock broke up into
small parties of three or four, and not into couples, and I could not
detect them building. At length I discovered three broken eggs on the
ground, and on examining the tree overhead found an incipient nest
composed of about a dozen sticks laid crossways and out of which the
eggs had been dropped. This was in October, and for a long time no
other attempt at a nest was made; but wasted eggs were dropped in
abundance on the ground, and I continued finding them for about four
months. Early in January another incipient nest was found, and on
the ground beneath it six broken eggs. At the end of that month two
large nests were made, each nest by one pair of birds, and in the two
fourteen or fifteen young birds were reared.

D1PLOPTERUS N^VIUS. 35

When taken young the Guira Cuckoos become very tame, and make
bold, noisy, mischievous pets, fond of climbing over and tugging at the
clothes, buttons, and hair of their master or mistress. They appear to
be more intelligent than most birds, and in a domestic state resemble
the Magpie. I knew one tame that would carry off and jealously
conceal bits of bright-coloured ribbon, thread, or cloth. In a wild
state their food consists largely of insects, which they sometimes pursue
running and flying along the ground. They also prey on mice and
small reptiles, and carry off the fledglings from the nests of Sparrows
and other small birds, and in spring they are frequently seen following
the plough to pick up worms.

269. DIPLOPTERUS KEVIUS (Om.).
(BROWN CUCKOO.)

Diplopterus naevius, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 107. Diplopterus galeritus,
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 27 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above ashy brown, with large black shaft-spots ; head rufous,
striated with black ; wings blackish, edged with "brown ; tail similar, but with
white tips to the feathers, and the upper tail-coverts much elongated :
3neath dirty white : whole length 11-5 inches, wing 4'5, tail 5'5. Female
similar. *

Hab. Mexico, and Central and South America down to Argentina.

The Brown Cuckoo, called " Crispin/' is found throughout the hot

rtion of South America, and in different districts varies considerably
size and colouring. It is about 12 inches long, the beak much

rved ; the prevailing colour of the upper parts is light brown, the
loose feathers on the head, which form a crest, deep rufous. The upper
tail-coverts are long loose feathers of very unequal length, the longest
reaching nearly to the end of the tail. The under surface is dirty white,
or dashed with grey.

Azara says it is called Chochi in Paraguay, and has a clear sorrowful
note of two syllables, which it repeats at short intervals during the day,
and also at night during the love-season. It is solitary, scarce, and
excessively shy, escaping on the opposite side of the tree when ap-
proached, and when seen having the head and crest raised in an attitude
of alarm. In the northern part of the Argentine country it is called
Crispin, from its note which clearly pronounces that name. Mr. Barrows
found it common at Concepcion on the Uruguay river, and has written

te following notes about it : —

36 CUCULIDyE.

(( Several were taken in open bushy places, and many others were
heard. It is a plain but attractive Cuckoo with a few-feathered crest,
and long soft flowing upper tail-coverts. The note is very clear and
penetrating, sounding much like the word ' Crispin ' slowly uttered, and
with the accent on the last syllable. The birds are very shy, and I
followed one for nearly an hour before I saw it at all, and nearly twice
that time before any chance of a shot was offered. There is some
peculiarity in the note which makes it impossible to tell whether the
bird is in front of or behind you — even when the note itself is dis-
tinctly heard. I know nothing of nest or eggs."

From personal observation I can say nothing about this species, as I
never visited the district where it is found ; but with the fame- of the
Crispin I have always been familiar, for concerning this Cuckoo the
Argentine peasants have a very pretty legend. It is told that two
children of a woodcutter, who lived in a lonely spot on the Uruguay,
lost themselves in the woods — a little boy named Crispin and his sister.
They subsisted on wild fruit, wandering from place to place, and slept
at night on a bed of dry grass and leaves. One morning the little girl
awoke to discover that her brother had disappeared from her side. She
sprung up and ran through the woods to seek for him, but never found
him ; but day after day continued wandering in the thickets calling
" Crispin, Crispin," until at length she was changed into a little bird,
which still flies through the woods on its never-ending quest, following
every stranger that enters them, calling after him " Crispin, Crispin," if
by chance it should be her lost brother.

270, PIAYA CAYANA (Linn.).
(CHESTNUT CUCKOO.)

Piaya cayana, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 108 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 361 (Tucu-
man) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 619 (Misiones).

Description. — Above deep chestnut-red : beneath pale grey, passing into
blackish on the crissum; throat and neck pale chestnut-brown; tail-feathers
beneath brown, more or less blackish, and, except the middle pair which are like
the back, broadly tipped with white : whole length 16-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail
10'5. Female similar.

Hob. Central and South America.

This is a widely- spread form of Cuckoo in Central and South
America, and reaches the northern territories of the Argentine Republic,
having been obtained by Durnford near Tucuman, and by White in
Misiones. The whole bird is about 18 inches long, and the tail very

COCCYZUS AMERICANUS. 37

long in proportion, about 11 inches. The entire plumage, except the
breast and belly, which are grey, is chestnut colour. The beak is very
strong, and yellowish green in colour; the irides ruby-red, the eyelids
scarlet.

In Colombia this Cuckoo is said to be called Pajaro ardilla (Squirrel-
bird), from its chestnut tint. It seems to feed chiefly, if not altogether,
on the ground, and when perched always appears awkward and ill-at-
ease. On a branch it sits motionless, until approached, and then
creeps away through the leaves and escapes on the opposite side of the
tree. This, however, is a habit common to most Cuckoos. Its
language is a loud screaming cry, on account of which the Brazilians
call it Alma do gato, implying that it possesses the soul of a cat. It
is a very shy retiring bird, and in this respect is more like a Coccyzus
than a Guira.

For these facts we are indebted to Leotaud, Fraser, Forbes, White,
and others ; each of these observers having contributed a few words to
a history of this interesting bird's habits.

271. COCCYZUS AMERICANUS (Linn.).
(YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.)

Coccyzus ^mericanus, Set. et Salv. Nomencl p. 108 ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 496 '(Buenos Ayres) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above grey ; ear-coverts blackish ; wings in interior rufous,
which shows more or less externally : beneath white, greyish on the throat ;
tail-feathers, except the two central which are like the back, black broadly
tipped with white ; bill with the lower mandible orange-yellow, except at the
tip : whole length 12-0 inches, wing 5!7, tail 5-7. Female similar.

Hab. North and Central America and Colombia; occasional in
Brazil and Argentina.

This is a well-known inhabitant of the United States, where it is a
regular summer visitant, passing the winter months in Central America
and the West Indies, and being also occasionally met with during this
season in Brazil. In the Argentine Republic it is very rare, and the
few specimens found were all seen late in the autumn, after other
summer visitors had left. I can only account for the lateness of these
birds on the supposition that, being low fliers, excessively shy, and
eminently forest birds, they shrunk from traversing the wide open plains
which offer no kind of shelter or protection, and so remained in the
isolated plantations which rise like little islands of greenery in the sea-
like level of the pampas.

38 CUCULID^E.

272. COCCYZUS MELANOCORYPHUS, Vieill.
(BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.)

Coccyzus melanocoryphus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 108 ; Durnford, Ibis,
1877, p. 186 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 28 (Entrerios) ;
Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Coccyzus seniculus,
Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 444 (Parana, Tucuman).

Description. — Above pale greyish brown ; head cinereous ; a black stripe
through the eyes : beneath white, more or less tinged with ochraceous ; tail
black, tipped with white ; two central rectrices like the back ; bill black : whole
length 11-5 inches, wing 4-7, tail 5'7. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

The " Coucou," so called from its note, is the commonest species of
the genus in the Argentine Republic, and has an extensive range in
South America. In September it migrates south, and a pair or a few
individuals reappear faithfully every spring in every orchard or planta-
tion on the pampas. At intervals its voice is heard amidst the green
trees — deep, hoarse, and somewhat human-like in sound, the song or
call being composed of a series of notes, like the syllables cou-cou-cou,
beginning loud and full and becoming more rapid until at the end they
run together. It is a shy bird, conceals itself from prying eyes in the
thickest foliage, moves with ease and grace amongst the closest twigs,
and feeds principally on large winged insects, for which it searches
amongst the weeds and bushes near the ground.

The nest is the flimsiest structure imaginable, being composed of a
few dry twigs, evidently broken by the bird from the trees and not
picked up from the ground. They are laid across each other to make a
platform nest, but so small and flat is it tbat the eggs frequently fall
out from it. That a bird should make no better preparation than this
for the great business of propagation seems very wonderful. The
eggs are three or four in number, elliptical in form, and of a dull sea-
green colour.

273. COCCYZUS CINEREUS, Vieill.

(CINEREOUS CUCKOO.)

[PLATE XIII.]

Coccyzus cinereus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 108 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 88
(Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 620 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk,
1884, p. 28 (Entrerios) : Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above cinereous, wings blackish ; tail above blackish, beneath

ARG. ORN. PL. XIII

COCCYZUS CINEREUS

COCCYZUS PUMILUS.

cinereous

lateral rectrices tipped with white : beneath, throat and breast pale
cinereous, passing into white in the middle of the belly ; under wing-coverts,
flanks, and crissum ochraceous ; bill black : whole length 9-0 inches, wing 4-5, tail
4*5. Female similar.

Hab. Paraguay and Argentine Republic.

The Cinereous Cuckoo is smaller than the preceding species, and
also differs in having a square tail and a more curved beak. The beak is
black, and the irides blood-red, which contrasts well with the blue-grey
of the head, giving the bird a bold and striking appearance.

This species is not common, but it is, I believe, slowly extending its
range southwards, as within the last few years it has become much
more common than formerly. Like other Cuckoos, it is retiring in its
habits, concealing itself in the dense foliage, and it cannot be attracted
by an imitation of its call, an expedient which never fails with the
Coucou. Its language has not that deep mysterious, or monkish quality,
as it has been aptly called, of other Coccyzi. Its usual song or call,
which it repeats at short intervals all day long during the love-season,
resembles the song of our little dove (Columbula picui), and is composed
of several long monotonous notes, loud, rather musical, but not at all
plaintive. It also has a loud harsh cry, which one finds it hard to
believe to be the voice of a Cuckoo, as in character it is more like the
scream of a Dendrocolaptine species.

The figure (Plate XIII.) is taken from a specimen of this species
obtained by Mr. Frank Withington in the Lomas de Zamora, and now
in Sclater's collection.

274. COCCYZUS PUMILUS, Strickl.

(DWARF CUCKOO.)
Coccyzus pumilus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 108 ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 28

(Entrerios).

Description.— Above brownish cinereous, head grey ; tail like the back, but
tail-end black with narrow white tips : beneath, throat and breast chestnut-red ;
abdomen white ; under wing-coverts and crissum ochraceous : whole length 9'0
inches, wing 4-0, tail 4'2. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

Of this little Cuckoo, the smallest of the genus Coccyzus, specimens
were obtained by Mr. Barrows at Concepcion in Entrerios, in the month
of December. The species was only previously known to occur in
Venezuela and Colombia.

40 PSlTTACID^.

Fam. XXVIII. RHAMPHASTID^E, OR TOUCANS.

In the second edition of his 'Monograph of the Toucans/ Gould
admits 51 species of this fine and peculiar group, which are scattered
over the forests of Tropical America, from Southern Mexico to Northern
Argentina. Several others have been since described.

The Toucans are large birds exclusively arboreal in their habits, and
feeding mostly, if not entirely, upon fruit. A single species of wide
distribution reaches its southern limit in the forests of the northern
Argentine provinces.

275. EHAMPHASTOS TOCO, Gm.

(TOCO TOUCAN.)

Rhamphastos toco, Gould, Mon. Rhamphast. ed. 2, pi. i. ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 108; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 620 (Oran and Misiones).

Description. — Above black ; rump white, with a small scarlet patch on each
side : beneath black, throat white ; crissum scarlet ; bill yellow, with a black
blotch at the end of the upper mandible ; feet brown : whole length 22'0 inches,
wing 9' 5, tail 6'5. Female similar.

Hab. Guiana, Amazonia, Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

White met with this Toucan among the lofty forest trees at Campo
Colorado, near Oran, where it was found in flocks. In Misiones it was
more abundant, and was said to commit great havoc among the orange-
groves.

Order V. PSITTACI.

Fam. XXIX. PSITTACID^, OR PARROTS.

Dr. FinscVs history of the Parrot tribe, published in 1867, included
accounts of about 350 species, to which at least 50 more have been
added during these last twenty years, so that upwards of 400 Parrots
are now known to science. Of these, about 150 belong to the New
World, mostly to the intertropical portion, though Parrots are found as
far north as the U.S., and as far south as Chili and Patagonia.

In the Argentine Republic the presence of ten species of Psittacidse
has been recorded, but only two of these are found in the vicinity of
Buenos Ayres, the remaining eight being restricted to the more northern
and western portions of the country.

CONURUS PATAGONUS.

276. CONURUS PATAGONUS (Vieill.).
(PATAGONIAN PARROT.)

Conurus patagonus, Burm. La-Plata JReise, ii. p. 441 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. Ill; Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro), et 1873, p. 761; Durn-
fordj Ibis, 1877, p. 180 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 396 (Chupat) ; White,
P. Z. S. 1882, p. 620 (Catamarca) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 28 (Bahia
Blanca). Conurus patachonicus, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 113 (Bahia
Blanca).

Description. — Above dark olive-green, forehead darker ; wings edged with
bluish, lower back yellow : beneath olive-green, darker on throat ; band across
the neck whitish ; belly yellow, with a large patch in the middle and the
thighs red : whole length 18'0 inches, wing 9'2, tail 1O5. Female similar.

Hab. Argentina and Patagonia.

This Parrot , called in La Plata the Bank- or Burro wing-Parrot, from
its nesting-habits, is the only member of its order found so far south as
Patagonia. In habits it differs somewhat from most of its congeners, and
it may be regarded, I think, as one of those species which are dying out —
possibly owing to the altered conditions resulting from the settlement
of the country by Europeans. It was formerly abundant on the
southern pampas of La Plata, and being partially migratory its flocks
ranged in winter to Buenos Ayres, and even as far north as the Parana
river. When, as a child, I lived near the capital city (Buenos Ayres),
I remember* that I always looked forward with the greatest delight to
the appearance of these noisy dark-green winter visitors. Now they are
rarely seen within a hundred miles of Buenos Ayres ; and I have been
informed by old gauchos that half a century before my time they
invariably appeared in immense flocks in winter, and have since gradu-
ally diminished in numbers, until now in that district the Bank-Parrot
is almost a thing of the past. Two or three hundred miles south of
Buenos Ayres city they are still to be met with in rather large flocks,
and have a few ancient breeding-places, to which they cling very
tenaciously. Where there are trees or bushes on their feeding-
ground they perch on them ; they also gather the berries of the Empe-
trum rubrum and other fruits from the bushes ; but they feed principally
on the ground, and, while the flock feeds, one bird is invariably perched
on a stalk or other elevation to act as sentinel. They are partial
to the seeds of the giant thistle (Carduus mariana), and the wild
pumpkin, and to get at the latter they bite the hard dry shell into
pieces with their powerful beaks. When a horseman appears in the
distance they rise in a compact flock, with loud harsh screams, and hover
above him, within a very few yards of his head, their combined dissonant
voices producing an uproar which is only equalled in that pandemonium

42 PSITTACID^E.

of noises, the Parrot-house in the Zoological Gardens of London. They
are extremely social, so much so that their flocks do not break up in
the breeding-season ; and their burrows, which they excavate in a
perpendicular cliff or high bank, are placed close together ; so that
when the gauchos take the young birds — esteemed a great delicacy —
the person who ventures down by means of a rope attached to his waist
is able to rifle a whole colony. The burrow is three to five feet deep,
and four white eggs are deposited on a slight nest at the extremity. I
have only tasted the old birds, and found their flesh very bitter, scarcely
palatable.

The natives say that this species cannot be taught to speak ; and it is
certain that the few individuals I have seen tame were unable to
articulate.

Doubtless these Parrots were originally stray colonists from the
tropics, although now resident in so cold a country as Patagonia. When
viewed closely, one would also imagine that they must at one time have
been brilliant-plumaged birds ; but either natural selection, or the direct
effect of a bleak climate, has given a sombre shade to their colours —
green, blue, yellow, and crimson ; and when seen flying at a distance, or
in cloudy weather, they look as dark as crows.

277. CONURUS ACUTICAUDATUS (Vieill.).
(SHARP-TAILED PARROT.)

Conurus acuticaudatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. Ill ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 621 (Catamarca). Conurus fugax, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 441.
Conurus glaucifrons, Leybold, Leopoldina, Heft viii. p. 52 (1873).

Description. — Above and beneath green ; top of head and cheeks bluish ;
inner margins of wing-feathers yellowish grey ; inner webs of tail-feathers at
their bases red ; upper mandible pale whitish, lower black : whole length 13-0
inches, wing 7'5, tail 7'0. Female similar.

Hab. Bolivia, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

White obtained specimens of this Parrot near Andalgala in Catamarca
in September 1880. He tells us that it is not very abundant in that
district, and flies very swiftly in flocks of seven or eight, screeching
continually when on the wing.

ARG. ORN. PL. XIV.

CONURUS MOLINA.

BOLBORHYNCHUS MONACHUS.

278. CONURUS MITRATUS, Tsch.
(RED- HEADED PARROT.)

Conurus mitratus, Tsch. Faun. Per., Av. p. 272, t. xxvi. f. 2 ; Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 112. Conurus hilaris, Surm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 442 (Tucu-
maii) ; id. Wiegm. Arch. 1879, pt. i. p. 100 ; id. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 75.

Description. — Bright green; front and sides of head red: beneath rather
paler ; under wing-coverts green ; lower surface of tail yellowish ; in some
specimens with irregular patches of red on the neck and breast ; bill pale ; feet
brown : whole length 14-0 inches, wing 8-0, tail 7'0.

Hab. Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister met with this Parrot near Tucuman, where he found
it " very common, especially in winter." At first he made a new
species of it, but afterwards recognized its identity with Conurus mitratus
of Tschudi.

Dr. Burmeister has kindly sent two specimens of this bird to Sclater,
for his collection. Sclater has also examples of the same species
procured by Schulz near Cordova, and in Bolivia by Bridges.

279. CONURUS MOLINA, Mass, et Souanc.

(MOLINA'S PARROT.)

[PLATE XIV.]

Conurus molinae, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 112 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 621
(Salta).

Description. — Above green ; crown brown ; nape bluish ; cheeks green ; wings
edged with blue ; tail coppery red : beneath green, breast and sides of neck
whity brown, with dark cross bars ; middle of belly dull red : whole length
9 '5 inches, wing 5*0, tail 5'3. Female similar.

Hab. Bolivia, S. Brazil, and N. Argentina.

White met with this Parrot in the dense forests of Campo Colorado
near Oran, where it is found in flocks of about twenty, " their flight
being limited, for the most part, to the clear aisles beneath the
branches." White's specimen in Sclater' s collection, from which our
figure (Plate XIV.) is taken, agrees with others of the species obtained
by Natterer in Mato Grosso.

280. BOLBORHYNCHUS MONACHUS (Bodd.).
(GREEN PARRAKEET.)

Conurus murinus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 441 j Darwin, Zool. Beagle,
iii. p. 112 (Parana). Bolborhynchus monachus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.

41 PSITTACID^E.

p. 113 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 186 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 3 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. 8. 1882, p. 621 (Catamarca, Santiago
del Estero) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 28 (Entrerios) ; Burm. P. Z. S. 1878,
p. 77.

Description. — Green ; front grey, with paler margins to the feathers ; wings
blackish, with slight" bluish edgings : beneath grey, with lighter margins to the
breast-feathers ; under wing-coverts, flanks, and crissum pale green ; bill
whitish : whole length 11-0 inches, wing 5'5, tail 5*3. Female similar.

Hab. Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

The Common Green Parrakeet, called Cotorra or Catita in the ver-
nacular, is a well-known resident species in the Argentine Republic.
It is a lively restless bird, shrill-voiced, and exceedingly vociferous,
living and breeding in large communities, and though it cannot learn
to speak so distinctly as some of the larger Parrots, it is impossible to
observe its habits without being convinced that it shares in the intelli-
gence of the highly-favoured order to which it belongs.

In Buenos Ayres it was formerly very much more numerous than it
is now ; but it is exceedingly tenacious of its breeding-places, and there
are some few favoured localities where it still exists in large colonies,
in spite of the cruel persecution all birds easily killed are subjected
to in a country where laws relating to such matters are little regarded,
and where the agricultural population is chiefly Italian. At Mr.
Gibson's residence near Cape San Antonio, on tbe Atlantic coast, there
is still a large colony of these birds inhabiting the Tala woods (Celtis
tald), and I take the following facts from one of his papers on the
ornithology of the district.

He describes the woods as being full of their nests, with their bright-
coloured talkative denizens and their noisy chatter all day long drowning
every other sound. They are extremely sociable and breed in com-
munities. When a person enters the wood their subdued chatter
suddenly ceases, and during the ominous silence a hundred pairs of
black beady eyes survey the intruder from the nests and branches ; and
then follows a whirring of wings and an outburst of screams that spreads
the alarm throughout the woods. The nests are frequented all the
year, and it is rare to find a large one unattended by some of the birds
any time during the day. In summer and autumn they feed principally
on the thistle ; first the flower is cut up and pulled to pieces for the
sake of the green kernel, and later they eat the fallen seed on the
ground. Their flight is rapid, with quick flutters of the wings, which
seem never to be raised to the level of the body. They pay no regard
to a Polyborus or Milvago, but mob any other bird of prey appearing

BOLBORHYNCHUS MONACHUS.

in the woods, all the Parrakeets rising in a crowd and hovering about
it with angry screams.

The nests are suspended from the extremities of the branches, to
which they are firmly woven. New nests consist of only two chambers,
the porch and the nest proper, and are inhabited by a single pair of
birds. Successive nests are added, until some of them come to weigh
a quarter of a ton, and contain material enough to fill a large cart.
Thorny twigs, firmly interwoven, form the only material, and there is
no lining in the breeding-chamber, even in the breeding-season. Some
old forest trees have seven or eight of these huge structures suspended
from the branches, while the ground underneath is covered with twigs
and remains of fallen nests. The entrance to the chamber is generally
underneath, or if at the side is protected by an overhanging eave to
prevent the intrusion of opossums. These entrances lead into the
porch or outer chamber, and the latter communicates with the breeding-
chamber. The breeding-chambers are not connected with each other,
and each set is used by one pair of birds.

The number of pairs does not exceed a dozen, even with the largest
nests. Repairs are carried on all the year round, but new nests ar,e
only added at the approach of spring. Opossums are frequently found
in one of the higher chambers, when the entrance has been made too
high, but though they take up their abode there they cannot reach the
other chambers, and the Parrakeets refuse to go away. A species of
Teal (probably Querquedula brasiliensis) also sometimes] occupies and
breeds in their chambers, and in one case Mr. Gibson found an opossum
domiciled in an upper chamber, Parrakeets occupying all the others
except one, in which a Teal was sitting on eggs.

The breeding-season begins about November 1, and as many as
seven or eight eggs are laid ; these are dull white, very thin-shelled,
elongated, and have the greatest diameter exactly equidistant from the
two ends.

Mr. Barrows speaks as follows of this species in Entrerios :— " An
abundant and familiar bird in the neighbourhood of Concepcion through
the entire year. It is commonly seen in flocks of twenty and upwards,
visiting grain-fields, gardens, &c., and sometimes, if I was correclly
informed, it has appeared in flocks of tens of thousands, completely
stripping the grain-fields. They nest in communities, many pairs
uniting in the building of a large common nest or mass of nests. I
only saw these nests on two occasions, and had no opportunity of ex-
amining their structure. They were placed on high trees, and appeared
from below to be simply irregular masses, six or eight feet in diameter,
formed of small sticks and twigs. Where the nests are abundant the

46 PSITTACID.E.

natives destroy the young by hundreds, and the ' squabs ' when nearly
grown are said to be very fine eating. The young are easily tamed,
and may be taught to articulate a few simple words."

281. BOLBORHYNCHUS AYMARA (d'Orb.).
(AYMARA PARRAKEET.)

[PLATE XV.]

Conurus aymara, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 442 (Mendoza). Bolborhyn-
chus aymara, Scl et Salv. Nomencl p. 113 ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 40
(Cordova). Conurus brunniceps, Burm. Journ.f. Orn. 1860, p. 243.
Description. — Above green ; head earthy brown : beneath pale grey, nearly
white on the sides of the head ; under wing-coverts, flanks, lower belly, and
crissum pale green ; under surface of wings and tail blackish ; beak whitish :
whole length 7'0 inches, wing 3-9, tail 4-0. Female similar.

Hob. Bolivia and N. Argentina.

Prof. Burmeister found this Parrakeet not uncommon on the borders
of the sierra near Mendoza. White met with it near Cosquin in the
province of Cordova, in flocks on the mountain-tops, about 3500 feet
above the sea-level. He says it is called " Catita de las sierras" and
that it never descends to the valleys. Its flight is very swift, and is
accompanied by a sort of chirping.

The figure (Plate XV.) is taken from a specimen in Sclater's
collection, obtained by Buckley in Bolivia.

282. BOLBORHYNCHUS RUBRIROSTRIS (Burm.).
(RED-BILLED PARRAKEET.)

Conurus rubrirostris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 442 ; id. P. Z. S. 1878,

p. 77. Bolborhynchus rubrirostris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 113.
Description. — Uniform green ; wing-feathers blackish, edged with blue ; bill
rosy red : whole length 7-0 inches, wing 5-0, tail 2-8.

Hob. Argentina.

Prof. Burmeister discovered this little Parrot, of which we have
never seen specimens, in the ravines of the Sierra of Uspallata, and
also met with it in the Sierra of Cordova. It lives in small flocks,
which fly away screaming when approached.

283. CHRYSOTIS VINACEA (Max.).
(VINACEOUS AMAZON.)

Chrysotis vinacea, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 113; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 621
(Misiones).

ARG. ORN. PL. XV

BOLBORHYNCHUS AYMARA.

PIONUS MAXIMILIANI. 47

Description.— Above green, feathers of neck and back edged with blackish ;
front, lores, and wing-spot scarlet ; beneath paler, throat and breast vinaceous,
feathers edged with blackish ; bend of wing and base of tail-feathers scarlet :
whole length 14-0 inches, wing 7'2, tail 4-7. Female similar.

Hab. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

This Parrot, which is enumerated by Azara among the birds of
Paraguay, was also found by White in the adjoining district of Misiones
in the Argentine Republic. White gives us the following notes on its
habits : — " Both in Concepcion and San Javier these Parrots are found
in incredible numbers feeding in the orange-groves which cover and
enclose the extensive Jesuit ruins in those parts of Misiones. They seem
to be very voracious, as they feed all day long ; and the inhabitants shoot
them for food; but they are not easily scared, for on hearing a shot
they only fly up in clouds to descend again, meanwhile making the air
resound with their shrill cries. They can be taught to talk tolerably
well if taken young."

284. CHRYSOTIS ESTIVA (Linn.).
(BLUE-FRONTED AMAZON.)

Chrysotis aestiva, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 114 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 361
(Salta). Psittacus amazonicus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 443 (?).
Chrysotis amazonica, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 621 (?).

Desertion. — Above green, feathers edged with blackish; crown yellow;
front blue ; wing-patch scarlet : beneath green, cheeks and throat yellow ; bend
of wing and inner base of tail scarlet : whole length 15'0 inches, wing 8-5,
tail 5-0. Female similar.

Hab. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

Durnford obtained a specimen of this Parrot near Salta in the pro-
vince of Oran, which has been identified by Mr. Salvin. It is probable
that the birds referred to C. amazonica by Prof. Burmeister and White
may belong to this same species.

285. PIONUS MAXIMILIANI (Kuhl).
(PRINCE MAXIMILIAN'S PARROT.)
Pionus maximiliani, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 114 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 622

(Salta).

Description.— Dark green; lores blackish; feathers of nape dirty white
margined with green ; front and cheeks bluish : beneath dusky green, cnssum
scarlet : whole length 9-0 inches, wing 6-5, tail 3*2. Female similar.

48 STRIGID.E.

Hab. Brazil and N. Argentina.

White obtained a single specimen of this Parrot in the dense forests
of the Rio Vermejo, near Oran, in November 1880.

Order VI. STEIGES.

About 40 different species of the nocturnal birds of prey are known
to occur in the Neotropical Region. Six of them have been recorded
as being found more or less frequently within the limits of the Argentine
Republic. Of these, the Burrowing-Owl (PTioleoptynx cunicularia)
is one of the most characteristic inhabitants of the Argentine Pampas,
while two others, the Barn-Owl and the Short-eared Owl, are very
widely diffused species, also well known in England.

Fam. XXX. STRIGID.E, OR BARN-OWLS.
286. STRIX FLAMMEA, Linn.

(COMMON BARN-OWL.)

Strix flammea, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 116 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 187
(Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 622 (Misiones) ; Wellington, Ibis,
1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 291. Aluco
flammeus, Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 29 (Entrerios). Strix perlata, Sunn.
La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 440 ; Daring, Exp. al Rio Negro, p. 49.

Description. — Above orange-brown, marbled with ashy and white, and dotted
with black spots with central white points ; wings and tail crossed by four or
five blackish bands ; face silvery white, with a posterior and inferior border
of orange-brown and black : beneath white, more or less suifused with tawny,
except on the lower belly, and dotted with distinct rounded black spots ; bill
yellowish ; tarsus feathered ; toes slightly bristled ; claws long and sharp :
whole length 15'0 inches, wing 12'5, tail 5'0. Female similar.

Hab. Old and New Worlds.

This widely distributed species is found throughout South America ;
and in its habits and sepulchral voice, as well as in its pretty reddish
buff, grey, and white plumage, is identical with the European bird.
D'Orbigny expressed astonishment that this Owl, which is never seen
in uninhabited places, invariably appears to keep company with man
wherever a settlement is formed, even in the most lonely and isolated
spots. Probably it is much more numerous than most people imagine,

ASIO BRACHYOTUS. 4<J

sheltering itself everywhere in caverns and hollow trees, so that it is
always present, and ready to take early advantage of the commodious
church-tower or other large building raised by man. On the level
pampas, where there are no hills or suitable hiding-places, it is rarely
seen : it is exclusively a town bird.

Nothing more need be said of the habits of a species so well known,
and about which there is so much recorded in general works of Natural
History.

Fam. XXXI. BUBONID^l, OR OWLS.

287. ASIO BRACHYOTUS (Forst.).
(SHORT-EARED OWL.)

Otus palustris, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 33. Otus brachyotus, Scl. vt
Salv. Nomencl. p. 116; Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 439 (Rosario) ; Hudson,
P. Z. S. 1870, p. 800 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 186 (Buenos
Ayres), et 1878, p. 390 (Patagonia). Asio brachyotus, Gibson, Ibis, 1879,
p. 423 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882. p. 622 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withing-
ton, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Asio accipitrinus, Sharpe, Cat.
B. ii. p. 234.

Description. — Above streaked and variegated with fulvous and blackish
brown ; face whitish, with a largo central blotch of blackish round the eye ;
wings pale tawny white, with several irregular broad blackish cross bars ; tail
whitish, with four or five broad black cross bands : beneath as above, but much
whiter on the belly, which is only slightly streaked, and without markings on
the crissum and thighs ; bill black ; tarsi and toes densely feathered : whole
length 15*0 inches, wing 13-0, tail 6'0. Female similar, but rather larger.

Hab. Old and New Worlds.

The Short-eared Owl is found throughout the Argentine country,
where it is commonly called Lechuzon (big Owl) in the vernacular.
Like the species last described — the Barn-Owl — it has an exceedingly
wide range. It is found throughout the continent of Europe ; it also
inhabits Asia and Africa, many of the Pacific Islands, and both
Americas, from Canada down to the Straits of Magellan. Such a very
wide distribution would seem to indicate that it possesses some advan-
tage over its congeners, and is (as an Owl) more perfect than others.
It is rather more diurnal in its habits than most Owls, and differs
structurally from other members of its order in having a much smaller
head. It is also usually said to be a weak flier ; but this 1 ain sure is
a great mistake, for it seems to me the strongest flier amongst Owls,
and very migratory in its habits, or, at any rate, very much given to
wandering. Probably its very extensive distribution is clue in some

VOL. n. K

50 BUBONID.E.

measure to a greater adaptability than is possessed by most species ; also
to its better sight in the daytime, and to its wandering disposition,
which enables it to escape a threatened famine, and to seize on unoccu-
pied or favourable ground.

The bird loves an open country, and sits by day on the ground con-
cealed amongst the herbage or tall grass. An hour before sunset it
quite its hiding-place, and is seen perched on a bush or tall stalk, or
sailing about a few feet above the ground with a singularly slow, heron-
like flight ; and at intervals while flying it smites its wings together
under its breast in a quick sudden manner. It is not at all shy, the
intrusion of a man or dog in the field it frequents only having the effect
of exciting its indignation. An imitation of its cry will attract all the
individuals within hearing about a person, and any loud unusual sound,
like the report of a gun, produces the same effect. When alarmed or
angry it utters a loud hiss, and at times a shrill laugh-like cry. It
also has a dismal scream, not often heard ; and at twilight hoots, this
part of its vocal performance sounding not unlike the distant baying of
a mastiff or a bloodhound. It breeds on the ground, clearing a circular
spot, and sometimes, but not often, lining it with a scanty bed of dry
grass. The eggs are three or four, white, and nearly spherical.

The Short-eared Owl was formerly common everywhere on the pam-
pas, where the coarse indigenous grasses afforded the shelter and con-
ditions best suited to it. When in time this old rough vegetation gave
place to the soft perishable grasses and clovers, accidentally introduced
by European settlers, the Owl disappeared from the country, like the
large Tinamou (Rhynchotis rufescens), the Red-bellied Finch (Ember-
nagra platensis], and various other species ; for the smooth level plains
afforded it no shelter. Now, however, with the spread of cultivation, it
has reappeared, and is once more becoming a common bird in the more
thicklv-settled districts.

288. BUBO VIRGINIANUS (Om.).
(VIRGINIAN OWL.)

Bubo virginianus, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 116 ; Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549
(Rio Negro) ; White, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 433 (Cordova) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884,
p. 29 (Gualeguaychu). Bubo crassirostris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 430 (Mendoza). Bubo magellanicus, d'Orb. Voy. Ois. p. 137 ; Salv. Ibis,
1880, p. 361 (Salta); Shurpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 29.

Description. — Above dull tawny buff, more or less densely mottled with
blackish brown ; ear-tufts long, blackish, mixed with tawny buff; wings tawny

SCOPS BRASILIANUS. 51

buff, with about seven blackish cross bands ; tail tawny buff, tipped with whitish,
and with about seven blackish cross bands : beneath dull ochraceous buff, with
dusky brown cross lines ; throat-collar whitish : whole length 19-5 inches, wing
14-5, tail 8*5. Female similar, but rather larger.

Hab. North and South America.

This bird, eagle-like in its dimensions, and the largest of our Owls,
is found throughout both Americas, though some authors, relying on
certain trivial variations in size and colour, have separated the southern
from the northern form, and called it Bubo mugcllanicus. In the
Argentine Republic it is well known by its Indian name " Nacurutii ;"
also in Paraguay according to Azara, who says: — " It pronounces its
own name in tones which scare such as pass by night through the deep
woods, which are its palaces/'

The habits of the Virginian Owl are too well known to need to bs
rewritten in this place : the ornithologists of North America have
supplied several biographies of it, that by Audubon being specially
familiar.

289. SCOPS BRASILIANUS (Gm.).
(CHOLIBA OWL.)

Scops brasilianus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 11 7 j White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 41
(Cordova) j Narrows, Auk, 1884, p. 29 (Entrerios) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii.
p. 108.

escription. — Above brown, vermiculated with darker brown, and spotted and
streaked more or less distinctly with black; neck-collar lighter; wings dark
brown, regularly barred across with sandy rufous ; tail dark brown, with about
ten regular cross bars of sandy rufous : beneath dirty white, washed with buff,
densely crossed with narrow zigzag lines of blackish brown : whole length
9'5 inches, wing 6'2, tail 3*7. Female similar, but rather larger.

Hab. South America.

Azara and d'Orbigny have described the habits of this Owl, which
is common in Paraguay and in the Argentine State of Corrientes, the
name for it in both countries being Choliba. It is a bird of the woods,
strictly nocturnal, lives in pairs, and spends the day in a thick-f'oliaged
tree, the male and female sitting close together. At night it comes a
great deal about houses, where it diligently explores every corner in
search of cockroaches and other vermin, and in this way commends
itself to the country people, who esteem it highly, and often keep it tame
in their homes. Its hoot, described as sounding like tururu-tu-tu, is not
unpleasant to the ear, and is a familiar soui:d to all who traverse the

52 BUBONID^.

woody paths by night. It breeds in deep woods, and lays three white
eggs in a hollow tree without any nest.

Barrows found it common in Corrientes along the wooded water-
courses, and says it has a soft tremulous cry. He tells us there are
two varieties of it in colour, red and grey, and gives Cabure as the
native name.

290. SPEOTYTO CUNICULAEIA (MoU
(BUJRROWING-OWL.)

Athene cunicularia, Darwin, Zool. Beagk, iii. p. 31. Noctua cunicularia,
Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 440 j Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 38, et 1878, p. 397
(Patagonia). Pholeoptynx cunicularia, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 117;
Hudson, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 308 (Buenos Ayres) j Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 186
(Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 423 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S.
1882, p. 622 (Catamarca, Misiones). Speotyto cunicularia, Sharpe, Cat.
B. ii. p. 142 ; Barroivs, Auk, 1884, p. 30 (Entrerios) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888,
p. 469 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above dark sandy brown, with large oval spots of white and
smaller spots and freckles of pale brown ; wings and tail dark brown, with
broad whitish cross bars ; facial disk greyish brown, surrounded by white :
beneath white, sides of breast marked with broad bars of brown, which become
fainter on the belly ; lower belly, thighs, and crissum pure white ; tarsi
feathered ; toes slightly bristled : whole length lO'O inches, wing 7'5, tail 3'5.
Female similar, but rather larger.

Hob. North and South America.

The Burrowing-Owl is abundant everywhere on the pampas of
Buenos Ayres and avoids woods, but not districts abounding in scat-
tered trees and bushes. It sees much better than most Owls by day,
and never affects concealment nor appears confused by diurnal sounds
and the glare of noon. It stares fixedly — " with insolence/' Azara
says — at a passer-by, following him with the eyes, the round head
turning about as on a pivot. If closely approached it drops its body or
^bobs in a curious fashion, emitting a brief scream, followed by three
abrupt ejaculations ; and if made to fly goes only fifteen or twenty
yards away, and alights again with face towards the intruder; and_no
sooner does it alight than it repeats the odd gesture and scream,
standing stiff and erect, and appearing beyond measure astonished at
the intrusion. By day it flies near the surface with wings continuously
flapping, and invariably before alighting glides upwards for some dis-
tance and comes down very abruptly. It frequently runs rapidly on the
ground, and is incapable of sustaining flight long. Gaucho boys pursue
these birds for sport on horseback, taking them after a chase of fifteen

SPEOTYTO CUNICULARIA. 53

or twenty minutes. They live in pairs all the year, and sit by day at
the mouth of their burrow or on the Vizcacha's mound, the two birds so
close together as to be almost touching; when alarmed they both fly
away, but sometimes the male only, the female diving into the burrow.
On the pampas it may be more from necessity than choice that they
always sit on the ground, as they are usually seen perched on the
summits of bushes where such abound, as in Patagonia.

These are the commonest traits of the Burrowing-Owl in the settled
districts, where it is excessively numerous and has become familiar with
man ; but in the regions hunted over by the Indians it is a scarce bird
and has different habits. Shy of approach as a persecuted game fowl,
it rises to a considerable height in the air when the approaching traveller
is yet far off, atid flies often beyond sight before descending again to the
earth. This wildness of disposition is, without doubt, due to the active
animosity of the pampas-tribes, who have all the ancient wide-spread
superstitions regarding the Owl. Sister of the Evil Spirit is one of
their names for it ; they hunt it to death whenever they can, and when
travelling will not stop to rest or encamp on a spot where an Owl has
been spied. Where the country is settled by Europeans the bird has
dropped its wary habits and become extremely tame. They are tena-
cious of the spot they live in, and are not easily driven out by culti-
vation. When the fields are ploughed up they make their kennels on
their borders, or at the roadsides, and sit all day perched on the posts of
the fences.

Occasionally they are seen preying by day, especially when anything
passes near them, offering the chance of an easy capture. I have often
amused myself by throwing bits of hard clay near one as it sat beside its
kennel ; for the bird will immediately give chase, only discovering its
mistake when the object is firmly clutched in its talons. When there
are young to be fed, they are almost as active by day as by night. On
hot November days multitudes of a large species of Scarabteus appear,
and the bulky bodies and noisy bungling flights of these beetles invite
the Owls to pursuit, and on every side they are seen pursuing and
striking down the beetles, and tumbling upon them in the grass. Owls
have a peculiar manner of taking their prey : they grapple it so tightly
in their talons that they totter and strive to steady themselves by
throwing out their wings, and, sometimes losing their balance, fall
prostrate and flutter on the ground. If the animal captured be small
they proceed after a while to dispatch it with the beak ; if large they
usually rise laboriously from the ground and fly to some distance with
it, thus giving time lor the wounds inflicted by the claws to do their
work.

54 BUBONID/E.

At sunset the Owls begin to hoot; a short followed by a long note is
repeated many times with an interval of a second of silence. There is
nothing dreary or solemn in this performance; the voice is rather soft
and sorrowful, somewhat resembling the lowest notes of the flute in
sound. In spring they hoot a great deal, many individuals responding
to each other.

In the evening they are often seen hovering at a height of forty feet
above the surface, and continuing to do so fully a minute or longer
without altering their position. They do not drop the whole distance at
once on their prey, but descend vertically, tumbling and fluttering as
if wounded, to within ten yards of the earth, and then, after hovering a
few seconds more, glide obliquely on to it. They prey on every living
creature not too large to be overcome by them. Sometimes when a
mouse is caught they tear off the head, tail, and feet, devouring only
the body. The hind quarters of toads and frogs are almost invariably
rejected ; and inasmuch as these are the most fleshy and succulent parts,
this is a strange and unaccountable habit. They make an easy conquest
of a snake eighteen inches long, and kill it by dealing it blows with the
beak, hopping briskly about it all the time, apparently to guard them-
selves with their wings. They prey largely on the common Coronella
anomala, but I have never seen one attacking a venomous species.
When they have young many individuals become destructive to poultry,
coming about the houses and carrying off the chickens and ducklings
by day. In seasons of plenty they destroy far more prey than they can
devour; but in severe winters they come, apparently starving, about
the houses, and will then stoop to carry off any dead animal food, though
old and dried up as a piece of parchment. This I have often seen
them do.

Though the Owls are always on familiar terms with the Vizcachas
(Layostomus trichodactylus) and occasionally breed in one of their dis-
used burrows, as a rule they excavate a breeding-place for themselves.
The kennel they make is crooked, and varies in length from four to
twelve feet. The nest is placed at the extremity, and is composed of
wool or dry grass, often exclusively of dry horse-dung. The eggs are
usually five in number, white, and nearly spherical ; the number, how-
ever, varies, and I have frequently found six or seven eggs in a nest.
After the female has begun laying the birds continue carrying in dry
horse-dung, until the floor of the burrow and a space before it is thickly
carpeted with this material. The following spring the loose earth and
rubbish is cleared out, for the same hole may serve them two or three
years. It is always untidy, but mostly so during the breeding-season,
when prey is very adundarit, the floor and ground about the entrance

SPEOTYTO CUNICULARIA.

being often littered with excrements, green beetle-shells, pellets of hair
and bones, feathers of birds, hind quarters of frogs in all stages of decay,
great hairy spiders (My gale), remains of half-eaten snakes, and other
unpleasant creatures that they subsist on. But all this carrion about
the little Owl's disordered house reminds one forcibly of the important
part the bird plays in the economy of nature. The young birds ascend
to the entrance of the burrow to bask in the sun, and receive the food
their parents bring ; when approached they become irritated, snapping
with their beaks, and retreat reluctantly into the hole ; and for some
weeks after leaving it they make it a refuge from danger. Old and
young birds sometimes live together for four or five months. I believe
that nine-tenths of the Owls on the pampas make their own burrows,
but as they occasionally take possession of the forsaken holes of mam-
mals to breed in, it is probable that they would always observe this last
habit, if suitable holes abounded, as on the North-American prairies
inhabited by the marmot. Probably our Burrowing-Owl originally
acquired the habit of breeding in the ground in the open level regions
it frequented ; and when this habit (favourable as it must have been in
such unsheltered situations) had become ineradicable, a want of suitable
burrows would lead it to clean out such old ones as had become choked
up with rubbish, to deepen such as were too shallow, and ultimately to
excavate for itself. The mining instinct varies greatly in strength,
even on the pampas. Some pairs, long mated, only begin to dig when
the breeding-season is already on them ; others make their burrows as
early as April — that is six months before the breeding-season. Gene-
rally both birds work, one standing by and regarding operations with
an aspect of grave interest, and taking its place in the pit when the
other retires ; but sometimes the female has no assistance from her
partner; and the burrow then is very short. Some pairs work expe-
ditiously and their kennel is deep and neatly made; others go about
their task in a perfunctory manner, and begin, only to abandon, perhaps
half a dozen burrows, and then rest two or three weeks from their
unprofitable labours. But whether industrious or indolent, by Sep-
tember they all have their burrows made. 1 can only account for
Azara's unfortunate statement, repeated since by scores of compilers,
that the Owl never constructs its own habitations, by assuming that a
century ago, when he lived and the country was still very sparsely
settled, this Owl had not yet become so abundant or laid aside the
wary habit the aborigines had taught it, so that he did not become very
familiar with its habits.

56 BUBOISIM;.

291. GLAUCIDIUM NANUM (King).
(PYGMY OWL.)

Glaucidium nanum, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 117 ; Jlurm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 441 ; Scl P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883,
p. 41 (Cordova) ; Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, p. 49 (Rio Negro) ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. ii. p. 190.

Description. — Above dull reddish brown, mottled with concealed spots and
bars of ochraceous buff ; scapulars with an ashy tinge ; head more rufous and
longitudinally streaked ; whitish collar on the hind neck ; wings dark brown,
banded with rufous ; tail dark brown, with about ten rufous bars, and tipped
with whitish ; cheeks and chin pure white, the latter divided by a dark brown
throat-band from the white fore neck ; abdomen white, streaked with dark
brown : whole length 8'0 inches, wing 3-8, tail 2*9. Female similar, but rather
larger.

Hab. La Plata, Patagonia, and Chili.

This diminutive Owl, which barely reaches eight inches in length,
and is light brown and grey in colour, was discovered by Captain King
in 1827 in the neighbourhood of the Straits of Magellan. I met with
it on the Rio Negro in Patagonia, but saw very little of it. It struck
me that, like the Burrowing-Owl, it is not very strictly nocturnal, for I
observed it in the daytime perched in exposed situations.

In 1882 White met with it in Cosquin, in Cordova, and made the
following important note on its habits : — " It causes the naturalist
much amusement to watch the habits of this pretty little Owl, that,
perched perfectly motionless on a branch, utters such a sirenic cry as to
attract little birds in great numbers. They are observed to cluster
round it, all the while fluttering and in great excitement, charmed by
some fascination. After waiting a while the Owl suddenly pounces upon
the nearest for its victim/'

I also observed little birds mobbing it, when it perched in a conspi-
cuous place in the daytime, as they always mob small birds of prey,
but was not so fortunate as to hear the " sirenic cry " with which the
Cordova bird fascinates its victims. One has heard this yarn of a
" sirenic cry " before, of other species, for it is a very common myth.
That an Owl should now be fitted with the old melodious cap seems
strange ; and Mr. Wrhite is in error when he says that this habit in our
bird "causes the naturalist much amusement."

CIRCUS CINEREUS. 57

Order VII. ACCIPITRES.

Fam. XXXII. FALCONIOE, OR FALCONS.

The diurnal birds of prey of the family Falconidse found in the Neo-
tropical Region number about 1 10 species, of which 22 are at present
known to occur within the limits of the present work. It is probable,
however, that many additional species of this group will be hereafter
added to the Argentine list.

As is usually the case with the Accipitres, most of the species have
an extensive distribution.

292. CIRCUS CINEREUS (Vieill.).
(CINEREOUS HARRIER.)

Circus cinereus, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 56 ; Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 186S, p. 143
(Buenos Ayres) ; iid. Nomencl. p. 118 ; Burm. La-Plata Heise, ii. p. 439
(Mendoza) j Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 536 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 38 (Patagonia) et p. 187 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 397 (Patagonia) ;
Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 411 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 30 (Bahia
Blanca) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 469 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above bluish grey, with darker mottlings ; wing- coverts with
obsolete whitish edgings ; primaries blackish ; tail grey, with four black cross
bands, and tipped with white : beneath, throat and neck like the back ; abdomen
thickly banded with white and rufous bars ; under wing-coverts white ; bill
black ; feet yellow ; nails black : whole length 18'0 inches, wing 12-0, tail 8*2.
Female : rather larger ; above dark brown, with lighter brown spots and
edgings ; throat and fore neck like the back ; wings beneath with black cross
bahds.

Hab. Southern portion of South America.

This Harrier is found throughout the Argentine Republic, and is also
common in Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. On the pampas it is,
I think, the most common bird of prey, after the excessively abundant
Milvago chimango. Like the Chimango, it also prefers an open
unwooded country, and resembles that bird not a little in its general
appearance, and when in the brown stage of plumage may be easily
mistaken for it. In the Falklands it has even acquired the Carrion
Hawk's habits, for Darwin distinctly saw one feeding on a carcass there,
very much to his surprise. On the pampas I have always found it a
diligent bird-hunter, and its usual mode of proceeding is to drive up
the bird from the grass and to pursue and strike it down with its claws.
Mr. Gibson's account of its habits agrees with mine, and he says that
" it will raise any small bird time after time, should the latter endeavour
to conceal itself in the grass, preferring, as it would seem, to strike it on
the wing." He further says : — " Its flight is low and rather rapid,

58 FALCONID^l.

while if its quarry should double it loses no ground, for it turns some-
thing in the manner of a Tumbler Pigeon, going rapidly head over
heels in the most eccentric and amusing fashion."

Probably this Harrier has a partial migration, as a great many are
always seen travelling across the pampas in the autumn and spring ;
many individuals, however, remain all winter.

The nest is made on the ground among long grass, or in reed-beds in
marshy places, and the eggs are white blotched with dark red.

293. CIRCUS MACROPTERUS, Vieill.
(LONG-WINGED HARRIER.)

Circus macropterus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 118; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143
(Buenos Ayres) ; Daring, Krp. al Rio Negro, p. 50 (Rio Colorado).
Buteo macropterus, cTOrb. Voy., Ois. p. 112 (Buenos Ayres). Circus
maculosus, Sharpe, Cat, B. i. p. 62. Circus megaspilus, Gould, Zool. Voy.
Beagle, iii. p. 29 (Uruguay).

Description. — Above black ; frontal band, superciliaries, and upper tail-coverts
white ; edge of facial ruff spotted with white ; wing- and tail-feathers grey,
with black cross bands : beneath white, chest and throat black, with some
white streaks ; under wing-coverts white, with narrow blackish cross bands :
whole length 2OO inches, wing 17*0, tail 1OO. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. South America.

This Harrier is also found in the Republic, but is not so common as
the former species.

294. ASTURINA PUCHERANI, Verr.
(PUCHERAN'S HAWK.)

Asturina pucherani, Scl. et Salv. Ex. Orn. pi. 89, p. 177; iid. Nomencl.
p. 118; iid. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. J 87 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 30 (Entrerios) ; With-
ington, 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 ful-
vous, with four blackish cross bands : beneatb, abdomen pale ocbraceous, barred
across with rufous; throat blackish, with slight white stripes ; breast ochra-
ceous, with narrow black shaft-stripes ; thighs ochraceous, narrowly barred
with orange-rufous ; bill black ; feet dark yellow : whole length 18'0 inches,
\ving 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

ARG. ORN PL. XVI

BUTEO SWAINSONI

BUTEO SWAINSONI. 59

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.

295. BUTEO SWAINSONI, Bp.

(SWAINSON'S BUZZARD.)

[PLATE XVL]

Buteo swainsoni, ScL et Salv. Nomencl. p. 1 18 ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 469
(Lonias de Zamora) ; Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. N. A. B. iii. p. 263. Buteo
obsoletus, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 184. Buteo albicaudatus, ScL et Salv.
P. Z. S. 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above blackish brown ; scapulars slightly variegated with
rufous ; upper tail-coverts white, tinged with rufous ; tail dark greyish brown,
crossed by several ill-defined blackish bars : beneath white or pale ochraceous ;
a broad band covering the whole breast reddish brown ; bill black ; feet yellow ;
claws black : whole length 20'0 inches, wing 15*0, tail 8*5. Female similar, but
larger.

ilab. North and South America.

The figure given herewith (Plate XVI.) represents a fine adult female
specimen of this Buzzard, obtained by Mr. Frank Withingtou at
Lomas de Zamora, on the 4th of February, 1886, and now in Sclater's
collection.

Swainson's Buzzard is a North- American species, which has only
recently been ascertained to occur in the southern part of the Western
Hemisphere. Full details concerning it are given in the standard
work on " North-American Land-birds," to which we have referred
above. Messrs. Baird, Brewer, and Kidgway divide the species into two
subspecies, (< swainsoni33 and ' ' oxypterus" to the latter of which they
refer the southern specimens, but they acknowledge that it is " difficult
to express points of absolute difference " between these subspecies.

It appears from what these authorities say (/. c. p. 268) that a young
specimen procured by Hudson at Conchitas in 1860, and referred by
Messrs. Salvin and Sclater with doubt to B. albicaudatus, really belongs

61 FALCONID^E.

to R. swainsoni. A second undoubtedly Argentine example is that pro-
cured by Mr. Withington and now figured.

Like other Buzzards, B. swainsoni varies much in plumage, and
occasionally assumes a melanistic form, under which it was described
and figured by Sclater in 1858 as Buteo fuliginosus (cf. P. Z. S. 1858,
p. 356, and Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iv. p. 267, pi. Ixii.). Mr. Gurney is
of opinion that d'Orbigny's Buteo unicolor is also referable to this
form of B. swainsoni (cf. Ibis, 1889, p. 134).

A well-known writer on North- American birds (Capt. C. E. Bendire)
gives the following account of the nesting of Buteo swainsoni in
Arizona :—

" This species is by far the commonest Hawk in the vicinity of Fort
Huachuca, and a resident throughout the year. Lieutenant Benson,
found not less than forty-one of their nests containing eggs between
May 14 and June 18, 1887. These were all placed in low mesquite
trees and bushes, from 3 to 15 feet from the ground. Only six of
these nests contained three eggs each, twenty-one nests contained two
eggs, the remaining fourteen but a single egg. Many of the latter
were undoubtedly laid by birds that had been robbed before, especially
where the same nest was used again, which was frequently the case,
and a few were uncompleted sets. Two eggs is the usual number laid
by these birds, in Arizona at least. The nests were bulky platforms,
composed of sticks of various sizes, with but a slight depression in the
centre, and sparingly lined with a few bunches of dried grass.
Lieutenant Benson writes me that after the Arkansas King-birds
(Tyrannus verticalis, Say) began to build he invariably found one of
their nests in any tree that contained a Swainson's Hawk's nest. In
one case, a pair of these birds had placed their nest directly under,
and but 8 or 9 inches from that of the Hawk. A pair of White-
rum ped Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianns ex cubit oroides] built also imme-
diately below one of these Hawk's nests.

" When not closely looked at, many of the eggs of Swainson's Hawk
appear to be unspotted, but on careful examination there are in reality
but very few that are immaculate. Out of a series of sixty-nine speci-
mens sent by Lieutenant Benson there are but three unspotted ones.
The ground-colour of these eggs when fresh is a very distinct greenish
white, which in course of time fades into a dull yellowish white, even
if the eggs are not exposed to light. They are more or less heavily
spotted and blotched, varying in colour from burnt-umber to tawny
olive, and in some of the lighter coloured specimens from a French
grey to a drab-grey. Their shape ranges from a short ovate to an oval,
and they average about 2'23 by 1'71 inches in length and width."

BUTEO ALBICAUDATUS. 61

296. BUTEO ALBICAUDATUS (Vieill.).
(WHITE-TAILED BUZZARD.)

Buteo albicaudatus, Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 187 (Buenos Ayres) ; Doring,
E.rp. al Rio Negro, p. 51 (Rio Negro) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 469
(Lomas de Zaniora). Tachytriorchis albicaudatus, Sharps, Cat. B. i.
p. 162. Buteo pterocles, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 119 ; Harrows, Auk, 1884,
p. 109 (Gualeguaychii) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 622 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above greyish black, scapulars and upper wing-coverts ferru-
ginous ; rump and tail white, the latter with a broad black subapical band, and
with slight narrow transverse slaty bars : beneath, throat black, abdomen white,
flanks more or less barred with brown ; bill black ; feet dirty yellow : whole
length 21 '0 inches, wing 18-0, tail 8'0. Female similar, but rather larger.

Hob. Southern and Central America.

This Buzzard does not breed on the pampas, where I have observed
it, but appears there in the spring and autumn, irregularly, when
migrating, and in flocks which travel in a loitering, desultory manner.
The flocks usually number from thirty or forty to a hundred birds, but
sometimes many more. I have seen flocks which must have numbered
from one to two thousand birds. When flying the flock is very
much scattered, and does not advance in a straight line, but the birds
move in wide circles at a great height in the air, so that a person on
horseback travelling at a canter can keep directly under them for two
or three hours. On the ground one of these large flocks will some-
times occupy an area of half a square league, so widely apart do the
birds keep. I have dissected a great many and found nothing but cole-
opterous insects in their stomachs; and indeed they would not be
able to keep in such large companies when travelling if they required
a nobler prey.

At the end of one summer a flock numbering about two hundred
birds appeared at an estancia near my home, and though very much
disturbed they remained for about three months, roosting at night on
the plantation trees, and passing the day scattered about the adjacent
plain, feeding on grasshoppers and beetles. This flock left when the
weather turned cold ; but at another estancia a flock appeared later in
the season and remained all winter. The birds became so reduced in
flesh that after every cold rain or severe frost numbers were found
dead under the trees where they roosted; and in that way most of
them perished before the return of spring.

62 FALCONID^E.

297. BUTEO ERYTHRONOTUS (King).
(RED-BACKED BUZZARD.)

Buteo erythronotus, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 172 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 119;
Scl P. Z. S. 1872, p. 536 (Rio Negro) ; Dumford, Ibis, 1877, p. 38, et
1878, p. 397 (Patagonia) ; Salt-in, Ibis, 1880, p. 362 (Salta) ; Barrows, Auk,
1884, p. 109 (Azul); Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 469 (Lomas de Zamora).
Buteo tricolor, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 436 (Mendoza and Tucuman).

Description. — Above slaty blue ; wing-feathers slaty, with narrow transverse
bars of black ; upper tail-coverts and tail white, the latter with a broad black
subapical band and numerous narrow grey cross bars : beneath white, with
slight grey cross bars on the belly ; bill black ; feet dirty yellow : whole length
25 inches, wing 18-5, tail 10-0. Female similar, but back deep chestnut.

Hab. Southern portion of South America.

This is a fine bird — the king of South- American Buzzards. In the
adult female the three colours of the plumage are strongly contrasted ;
the back being rusty rufous, the rest of the upper parts grey, the whole
under surface pure white. It is occasionally met with in the northern
provinces of the Argentine Republic, but is most common in Patagonia ;
and it has been said that in that region it takes the place of the nearly
allied Buteo albicaudatus of Brazil. In habits, however, the two species
are as different as it is possible for two raptores to be; for while
the northern bird has a cowardly spirit, is, to some extent, gregarious,
and feeds largely on insects, the Patagonian species has the preying habits
of the Eagle, and lives exclusively, I believe, or nearly so, on cavies and
other small mammals. When Captain King first discovered it in 1827,
he described it as " a small beautiful Eagle." In Patagonia it is very
abundant, and usually seen perched on the summit of a bush, its broad
snowy- white bosom conspicuous to the eye at a great distance — one of the
most familiar features in the monotonous landscape of that grey country.
The English colonists on the Chupat, Durnford says, call it the "white
horse/' owing to its conspicuous white colour often deceiving them
when they are out searching for strayed horses in the hills. It is a
wary bird, and when approached has the habit of rising up in widening
circles to a vast height in the air. When sailing about in quest of prey
it usually maintains a height of fifty or sixty yards above the surface.
The stomachs of all the individuals I have examined contained nothing
but the remains of cavies (Cavia australis}.

The nest is built on the top of a thorn bush, and is a large structure
of sticks, lined with grass, fur, dry dung, and other materials. " The
eggs are greyish white in colour, blotched and marked, principally to-
wards the large end, with two shades of umber-brown " (Gould).

HETEROSPIZIAS MERIDIONALIS. 63

298. ANTENOR UNICINCTUS (Temm.).
(ONE-BANDED BUZZARD.)

Asturina unicincta, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 436 (Mendoza). Urubitinga
unicincta, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 119; Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 411 (Buenos
Ayres); Sahin, Ibis, 1880, p. 362 (Salta); Wilhington, Ibis, 1388, p. 4G9
(Lomas de Zamora). Antenor unicinctus, Ridyw. N. A. B. iii. p. 249
(1874). Erythrocnema unicincta, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 85.

Description. — Above black, upper wing-coverts chestnut; upper tail- coverts
white ; tail black, concealed base and tip white : beneath black ; thighs deep
ferruginous ; crissura white : whole length 23'0 inches, wing 14'5, tail 9'5.
Female similar, but larger.

Hab. North and South America.

This is the Common Buzzard of the Plata region. It differs from the
species previously described in its greater length of wing, and in the
habit of flying near the ground when in search of prey ; resembling in
this respect a Harrier, only its flight is slower and more loitering. It
prefers an open country, but on the pampas, like all large Hawks, it
meets with great persecution from the ever-vigilant, fierce- tempered
Spur- winged Lapwing. I once saw one of these Buzzards, while being
so persecuted, make a conquest which greatly surprised me. It was
sailing over the plain, about twenty feet from the surface, harried by
several Lapwings, when suddenly, just as one Lapwing swept down-
wards past it in the usual way, apparently missing the head of the Hawk
with its sharp wing-spurs by a hair's breadth, the Buzzard struck at and
seized it in its claws and bore it to the ground. The screams of the
caotive and its fellows quickly brought to the spot a cloud of two or
three hundred Lapwings, all hovering and screaming their loudest. I
ran to the spot to aid in the rescue, when seeing me coming the Buzzard
rose heavily from the ground, still carrying the Plover, and flew away
beyond reach.

299. HETEROSPIZIAS MERIDIONALIS (Lath.).
(BROWN BUZZAKD.)

Urubitinga meridionalis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 119; iid. P. Z. S. 1869,
p. 634 (Buenos Ayres) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 362 (Salta). Heterospizias
meridionalis, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 160 ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 109 (Entre-
rios). Asturina rutilans, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 436 (Tucuman).

Description. — Above slaty grey, passing into ferruginous rufous on the head,
and blackish on the lower tail-coverts ; wing-feathers chestnut, with narrow

64 FALCONID.E.

transverse black bars and long black ends; tail black, with a broad median
white band and white tip : beneath clear ferruginous red, with narrow trans-
verse black bars ; bill black, yellow at the base ; feet yellowish brown : whole
length 20'0 inches, wing 16-5, tail 8-3. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. South America.

This Buzzard inhabits the northern portion of the Argentine Republic,
and is also found in the woods and marshes along the Plata basin, ranging
south to Buenos Ayres. The wings are larger and the flight slower than
in the last species. The plumage is nearly of a uniform dark brown.

At Concepcion, in Entrerios, Mr. Barrows tells us it is not unfre-
quently seen in cold weather. In July 1880, during an almost unpre-
cedented rise of the river, it was quite abundant. The stomach of a
gorged female examined contained only young grasshoppers.

300. GERANOAETUS MELANOLEUCUS (VieilU
(CHILIAN EAGLE.)

Haliaetus melanoleucus, Bvrm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 435 (Parana, Tucuman,
Pampas). Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Scl. et Salv. NomencL p. 119;
Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 536 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 38, et
1878, p. 397 (Patagonia); Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 409 (Buenos Ayres);
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 110 (Entrerios and Ventana). Buteo melanoleucus,
Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 168.

Description. — Above black, wings grey, with narrow transverse black bars ;
tail black : beneath, throat grey ; breast black, with slight round whitish
spots ; abdomen white, faintly barred across with grey ; bill plumbeous ; feet
yellow, claws black : whole length 26-0 inches, wing 19-0, tail 10*5. Female
similar, but larger.

Hab. Whole southern half of South America, and western portion
of northern half.

The Grey or Chilian Eagle, like most diurnal birds of prey, under-
goes many changes of colour, the plumage at different periods having its
brown, black, and grey stages : in the old birds it is a uniform clear
grey, and the under surface white. Throughout the Argentine country
this is the commonest Eagle, and I found it very abundant in Patagonia.
D'Orbigny describes it with his usual prolixity — pardonably so in this
case, however, the bird being one of the very few species with which he
appears to have become familiar from personal observation. He says
that it is a wary bird ; pairs for life, the male and female never being
found far apart ; and that it soars in circles with a flight resembling
that of a Vulture, and that the form of its broad blunt wings increases

GERANOAETUS MELANOLEUCUS. f>5

its resemblance to that bird. Cavies and small mammals are its usual
prey ; and in the autumn and winter, when the Pigeons congregate in
large numbers, it follows their movements. During the Pigeon-season,
he has counted as many as thirty Eagles in the course of a three leagues'
ride ; and he has frequently seen an Eagle swoop down into a cloud of
Pigeons, and invariably reappear with one struggling in its talons. It
is seldom found far from the shores of the sea or of some large river ;
and on the Atlantic coast, in Patagonia, it soars above the sands at ebb-
tide, looking out for stranded fish, carcases of seals, and other animal
food left by the retiring waters, and quarrels with Condors and Vultures
over the refuse, even when it is quite putrid. It acts as a weather
prognostic, and before a storm is seen to rise in circles to a vast height
in the air, uttering piercing screams, which may be heard after it has
quite disappeared from sight.

The nest of this species is usually built on the ledge of an inac-
cessible rock or precipice, but not unfrequently on a tree. Mr. Gibson
describes one, which he found on the top of a thorn-tree, as a structure
of large sticks three feet in diameter, the hollow cushioned with dry
grass. It contained two eggs, dull white, marked with pale reddish
blotches.

Mr. Gibson compares its cry to a " wild human laugh," and also
writes : — " Its whereabouts may often be detected by an attendant flock
of Caranchos (Polyborus tharus), particularly in the case of a young
bird. As soon as it rises from the ground or from a tree, these begin
to persecute it, ascending spirally also, and making dashes at it, while
the Eagle only turns its head watchfully from side to side, the mere
action being sufficient to avert the threatened collision."

Gay, in his ' Natural History of Chili/ describes the affectionate and
amusing habits of an Eagle of this species which he had tamed. It
took great delight in playing with his hand, and would seize and pre-
tend to bite one of his fingers, but really with as much tenderness as a
playful dog displays when pretending to bite its master. It used also
to amuse itself by picking up a pebble in its beak, and with a jerk of
its head toss it up in the air, then seize it in its claws when it fell, after
which it would repeat the performance.

VOL. II.

66 FALCONID.^.

301. HARPYHALIAETU3 CORONATUS (Vieill.X
(CROWNED HARPY.)

Harpyhaliaetus coronatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 119 ; Hudson, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 536 (Rio Negro) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 221.

Description. — Above ashy brown, with a long occipital crest of darker feathers ;
wings grey with blackish tips ; tail black, with a broad white median band and
white tip : beneath paler ashy brown, thighs blackish : whole length 33 inches,
wing 22-0, tail 13'5. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. South America.

I met with this fine Eagle on the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, where
(TOrbigny also found it ; the entire Argentine Territory comes, how-
ever, within its range. Having merely seen it perched on the tall
willows fringing the Rio Negro, or soaring in wide circles far up in the
sky, I cannot venture to speak of its habits, while the account of them
which d'Orbigny built up is not worth quoting, for he does not say
how he got his information. One of his statements would, if true, be
very important indeed. He says that his attention was drawn to a very
curious fact concerning the Crowned Harpy, which was, that this bird
preys chiefly on the skunk — an animal, he very truly adds, with so
pestilential an odour that even the most carnivorous of mammals are
put to flight by it ; that it is the only bird of prey that kills the skunk,
and that it does so by precipitating itself from a vast height upon its
quarry, which it then quickly despatches. It would not matter at all
whether the Eagle dropped from a great or a moderate height, for in
either case the skunk would receive its enemy with the usual pestilent
discharge. D'Orbigny's account is, however, pure conjecture, and
though he does not tell us what led him to form such a conclusion, I
have no doubt that it was because the Eagle or Eagles he obtained had
the skunk-smell on their plumage. Most of the Eagles I shot in
Patagonia, including about a dozen Chilian Eagles, smelt of skunk, the
smell being in most cases old and faint. Of two Crowned Harpies
obtained, only one smelt of skunk. This only shows that in Patagonia
Eagles attack the skunk, which is not strange, considering that it is of
a suitable size and conspicuously marked; that it goes about fearlessly
in the daytime and is the most abundant animal, the small cavy excepted,
in that sterile country. But whether the Eagles succeed in their attacks
on it is a very different matter. The probability is that when an Eagle,
incited by the pangs of hunger, commits so great a mistake as to attack
a skunk, the pestilent fluid, which has the same terribly burning and
nauseating effects on the lower animals as on man, very quickly makes

FALCO PEREGRINUS. G7

it abandon the contest. It is certain that pumas make the same mis-
take as the Eagles do, for in some that are caught the fur smells strongly
of skunk. It might be said that the fact that many Eagles smell of
skunk serves to show that they do feed on them, for otherwise they
would learn by experience to avoid so dangerous an animal, and the
smell of a first encounter would soon wear off. I do not think that
hungry birds of prey, in a barren country like Patagonia, would learn
from one repulse, or even from several, the fruitlessness and danger of
such attacks ; while the smell is so marvellously persistent that one or
two such attacks a year on the part of each Eagle would be enough to
account for the smell on so many birds. If skunks could be easily con-
quered by Eagles, they would not be so numerous or so neglectful of
their safety as we find them.

A fine example of this bird was brought alive from the Argentine
Republic to England by Mr. E. W. Goodlake in 1863, and lived for
several years in the Zoological Society's Gardens.

302. GERANOSPIZIAS C^ERULESCENS (Vieill).
(GREY CRANE-HAWK.)

Geranospiza caerulescens, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 121 ; White, P. Z. S'
1882, p. 623 (Salta). Geranospizias caerulescens, Sharpe, Cat. B. i.
p. 81.

Description. — Above plumbeous, nape and upper tail-coverts slightly mottled
with white ; wing-feathers black, with a large white spot on the inner webs of
the primaries ; tail black, with two broad ochraceous white bars and white tip :
bene&th plumbeous, abdomen and under wing-coverts with irregular white
cross bands ; bill plumbeous ; feet yellow : whole length 16-5 inches, wing 9-5,
tail 8'0. Female similar, but not so distinctly coloured, and larger.

Hob. South America.

White obtained an example of this species at Campo Colorado, near
Oran, and another on the Upper Uruguay.

303. FALCO PEREGRINUS, Linn.
(PEREGRINE FALCON.)

Falco peregrinus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 121 ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 470.
Falco communis, Sliarpe, Cat. B. i. p. 376.

Description. — Above plumbeous, lighter on the rump, more or less distinctly
barred with blackish ; head and cheeks "blackish : beneath white, tinged with
emnamomeous, abdomen and thighs sparingly traversed by narrow black cross

68 FALCONID^E.

bands ; under surface of wings white, regularly banded with ashy black ; bill
plumbeous ; cere yellow ; feet yellow, nails black : whole length 20 inches,
wing 14'0, tail 6-7. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. Old and New Worlds.

The Peregrine Falcon is found throughout the Argentine Republic, but
is nowhere numerous, and is not migratory; nor is it " essentially a
•duck-hawk," as in India according to Dr. Anderson, for it preys chiefly
-on land birds. It is solitary, and each bird possesses a favourite resting-
place or home, where it spends several hours every day, and also roosts
at night. Where there are trees it has its chosen site where it may
always be found at noon ; but on the open treeless pampas a mound of
earth or the bleached skull of a horse or cow serves it for a perch, and
here for months the bird may be found every day on its stand. It sits
upright and motionless, springs suddenly into the air when taking
flight, and flies in a straight line, and with a velocity which few birds
can equal. Its appearance always causes great consternation amongst
other birdsj for even the Spur-winged Lapwing, the spirited persecutor
of all other Hawks, flies screaming with terror from it. It prefers
attacking moderately large birds, striking them on the wing, after
which it stoops to pick them up. While out riding one day, I saw a
Peregrine sweep down from a great height and strike a Burrowing-Owl
to the earth, the Owl having risen up before me. It then picked it
up and flew away with it in its talons.

The Peregrine possesses one very curious habit. When a plover,,
pigeon, or duck is killed, it eats the skin and flesh of the head and
neck, picking the vertebrae clean of the flesh down to the breast-bone,
and also eating the eyes, but leaving the body untouched. I have found
scores of dead birds witli head and neck picked clean in this way ; and
once I watched for some months a Peregrine which had established
itself near my home, where it made havoc among the Pigeons ; and I
frequently marked the spot to which it carried its prey, and on going to
the place always found that the Pigeon's head and neck only had been
stripped of flesh. The Burrowing-Owl has an analogous habit, for
it invariably rejects the hind quarters of the toads and frogs which it
captures.

At the approach of the warm season the Peregrines are often seen in
twos and threes violently pursuing each other at a great height in the
air, and uttering shrill piercing screams, which can be heard distinctly
after the birds have disappeared from sight.

TINNUNCULUS CINNAMOMINUS.

r304. FALCO FUSCO-OERULESCENS, Vieill.
(ORANGE-CHESTED HOBBY.)
Falco femoralis, Burm. La-Plata Raise, ii. p. 437 (Pampas). Hypotriorchis
femoralis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 121 iid. P. Z. S. 1808, p. 143 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 536 (Rio Negro) ; Lurnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 187 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 398 (Patagonia) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880,
p. 362 (Salta) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 412 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S.
1883, p. 41 (Cordova) j Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 470 (Lomas de Zamora).
Falco fusco-ca3rulescens, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 400.

Description. — Above dull slaty blackish, rump variegated with white ; supers
ciliaries lengthened and joined behind on the nape rufous : beneath, throat and
breast pale cinnamomeous with black shaft-stripes on the breast ; broad band
across the belly black, with slight white transverse lines ; lower belly and thighs
clear cinnamomeous ; wings and tail blackish with transverse white bars ; bill
yellow with black tip; feet orange, claws black.: whole length 13*5 inches.,
wing lO'O, tail 7*0. Female similar, but larger.

IHab. Central and South America.
The Orange-chested Hobby is found throughout South and Central
America, but the form met with here differs, to some extent, in habits
from its representatives of the hotter region. It is a Patagonian
bird, the most common Falcon in that country, and is migratory, winter-
ing in the southern and central Argentine provinces. In its winter
home it is solitary, and fond of hovering about farm-houses, where it
sits on a tree or post and looks out for its prey. Compared with the
Peregrine it has a very poor spirit, and I have often watched it give
chase to a bird, and just when it seemed about to grasp its prey, give up
the pursuit and slink ingloriously away. It never boldly and openly
attacks any bird, except of the smallest species, and prefers to perch on
an elevation from which it can dart down suddenly and take its prey by
surprise.

The nest is a slovenly structure of sticks on a thorny bush or tree.
The eggs, which I have not seen, Darwin describes as follows : — " Sur-
face rough with white projecting points ; colour nearly uniform dirty
wood-brown; general appearance as if it had been rubbed in brown
mud."

305. TINNUNCULUS CINNAMOMINUS (Sw,X
(CINNAMOMEOUS KESTREL.)

Falco sparverius, Burm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 437 (Mendoza, Tucuman);
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 1 10 (Entrerios). Tinnunculus sparverius, Darwin,
Zool. 'Beagle,' iii. p. 29 (Rio Negro); Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 121 ; iid.
P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 530 (Rio

70 FALCONID^E.

Ne«ro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 39 (Chupat), p. 188 (Buenos Ay res), et
1878, p. 398 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 412 (Buenos Ayres).
Cerclmeis cinnamomina, Shatpe, Cat. B, i. p. 439. Tinnunculus cin-
namominus, Withinyton, Ibis, 1888, p. 470 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Alove cinnamon-red, with irregular black cross bands on the
tack ; head bluish grey ; front and sides of head white ; nape and stripes on
the sides of the neck black ; wings bluish grey with black central spots ;
remiges black, with numerous white cross bars on the inner webs ; tail cinna-
mon-red, with a broad subterminal black band and white tip : beneath white,
with buffy tinge and irregular oval black spots : whole length 1O5 inches,
wing 7*7, tail 5'0. Female similar, but rather larger ; upper surface regularly
barred across ; beneath buffy white with brown shaft-stripes ; tail with
numerous cross bars.

Hab. South America.

The habits of this little Falcon closely resemble those of Falco
fusco-ccerulescens, and like that bird it is common in Patagonia and
migrates north in winter. Many individuals, however, do not migrate,
as I found when residing at the Rio Negro, where some pairs remained
at the breeding-place all the year. Many pairs are also found resident
and breeding in other parts of the Argentine country, but it is common
only in Patagonia.

It nests in holes in cliffs and also on trees, and sometimes builds its
own nest on the large nest of a Dendrocolaptine bird or of a Parroquet.
It lays four eggs, large for the size of the bird, oval in shape, and white
in colour, thickly blotched with dull red.

The preying habits of the Little Kestrel are similar to those of the
Orange- chested Hobby; it haunts farm-houses and plantations, and
spends a great deal of time perched on some elevation watching for
its prey, and making sudden dashes to capture it by surprise. But
though not bold when seeking its food, it frequently makes violent
unprovoked attacks on species very much larger than itself, either from
ill-temper or in a frolicsome spirit, which is more probable.

Thus I have seen one drive up a flock of Glossy Ibises and pursue
them some distance, striking arid buffeting them with the greatest
energy. I saw another pounce down from its perch,, where it had been
sitting for some time, on a female skunk quietly seated at the en-
trance of her burrow, with her three half-grown young frolicking
around her. I was watching them with intense interest, for they were
leaping over their parent's tail, and playing like kittens with it, when
the Hawk dashed down, and after striking at them quickly three or
four times, as they tumbled pell-mell into their kennel, flew quietly
away, apparently well satisfied with its achievement.

ELANUS LEUCURUS. 71

L303. ELANUS LEUCURUS (VieilL).
(WHITE-TAILED KITE.)

Elanus leucurus, Scl et Sale. Nomencl p. 121 ; iid. P. Z. S. 18G9, p. 1GC
(Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Urn, 1877, p. 188 (Buenos Ayres); White,
P. Z. S. 1882, p. 623 (Buenos Ayres) ; Burrows, Auk, 1884, p. Ill (Entre-
rios) ; During, Exp. al Rio Negro, p. 50 (Pampas) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 339;
Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 470 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above grey ; lesser wing-coverts and scapulars black ; tail
white, two central rectrices grey : beneath white ; bill black ; feet yellow ;
claws yellow: whole length 14-5 inches, wing 11-0, tail 7'0. Female similar,
but rather larger.

Hab. Central aud South America.

This interesting Hawk is found throughout the Argentine Republic,
but is nowhere numerous. It also inhabits Chili, where, Gay says, it is
called Bailarin (dancer) on account of its aerial performances. It is a
handsome bird, with large ruby-red irides, and when seen at a distance its
snow-white plumage and buoyant flight give it a striking resemblance to
a gull. Its wing-power is indeed marvellous. It delights to soar, like
the Martens, during a high wind, and will spend hours in this sport,
rising and falling alternately, and at times, seeming to abandon itself
to the fury of the gale, is blown away like thistle-down, until, suddenly
recovering itself, it shoots back to its original position. Where there are
tall poplar trees these birds amuse themselves by perching on the topmost
slender twigs, balancing themselves with outspread wings, each bird on
a separate tree, until the tree-tops are swept by the wind from under
them, when they often remain poised almost motionless m the air,
until the twigs return to their feet.

When looking out for prey, this Kite usually maintains a height of
sixty or seventy feet above the ground, and in its actions strikingly
resembles a fishing gull, frequently remaining poised in the air with
body motionless and wings rapidly vibrating for fully half a minute at
a stretch, after which it flies on or dashes down upon its prey.

The nest is placed on the topmost twigs of a tall tree, and is round
and neatly built of sticks, rather deep, and lined with dry grass. The
eggs are eight in number, nearly spherical, the ground-colour creamy
white, densely marked with longitudinal blotches or stripes of a fine
rich red, almost like coagulated blood in hue. There is, however, great
variety in the shades of the red, also in the disposition of the markings,
these in some eggs being confluent, so that the whole shell is red. The
shell is polished aud exceedingly fragile, a rare thing in the eggs of
a raptor.

72 FALCONIM).

An approach to the nest is always greeted by the birds with long
distressful cries, and this cry is also muttered in the love-season, when
the males often fight and pursue each other in the air. The old and
young birds sometimes live together until the following spring.

307. ROSTRHAMUS SOCIABILIS (Vieill.).
(SOCIABLE MARSH-HAWK.)

Rostrhamus sociabilis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 121 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 1GO
(Buenos Ay res) ; Dumford, Ibis, 1877, p. 188 (Buenos Ay res) ; Gibson,
Ibis, 1879, p. 413 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withinyton, Ibis, 1888, p. 470 (Lomas
de Zamora). Rostrhamus leucopygus, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 328. Rostr-
hamus hamatus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 435 (Rio Parana).

Description. — Blackish slate-colour ; head and wing-feathers black ; rump
white ; tail white, with a broad band occupying the apical half, but leaving the
tail end greyish ; bill orange, apical half black ; feet orange-brown, claws black :
whole length 17'0 inches, wing 13'0, tail 7*5. Female similar, but rather larger.

Hob. South America.

This Hawk in size and manner of flight resembles a Buzzard, but in
its habits and the form of its slender and very sharply hooked beak it
differs widely from that bird. The name of Sociable Marsh-Hawk,
which Azara gave to this species, is very appropriate, for they invariably
live in flocks of from twenty to a hundred individuals, and migrate and
even breed in company. In Buenos Ayres they appear in September
and resort to marshes and streams abounding in large water-snails (Am-
pullaria), on which they feed exclusively. Each bird has a favourite
perch or spot of ground to which it carries every snail it captures, and
after skilfully extracting the animal with its curiously modified beak,
it drops the shell on the mound. When disturbed or persecuted by
other birds they utter a peculiar cry, resembling the shrill neighing of
a horse. In disposition they are most peaceable, and where they are
abundant all other birds soon discover that they are not as other Hawks
are and pay no attention to them. When soaring, which is their favourite
pastime, the flight is singularly slow, the bird frequently remaining
motionless for long intervals in one place ; but the expanded tail is all
the time twisted about in the most singular manner, moved from side
to side, and turned up until its edge is nearly at a right angle with the
plane of the body. These tail-movements appear to enable it to remain
stationary in the air without the rapid vibratory wing-motions practised
by Elanus leucurus and other hovering birds ; and I should think that the
vcrtebrfe of the tail must have been somewhat modilicd by such a habit.

SPIZIAPTEEYX CIRCUMCINCTUS.

Concerning its breeding-habits Mr. Gibson writes : — " In the year
1873 I was so fortunate as to find a breeding colony in one of our
largest and deepest swamps. There were probably twenty or thirty
nests, placed a few yards apart, in the deepest and most lonely part of
the whole ' canadon/ They were slightly built platforms,, supported
on the rushes and two or three feet above the water, with the cup-shaped
hollow lined with pieces of grass and water-rush. The eggs never
exceeded three in a nest ; the ground-colour generally bluish white,
blotched and clouded very irregularly with dull red-brown, the rufous
tint sometimes being replaced with ash-grey."

308. SPIZIAPTEEYX CIRCUMCINCTUS (Kaup).
(SPOT-WINGED FALCON.)

Falco circumcinctus, Scl. Ibis, 1862, p. 23, pi. ii. Spiziapteryx circum-
cinctus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 122 ; White, P. Z. S. 1682, p. 623 (Cata-
marca) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 371. Falco punctipennis, Burm. J. f. O.
1860, p. 242. Hemiierax circumcinctus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii.
p. 438.

Description. — Above brown, with black shaft-stripes ; head black, with brown
stripes and white superciliaries, which join round the nape, forming an ill-defined
nuchal band ; rump pure white ; wings black, with white oval spots on the
outer and white bars on the inner webs ; tail black, all the lateral rectrices
crossed by five or six broad white bars : beneath white, breast regularly striped
with narrow black shaft-stripes ; bill plumbeous, lower mandible yellow, except
at the tip ; feet greenish, nails black : whole length 11 inches, wing 6'5, tail 5'0.
Female similar, but rather larger.

Hab. Argentina.

This small Hawk is sometimes met with in the woods of La Plata,
near the river ; it is rare, but owing to its curious violent flight, with
the short blunt wings rapidly beating all the time, it is very conspi-
cuous in the air and well known to the natives, who call it Rey de los
Pajaros (King of the Birds), and entertain a very high opinion of its
courage and strength. I have never seen it taking its prey, and do not
believe that it ever attempts to capture anything in the air, its short
blunt wings and peculiar manner of flight being unsuited for such a
purpose. Probably it captures birds by a sudden dash when they mob
it on its perch ; and I do not know any raptor more persistently run
after and mobbed by small birds. I once watched one for upwards of
an hour as it sat on a tree attended by a large flock of Guira Cuckoos,
all excitedly screaming and bent on dislodging it from its position.

74 FALCONID^E.

So long as they kept away five or six feet from it the Hawk remained
motionless, only hissing and snapping occasionally as a warning ; but
•whenever a Cuckoo ventured a little nearer and into the charmed circle,
it would make a sudden rapid dash and buffet the intruder violently
back to a proper distance, returning afterwards to its own stand.

309. MILVAGO CHIMANGO (Vieill.).
(CHIMANGO CARRION-HAWK.)

Milvago chimango, Scl. et Sale. Nomencl. p. 122; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 40
(Ckupat), et p. 188 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 398 (Centr. Patagonia) ;
Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 420 (Buenos Ayres); Harroios, Auk, 1884, p. Ill
(Entrerios) ; Withinyton, Ibis, 1888, p. 470 (Lomas de Zamora). Ibycter
chimango, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 41. Milvago pezoporus, Burm. La-
Plata Reise, ii. p. 434 (La Plata).

Description. — Above reddish brown, with ashy edgings to the feathers ; rump
greyish white; greater wing-coverts white, with slight, brown cross bars; pri-
maries dark brown, externally at their bases freckled with grey ; inner webs at
their bases white ; tail greyish white, with numerous freckles and narrow bands
of brownish grey : beneath grey, deeply tinged with rufous on the throat and
breast ; crissum nearly white ; under wing-coverts deep rufous ; bill pale yel-
lowish ; feet olive : whole length 15-0 inches, wing 11-0, tail 6-5. Female similar.

Hob. Southern half of South America.

Azara says of the Carancho (Polyborus tharus) : — " All methods of
subsistence are known to this bird : it pries into, understands, and takes
advantage of everything." These words apply better to the Chiraango,
which has probably the largest bill of fare of any bird, and has grafted
on to its own peculiar manner of life the habits of twenty diverse
species. By turns it is a falcon, a vulture, an insect-eater, and a vege-
table-eater. On the same day you will see one bird in violent hawk-like
pursuit of its living prey, with all the instincts of rapine hot within it,
and another less ambitious individual engaged in laboriously tearing at
an old cast-off shoe, uttering mournful notes the while, but probably
more concerned at the tenacity of the material than at its indiges-
tibility.

A species so cosmopolitan in its tastes might have had a whole
volume to itself in England ; being only a poor foreigner, it has had
no more than a few unfriendly paragraphs bestowed upon it For it
happens to be a member of that South- American subfamily of which
even grave naturalists have spoken slightingly, calling them vile, cow-
ardly, contemptible birds ; and the Chimango is nearly least of them all

MILVAGO CHIMANGO. 75

— a sort of poor relation and hanger on of a family already looked upon
as bankrupt and disreputable. Despite this evil reputation, few species
are more deserving of careful study ; for throughout an extensive portion
of South America it is the commonest bird we know ; and when we
consider how closely connected are the lives of all living creatures by
means of their interlacing relations, so that the predominance of any one
kind, however innocuous, necessarily causes the modification, or extinc-
tion even, of surrounding species, we are better able to appreciate the
importance of this despised fowl in the natural polity. Add to this its
protean habits, and then, however poor a creature our bird may seem,
and deserving of strange-sounding epithets from an ethical point of
view, I do not know where the naturalist will find a more interesting
one.

The Chimango has not an engaging appearance. In size and
figure it much resembles the Hen-harrier, and the plumage is uniformly
of a light sandy brown colour ; the shanks are slender, claws weak,
and beak so slightly hooked that it seems like the merest apology of the
Falcon's tearing weapon. It has an easy loitering flight, and when on
the wing does not appear to have an object in view, like the Hawk, but
wanders and prowls about here and there, and when it spies another
bird it flies after him to see if he has food in his eye. When one finds
something to eat the others try to deprive him of it, pursuing him with
great determination all over the place ; if the foremost pursuer flags, a
fresh bird takes its place, until the object of so much contention —
perhaps after all only a bit of skin or bone — is dropped to the ground,
to be instantly snatched up by some bird in the tail of the chase; and
he- in turn becomes the pursued of all the others. This continues till
one grows tired and leaves off watching them without seeing the result.
They are loquacious and sociable, frequently congregating in loose
companies of thirty or forty individuals, when they spend several hours
every day in spirited exercises, soaring about like Martins, performing
endless evolutions, and joining in aerial mock battles. When tired of
these pastimes they all settle down again, to remain for an hour or so
perched on the topmost boughs of trees or other elevations ; and at
intervals one bird utters a very long leisurely chant, with a falling
inflection, followed by a series of short notes, all the other birds joining
in chorus and uttering short notes in time with those of their soloist or
precentor. The nest is built on trees or rushes in swamps, or on the
ground amongst grass and thistles. The eggs are three or four in
number, nearly spherical, blotched with deep red on a white or creamy
ground ; sometimes the whole egg is marbled with red ; but there are
endless varieties. It is easy to find the nest, and becomes easier when

76 FALCONID^.

there are young birds, for the parent when out foraging invariably
returns to her young uttering long mournful notes, so that one has only
to listen and mark the spot where it alights. After visiting a nest
I have always found the young birds soon disappear, and as the old
birds vanish also I believe that the Chi mango removes its young when
the nest has been discovered — a rare habit with birds.

Chimangos abound most in settled districts, but a prospect of food
will quickly bring numbers together even in the most solitary places.
On the desert pampas, where hunters, Indian and European, have a great
fancy for burning the dead grass, the moment the smoke of a distant
fire is seen there the Chimangos fly to follow the conflagration. They
are, at such times, strangely animated, dashing through clouds of smoke,
feasting amongst the hot ashes on roasted cavies and other small mam-
mals, and boldly pursuing the scorched fugitives from the flames.

At all times and in all places the Chimango is ever ready to pounce on
the weak, the sickly, and the wounded. In other regions of the globe
these doomed ones fall into the clutches of the true bird of prey ; but
the salutary office of executioner is so effectually performed by the
Chimango and his congeners where these false Hawks abound, that the
true Hawks have a much keener struggle to exist here. This circum-
stance has possibly served to make them swifter of wing, keener of
sight, and bolder in attack than elsewhere. I have seen a Buzzard,
which is not considered the bravest of the Hawks, turn quick as light-
ning on a Cayenne Lapwing, which was pursuing it, and grappling it
bear it down to the ground and despatch it in a moment, though a
hundred other Lapwings were uttering piercing screams above it. Yet
this Plover is a large, powerful, fierce -tempered bird, and armed with
sharp spurs on its wings. This is but one of numberless instances I
have witnessed of the extreme strength and daring of our Hawks.

When shooting birds to preserve I used to keep an anxious eye on
the movements of the Chimangos flying about, for I have had some
fine specimens carried olf or mutilated by these omnipresent robbers.
One winter day I came across a fine Myiotheretes rvfiventris, a pretty and
graceful Tyrant-bird, rather larger than the Common Thrush, with a
chocolate and silver-grey plumage. It was rare in that place, and,
anxious to secure it, I fired a very long shot, for it was extremely shy.
It rose up high in the air and flew off apparently unconcerned. What,
then, wras my surprise to see a Chimango start off in pursuit of it !
Springing on to my horse, I followed, and before going half a mile
noticed the Tyrant-bird beginning to show signs of distress. After
avoiding several blows aimed by the Chimango, it flew down and
plunged into a cardoon bush. There I captured it, and when skinning

MILVAGO CHIMANGO. 77

it to preserve found that one small shot had lodged in the fleshy portion
of the breast. It was a very slight wound, yet the Chimango with its
trained sight had noticed something wrong with the bird from the
moment it flew off, apparently in its usual free buoyant manner.

On another occasion I was defrauded of a more valuable specimen
than the Tyrant-bird. It was on the east coast of Patagonia, when one
morning, while seated on an elevation, watching the waves dashing
themselves on the shore, I perceived a shining white object tossing
about at some distance from land. Successive waves brought it nearer,
till at last it was caught up and flung far out on to the shingle, fifty
yards from where I sat ; and instantly, before the cloud of spray had
vanished, a Chimango dashed down upon it. I jumped up and ran
down as fast as I could, and found my white object to be a Penguin,
apparently just killed by some accident out at sea, and in splendid
plumage ; but, alas ! in that moment the vile Chimango had stripped
off and devoured the skin from its head, so that as a specimen it was
hopelessly ruined.

As a rule, strong healthy birds despise the Chimango ; they feed in
his company ; his sudden appearance causes no alarm, and they do not
take the trouble to persecute him ; but when they have eggs or young
he is not to be trusted. He is not easily turned from a nest he has
once discovered. I have seen h,im carry off a young Tyrant-bird (Mil-
vulus tyrannus), in the face of such an attack from the parent birds that
one would have imagined not even an Eagle could have weathered such
a tempest. Curiously enough, like one of the boldest of our small
Hawks (Tinnunculus cinnamominus),ihcy sometimes attack birds so much
too strong and big for them that they must know the assault will pro-
duce more annoyance than harm. I was once watching a flock of Coots
feeding on a grassy bank, when a passing Chimango paused in its flight,
and, after hovering over them a few moments, dashed down upon them
with such impetuosity that several birds were thrown to the ground by
the quick successive blows of its wings. There they lay on their backs,
kicking, apparently too much terrified to get up, while the Chimango
deliberately eyed them for some moments, then quietly flew away,
leaving them to dash into the water and cool their fright. Attacks like
these are possibly made in a sportive spirit, for the Milvago is a playful
bird, and, as with many other species, bird and mammal, its play always
takes the form of attack.

Its inefficient weapons compel it to be more timid than the Hawk,
but there are many exceptions, and in every locality individual birds
are found distinguished by their temerity. Almost any shepherd can
say that his flock is subject to the persecutions of at least one pair of

78 FALCONJD^:.

lamb-killing birds of this species. They prowl about the flock, and watch
till a small lamb is found sleeping at some distance from its dam, rush
upon it, and, clinging to its head, eat away its nose and tongue. The
shepherd is then obliged to kill the lamb : but I have seen many lambs
that have been permitted to survive the mutilation, and which have
grown to strong, healthy sheep, though with greatly disfigured faces.
One more instance I will give of the boldness of a bird of which Azara,
greatly mistaken, says that it might possibly have courage enough to
attack a mouse, though he doubts it. Close to my house, when I was
a boy, a pair of these birds had their nest near a narrow path leading
through a thicket of giant thistles, and every time I traversed this path
the male bird, which, contrary to the rule with birds of prey, is larger
and bolder than the female, would rise high above me, then dashing
down, strike my horse a violent blow on the forehead with its wings.
This action it would repeat till I was out of the path. I thought it
very strange the bird never struck my head ; but I presently discovered
that it had an excellent reason for what it did. The gauchos ride by
preference on horses never properly tamed, and one neighbour informed
me that he was obliged every day to make a circuit of half a mile round
the thistles, as the horses he rode became quite unmanageable in the
path, they had been so terrified with the attacks of this Chimango.

Where the intelligence of the bird appears to be really at fault is in
its habit of attacking a sore-backed horse, tempted thereto by the sight
of a raw spot, and apparently not understanding that the flesh it wishes
to devour is an inseparable part of the whole animal. Darwin has
noticed this curious blunder of the bird ; and I have often seen a chafed
saddle-horse wildly scouring the plain closely pursued by a hungry
Chimango determined to dine on a portion of him.

In the hot season, when marshes and lagoons are drying up, the
Chimango is seen associating with Ibises and other waders, standing
knee-deep in the water and watching for tadpoles, frogs, and other
aquatic prey. He also wades after a very different kind of food. At
the bottom of pools, collected on clayey soil after a summer shower, an
edible fungus grows of a dull greenish colour and resembling gelatine.
He has found out that this fungus is good for food, though I never
saw any other creature eating it. In cultivated districts he follows the
plough in company with the black-headed gulls, Molothri, Guira
cuckoos, and tyrant-birds, and clumsily gleans amongst the fresh-
turned mould for worms and larvaB. He also attends the pigs when
they are rooting on the plain to share any succulent treasure-
trove turned up by their snouts ; for he is not a bird that allows dignity
to stand between him and his dinner. In the autumn, on damp, sultry

MILVAGO CHIMANGO. 79

ys, the red ants, that make small conical mounds on the pampas, are
everywhere seen swarming. Rising high in the air they form a little
cloud or column, and hang suspended for hours over the same spot.
On such days the Milvagos fare sumptuously on little insects, and
under each cloud of winged ants several of them are to be seen in
company with a few Flycatchers, or other diminutive species, briskly
running about to pick up the falling manna, their enjoyment undis-
turbed by any sense of incongruity.

Before everything, however, the Chimango is a vulture, and is to be
found at every solitary rancho sharing with dogs and poultry the offal
and waste meat thrown out on the dust-heap ; or, after the flock h is
gone to pasture, tearing at the eyes and tongue of a dead lamb in the
slieepfold. When the hide has been stripped from a dead horse or cow
on the plains, the Chimango is always first on the scene. While feeding
on a carcass it incessantly utters a soliloquy of the most lamentable
notes, as if protesting against the hard necessity of having to put up
with such carrion fare — long, querulous cries, resembling the piteous
whines of a shivering puppy chained up in a bleak backyard and all its
wants neglected, but infinitely more doleful in character. The gauchos
have a saying comparing a man who grumbles at good fortune to the
Chimango crying on a carcass ; an extremely expressive saying to those
who have listened to the distressful wailings of the bird over its meat.
Li winter a carcass attracts a great concourse of the Black-backed Gulls ;
for with the cold weather these vultures of the sea abandon their
breeding-places on the Atlantic shores to wander in search of food over
the vast inland pampas. The dead beast is quickly surrounded by a
host of them, and the poor Chimango crowded out. One at least, how-
ever, is usually to be seen perched on the carcass tearing at the flesh,
and at intervals with outstretched neck and ruffled up plumage uttering
a succession of its strange wailing cries, reminding one of a public
orator mounted on a rostrum and addressing harrowing appeals to a
crowd of attentive listeners. When the carcass has been finally aban-
doned by foxes, armadillos, gulls, and caracaras, the Chimango still
clings sorrowfully to it, eking out a miserable existence by tearing at a
fringe of gristle and whetting his hungry beak on the bones.

Though an inordinate lover of carrion, a wise instinct has taught it
that this aliment is unsuited to the tender stomachs of its fledglings ;
these it feeds almost exclusively on the young of small birds. In
November the Chimangos are seen incessantly beating over the cardoon
bushes, after the manner of Hen-harriers; for at this season in the
cardoons breeds the Synallaxis hudsoni. This bird, sometimes called
Teru-reru del campo by the natives, is excessively shy and mouse-like in

80 FALCONID^l.

its habits, seldom showing itself, and by means o£ strong legs and a
long, slender, wedge-like body is able to glide swiftly as a snake
through and under the grass. In summer one hears its long melan-
choly trilling call-note from a cardoon bush, but if approached it drops
to the ground and vanishes. Under the densest part of the cardoon
bush it scoops out a little circular hollow in the soil, and constructs
over it a dome of woven grass and thorns, leaving only a very small
aperture : it lines the floor with dry horse-dung, and lays five buff-
coloured eggs. So admirably is the nest concealed that I have searched
every day for it through a whole breeding-season without being
rewarded with a single find. Yet they are easily found by the Chimango.
In the course of a single day I have examined five or six broods of young
Chimangos, and by pressing a finger on their distended crops, made them
disgorge their food, and found in every instance that they had been fed
on nothing but the young of the Teru-reru. I was simply amazed at
this wholesale destruction of the young of a species so secret in its
nesting-habits ; for no eye, even of a Hawk, can pierce through the
leafage of a cardoon bush, ending near the surface in an accumulated
mass of the dead and decaying portions of the plant. The explanation
of the Chimango's success is to be found in the loquacious habit of the
fledglings it preys on, a habit common in the young of Dendrocolaptine
species. The intervals between the visits of the parent birds with food
they spend in conversing together in their high-pitched tones. If a
person approaches the solid fabric of the Ovenbird (Furnarius rufus),
when there are young in it, he will hear shrill laughter-like notes and
little choruses, like those uttered by the old birds, only feebler ; but in
the case of that species no harm can result from the loquacity of the
young, since the castle they inhabit is impregnable. Hovering over
the cardoons, the Chimango listens for the stridulous laughter of the
fledglings, and when he hears it the thorny covering is quickly pierced
and the dome broken into.

Facts like this bring before us with startling vividness the struggle
for existence, showing what great issues in the life of a species may
depend on matters so trivial, seemingly, that to the uninformed mind
they appear like the merest dust in the balance, which is not regarded.
And how tremendous and pitiless is that searching law of the survival
of the fittest in its operations when we see a species like this Synallaxis,
in the fashioning and perfecting of which nature seems to have exhausted
all her art, so exquisitely is it adapted in its structure, coloration, and
habits to the one great object of concealment, yet apparently doomed
to destruction through this one petty oversight — the irrepressible gar-
rulity of the fledglings in their nest ! It is, however, no oversight at

PCLYBORUS THARUS. 81

all; since the law of natural selection is not prophetic in its action, and
only preserves such variations as are beneficial in existing circum-
stances, without anticipating changes in the conditions. The settlement
of the country has, no doubt, caused a great increase of Chimangos, and
in some indirect way probably has served to quicken their intelligence;
thus a change in the conditions which have moulded this Synallaxis
brings a danger to it from an unexpected quarter. The situation of the
nest exposes it, one would imagine, to attacks from snakes and small
mammals, from bird-killing spiders, beetles, and crickets, yet these
subtle ground foes have missed it, while the baby-laughter of the little
ones in their cradle has called down an unlooked-for destroyer from
above. It might be answered that this must be a very numerous
species, otherwise the Chimango could not have acquired the habit of
finding the nests ; that when they become rarer the pursuit will be
given over, after which the balance will readjust itself. But in numbers
there is safety, especially for a feeble hunted species, unable from its
peculiar structure to vary its manner of life. To such, the remark made
by Darwin, that " rarity is the precursor to extinction/' applies with
peculiar force.

310. POLYBORUS THARUS (Mol.).
(CARANCHO CARRION-HAWK.)

Polyborus vulgaris, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 434 (La Plata) ; Durnford,

Ibis, 1877, p. 40 (Chupat). Polyborus tharus, Sol. et Salv. Nomenel. p. 123 ;

Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 188 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 398 (Centr. Pata-
f gonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1879, p. 415 (Buenos Ayres) j White, P. Z. S. 1883,

p. 41 (Cordova) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. Ill (Entrerios) ; Sharpe, Cat. B.

i. p. 31. Polyborus brasiliensis, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 9.

Description. — Above dark brown with whitish mottlings ; head blackish ; wings
and tail greyish white, with numerous greyish-brown cross bars and blackish
tips : beneath dark brown, varied with white ; throat and sides of head fulvous
white ; bill yellow, bluish at the base ; cere orange ; feet brown ; claws black :
whole length 20 inches, wing 15' 5, tail 9*0. Female similar.

Hob. South America.

This bird, which combines the raptorial instincts of the Eagle with
the base carrion-feeding propensities of the Vulture, has already had so
lany biographers that it might seem superfluous to speak again at any
reat length of it ; only it happens to be one of those very versatile
species about which there is always something fresh to be said ; and,
>esides, I do not altogether agree with the very ignoble character
mlly ascribed to it by travellers. It is, however, probable that it

VOL. II. O

82 FALCONID.E.

varies greatly in disposition and habits in different districts. In Pata-
gonia I was surprised at its dejected appearance and skulking cowardly
manner, so unlike the bird I had been accustomed to see on the pampas.
I shot several, and they were all in a miserably poor condition and
apparently half-starved. It struck me that in that cold sterile country,
where prey is scarce, the Carancho is altogether out of place ; for it
there has to compete with Eagles and Vultures in large numbers ; and
these, it is almost needless to say, are, in their separate lines, stronger
than the composite and less specialized Carancho. In Patagonia he is
truly a ' ' miserable bird," with a very frail hold on existence. How
different on that illimitable grassy ocean further north, where he is the
lord of the feathered race, for Eagles and Vultures, that require moun-
tains and trees to breed and roost on, do not come there to set him
aside ^ there the conditions are suited to him and have served to develop
in him a wonderfully bold and savage spirit. When seen perched on a
conical ant-hill, standing erect above the tall plumy grass, he has a fine,
even a noble, appearance ; but when flying he is not handsome, the
wings being very bluntly rounded at the extremities and the flight low
and ungraceful. The plumage is blackish in the adult, brown in the
young. The sides of the head and breast are creamy white, the latter
transversely marked with black spots. The crown is adorned with a
crest or top-knot. The beak is much larger than in Eagles and Vul-
tures, and of a dull blue colour ; the cere and legs are bright yellow.

The species ranges throughout South America, and from Paraguay
northwards is called everywhere, I believe, " Caracara." South of
Paraguay the Spanish name is " Carancho," possibly a corruption of
" Keanche," the Puelche name for the allied MiJvago chimango, in
imitation of its peevish cry. The Indian name for the Carancho in
these regions is Traru (from its harsh cry), misspelt tharu by Molina.

The Caranchos pair for life, and may therefore be called social birds;
they also often live and hunt in families of the parent and young birds
until the following spring; and at all times several individuals will
readily combine to attack their prey, but they never live or move about
in flocks. Each couple has its own home or resting-place, which they
will continue to use for an indefinite time, roosting on the same branch
and occupying the same nest year after year ; while at all times the two
birds are seen constantly together and seem very much attached. Azara
relates that he once saw a male pounce down on a frog, and carrying it
to a tree call his mate to him and make her a present of it. It was
not a very magnificent present, but the action seems to show that the
bird possesses some commendable qualities which are seldom seen
in the raptorial family.

POLYBORUS THA11US. 83

In uninhabited places I have always found the Caranchos just as
abundant as in the settled districts ; and after a deer has been pulled
down by the dogs I have seen as many as seventy or eighty birds con-
gregate to feed on its flesh within half an hour, although not one had
been previously visible. D'Orbigny describes the bird as a parasite on
man, savage and civilized, following him everywhere to feed on the
leavings when he slays wild or domestic animals, and as being scarcely
able to exist without him. No doubt the bird does follow man greatly to
its advantage, but this is only in very thinly settled and purely pastoral
and hunting districts, where a large proportion of the flesh of every
animal slain is given to the fowls of the air. "Where the population
increases the Carancho quickly meets with the fate of all large species
which are regarded as prejudicial.

Without doubt it is a carrion-eater, but only, I believe, when it
cannot get fresh provisions ; for when famished it will eat anything
rather than study its dignity and suffer hunger like the nobler Eagle.
I have frequently seen one or two or three of them together on the
ground under a column of winged ants, eagerly feasting on the falling
insects. To eat putrid meat it must be very hungry indeed; it is,
however, amazingly fond of freshly-killed flesh, and when a cow is
slaughtered at an estancia-house the Carancho quickly appears on the
scene to claim his share, and catching up the first thing he can lift he
carries it off before the dogs can deprive him of it. When he has risen
to a height of five or six yards in the air he drops the meat from his
beak and dexterously catches it in his claws without pausing or swerving
in his flight. It is singular that the bird seems quite incapable of
lifting anything from the ground with the claws, the beak being in-
variably used, even when the prey is an animal which it might seem
dangerous to lift in this way. I once saw one of these birds swoop down
on a rat from a distance of about forty feet, and rise with its struggling
and squealing prey to a height of twenty feet, then drop it from its beak
and gracefully catch it in its talons. Yet when it pursues and overtakes
a bird in the air it invariably uses the claws in the same way as other
Hawks. This I have frequently observed, and I give the two following
anecdotes to show that even birds which one would imagine to be
quite safe from the Carancho are on some occasions attacked by it.

While walking in a waste field near my home one day I came on a
Pigeon feeding, and at once recognized it as one which had only began
to fly about a week before ; for although a large number of Pigeons
were kept, this bird happened to be of the purest unspotted white, and
for a long time I had been endeavouring to preserve and increase the
pure white individuals, but with very little success, for the Peregraies

81 FALCONID.E.

invariably singled them out for attack. A Caranclio was circling about
at some distance overhead, and while I stood still to watch and admire
my Pigeon it stooped to within twenty yards of the surface and remained
hovering over my head. Presently the Pigeon became alarmed and flew
away, whereupon the Hawk gave chase — a very vain chase I imagined it
would prove. It lasted for about half a minute, the Pigeon rushing
wildly round in wide circles, now mounting aloft and now plunging
downwards close to the surf ace, the Carancho hotly following all the time.
At length, evidently in great terror, the hunted bird flew down, alighting
within a yard and a half of my feet. I stooped to take hold of it, when,
becoming frightened at my action, it flew straight up and was seized in
the talons of its pursuer close to my face and carried away.

In the next case the bird attacked was the Spur-winged Lapwing,
the irreconcilable enemy of the Carancho and its bold and persistent
persecutor. The very sight of this Hawk rouses the Lapwings to a
frenzy of excitement, and springing aloft they hasten to meet it in mid-
air, screaming loudly, and continue to harry it until it leaves their
ground, after which they return, and, ranged in triplets, perform their
triumphal dances, accompanied with loud drumming notes. But if
.their hated foe alights on the ground, or on some elevation near them,
they hover about him, and first one, then another, rushes down with the
greatest violence, and gliding near him turns the bend of its wing so
that the spur appears almost to graze his head. While one bird is
descending, others are rising upwards to renew their charges ; and this
persecution continues until they drive him away, or become exhausted
with their fruitless efforts. The Carancho, however, takes little notice
of his tormentors ; only when the Plover comes very close, evidently
bent on piercing his skull with its sharp weapon, he quickly dodges his
head, after which he resumes his indifferent demeanour until the rush
of the succeeding bird takes place.

While out riding one day a Carancho flew past me attended by about
thirty Lapwings, combined to hunt him from their ground, for it was
near the breeding-season, when their jealous irascible temper is most
excited. All at once, just as a Lapwing swept close by and then passed
on before it, the Hawk quickened its flight in the most wonderful
manner and was seen in hot pursuit of its tormentor. The angry
hectoring cries of the Lapwings instantly changed to piercing screams
of terror, which in a very short time brought a crowd numbering
between two and three hundred birds to the rescue. Now, I thought,
the hunted bird will escape, for it twisted and turned rapidly about,
trying to lose itself amongst its fellows, all hovering in a compact cloud
about it and screaming their loudest. But the Carancho was not to be

POLYBOHUS TIIARUS. 85

shaken off; he was never more than a yard behind his quarry, and I
was near enough to distinguish the piteous screams of the chased Lap-
wing amidst all the tumult, as of a bird already captive. At the end of
about a minute it was seized in the Carancho's talons, and, still violently
screaming, borne away. The cloud of Lapwings followed for some
distance, but presently they all returned to the fatal spot where the
contest had taken place; and for an hour afterwards they continued
soaring about in separate bodies, screaming all the time with an unusual
note in their voices as of fear or grief, and holding excited conclaves on
the ground, to all appearance as greatly disturbed in their minds as an
equal number of highly emotional human beings would be in the event
of a similar disaster overtaking them.

It is not often, however, that the Carancho ventures singly to attack
adult and vigorous birds, except Tinamous ; they prey by preference on
the young or ailing, on small lambs and pigs left at a distance by their
dams ; and they also frequently attack and kill old and weakly sbeep_
Where anything is wrong with bird or beast they are very quick to
detect it, and will follow a sportsman to pick up the wounded birds,
intelligently keeping at a safe distance, themselves. I once shot a
Flamingo in the grey stage of plumage and had some trouble to cross
the stream, on the opposite side of which the bird, wounded very
slightly, was rapidly stalking away. In three or four minutes I was
over and found my Flamingo endeavouring to defend itself against the
assaults of a Carancho which had marked it for its own, and was striking
it on the neck and breast in the most vigorous and determined way,
sometimes from above, at other times alighting on the ground before it
and springing up to strike like a game-cock. A spot of blood on the
plumage of the wounded bird, which had only one wing slightly
damaged, had been sufficient to call down the attack; for to the
Carancho a spot of blood, a drooping wing, or any irregularity in the
gait, quickly tells its tale.

When several of these birds combine they are very bold. A friend
told me that while voyaging on the Parana river a Black-necked Swan
flew past him hotly pursued by three Caranchos ; and I also witnessed an
attack by four birds on a widely different species. I was standing on the
bank of a stream on the pampas watching a great concourse of birds of
several kinds on the opposite shore, where the carcass of a horse, from
which the hide had been stripped, lay at the edge of the water. One
or two hundred Hooded Gulls and about a dozen Chimangos were
gathered about the carcass, and close to them a very large flock of
Glossy Ibises were wading about in the water, while amongst these,
standing motionless in the water, was one solitary White Egret.

86 FALCONID^E.

Presently four Caranchos appeared, two adults and two young birds in
brown plumage, and alighted on the ground near the carcass. The
young birds advanced at once and began tearing at the flesh ; while the
two old birds stayed where they had alighted, as if disinclined to feed
on half-putrid meat. Presently one of them sprung into the air and
made a dash at the birds in the water, and instantly all the birds in the
place rose into the air screaming loudly, the two young brown Caranchos
only remaining on the ground. For a few moments I was in ignorance
of the meaning of all this turmoil, when, suddenly, out of the confused
black and white cloud of birds the Egret appeared, mounting vertically
upwards with vigorous measured strokes. A moment later and first
one, then the other, Carancho also emerged from the cloud, evidently
pursuing the Egret, and only then the two brown birds sprung into the
air and joined in the chase. For some minutes I watched the four
birds toiling upwards with a wild zigzag flight, while the Egret, still
rising vertically, seemed to leave them hopelessly far behind. But
before long they reached and passed it, and each bird as he did so
would turn and rush downwards, striking at the Egret with his claws,
and while one descended the others were rising, bird following bird
with the greatest regularity. In this way they continued toiling up-
wards until the Egret appeared a mere white speck in the sky, about
which the four hateful black spots were still revolving. I had watched
them from the first with the greatest excitement, and now began to fear
that they would pass from sight and leave me in ignorance of the
result ; but at length they began to descend, and then it looked as if
the Egret had lost all hope, for it was dropping very rapidly, while the
four birds were all close to it striking at it every three or four seconds.
The descent for the last half of the distance was exceedingly rapid, and
the birds would have come down almost at the very spot they started
from, which was about forty yards from where I stood, but the Egret
was driven aside, and sloping rapidly down struck the earth at a distance
of two hundred and fifty yards from the starting point. Scarcely had
it touched the ground before the hungry quartette were tearing it with
their beaks. They were all equally hungry no doubt, and perhaps the
old birds were even hungrier than their young ; and I am quite sure
that if the flesh of the dead horse had not been so far advanced towards
putrefaction they would not have attempted the conquest of the Egret.
I have so frequently seen a pure white bird singled out for attack in
this way, that it has always been a great subject of wonder to me how
the two common species of snow-white Herons in South America are
able to maintain their existence ; for their whiteness exceeds that of other
>\hite AVatcrf owl, while, compared with Swans, Storks, and the Wood -Ibis,

TOLYBORUS TIIARUS. 87

they are small and feeble. I am sure that if these four Caranchos had
attacked a Glossy Ibis they would have found it an easier conquest ;
yet they singled out the Egret, purely, I believe, on account of its
shining white conspicuous plumage.

This wing-contest was a very splendid spectacle, and I was very glad
that I had witnessed it, although it ended badly for the poor Egret ;
but in another case of a combined attack by Caranchos there was
nothing to admire except the intelligence displayed by the birds in
combining, and much to cause the mind to revolt against the blindly
destructive ferocity exhibited by Nature in the instincts of her creatures.
This scene was witnessed by a beloved old Gaucho friend of mine, a
born naturalist, who related it to me. It was in summer, and he was
riding in a narrow bridle-path on a plain covered with a dense growth
of giant thistles, nine or ten feet high, when he noticed some distance
ahead several Caranchos hovering over one spot ; and at once con-
jectured that some large animal had fallen there, or that a traveller had
been thrown from his horse and was lying injured amongst the thistles.
On reaching the spot, he found an open space of ground about forty
yards in diameter, surrounded by the dense wall of close-growing
thistles, and over this place the birds were flying, while several others
•were stationed near, apparently waiting for something to happen. The
attraction was a large male Rhea squatting on the ground, and sheltering
with its extended wings a brood of young birds. My friend was not
able to count them, but there were not fewer than twenty-five or thirty
young birds, small tender things, only a day or so out of the shell. As
soon as he rode into the open space of ground, the old Ostrich sprung
up, and with lowered head, clattering beak, and broad wings spread out
like sails, rushed at him ; his horse was greatly terrified, and tried to
plunge into the dense mass of thistles, so that he had the greatest diffi-
culty in keeping his seat. Presently the Ostrich left him, and casting
his eyes round he was astonished to see that all the young Ostriches
were running about, scattered over the ground, while the Caranchns
were pursuing, knocking down, and killing them. Meanwhile the old
Ostrich was frantically rushing about trying to save them; but
the Caranchos, when driven from one bird they were attacking, would
merely rise a few yards and drop on the next one a dozen yards off;
and as there were about fifteen Caranchos all engaged in the same way,
the slaughter was proceeding at a great rate. My friend, who had been
vainly struggling to get the better of his horse, was then forced to leave
the place, and did not therefore see the end of tl.e tragedy in which he
had acted an involuntary part ; but before going he saw that at least
half the young birds were dead, and that these were all torn and bleeding

88 FALCONID^.

on the small of the neck just behind the head, while in some cases the
head had been completely wrenched off.

The Gauchos, when snaring Partridges (Tinamous), frequently bribe
the Caranchos to assist them. The snarer has a long slender cane with
a small noose at the extremity, and when he sights a Partridge he
gallops round it in circles until the bird crouches close in the grass ;
then the circles are narrowed and the pace slackened, while he extends
the cane, and lowers it gradually over the bewildered bird until the
small noose is dropped over its head and it is caught. Many Partridges
are not disposed to sit still to be taken in this open barefaced way ;
but if the snarer keeps a Carancho hovering about by throwing him an
occasional gizzard, the wariest Partridge is so stricken with fear that it
will sit still and allow itself to be caught.

In the love-season the male Caranchos are frequently seen fighting ;
and sometimes, when the battle is carried on at a great height in the
air, the combatants are seen clasped together and falling swiftly towards
the earth ; but in all the contests I have witnessed the birds have not
been so blinded with passion as to fall the whole distance before sepa-
rating. Besides these single combats, in which unpaired or jealous
males engage in the love-season, there are at all times occasional dis-
sensions amongst them, the cause of which it would be difficult to
determine. Here again, as often in hunting, the birds combine to
punish an offender, and in some cases the punishment is death.

Their cry is exceedingly loud and harsh, a short abrupt note, like
cruk, repeated twice ; after which, if the bird is violently agitated, as
when wounded or fighting, it throws its head backwards until the crown
rests on the back, and rocks it from side to side, accompanying the
action with a prolonged piercing cry of great power. This singular
gesture of the Carancho, unique among birds, seems to express very
forcibly a raging spirit, or, perhaps, rage mingled with despair.

The nest is built in a variety of situations : on trees, where there are
any, but on the treeless pampas, where the Carancho is most at home,
it is made on the ground, sometimes among the tall grass, while a very
favourite site is a small islet or mound of earth rising well out of the
water. When a suitable place has been found, the birds will continue
to use the same nest for many consecutive years. It is a very large
slovenly structure of sticks, mixed with bones, pieces of skin, dry dung,
and any portable object the bird may find to increase the bulk of his
dwelling. The eggs are three or four, usually the last number, slightly
oval, and varying greatly in colour and markings, some having irregular
dark red blotches on a cream-coloured ground, while others are entirely
of a deep brownish red, with a few black marks and blotches.

CATHARTID/E. 89

Fam. XXXIII. CATHARTID.E, OK CONDORS.

The American Vultures, or Condors as it is better to call them, are
now universally admitted to be quite distinct from the rest of the
Accipitres and to constitute a family apart. They differ from the
Falconidae in having the hind toe inserted at a higher level than the
others, and in the nostrils being pervious, owing to the absence of the
bony septum, besides in other important characters*.

The Cathartidse are few in number, only some six or seven species
being accurately known. Of these, three occur within the limits of the
Argentine Republic. .

311. CATHARTES AURA (Linn.).
(TU RKEY-VULTURE.)

Cathartes aura, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 123 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624
(Misiones) ; Burm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 433 (Mendoza, Catamarca, Tucu-
man). CEnops aura, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 25. Rhinogryphus aura,
Baird, Brno., et Eidgw. N. A. B. iii. p. 344.

Description. — Plumage black, the feathers above edged more or less with dull ( ^
brown ; head and neck bare, bright red in life : whole length 30*0 inches, A^
wing 21*5, tail 11*5. Female similar. JO

Hob. Temperate and Tropical America, and south to Chili and the ;
Falkland Islands.

In Argentina the Turkey-Vulture appears only to occur in the
northern and western provinces. Dr. Burmeister noticed it occasionally
in Mendoza, Catamarca, and Tucuman. In Misiones, White found it
abundant at Concepcion. I met with it in Patagonia, but it is by no
means common there, and is only seen singly or in pairs.

312. CATHARTES ATRATUS (Bartram).
(BLACK VULTURE.)

Cathartes foetans, Burm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 433 (Mendoza, Tucuman).
Cathartes atratus, Darwin, Zool Beagle, iii. p. 7 (Rio Negro) ; Scl.-et
Salv. Nomencl. p. 123 ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 636 (Rio Negro) ; Barrows,
Auk, 1884, p. 113 (Pampas). Catharista atrata, Baird, Brew., et Eidgw.
N. A. B. iii. p. 351.

Description. — Plumage black; head bare, black: whole length 25'0 inches,
wing 17'5, tail 8'5. Female similar.

* Cf. Standard Nat. Hist. vol. iv., Birds, p. 266 (Boston, 1885).

90 CATHARTID^:.

Hab. Eastern U.S., and Central and Southern America to Chili and
the Rio Negro of Patagonia.

According to Dr. Burmeister the Black Vulture is found throughout
the Argentine Pampas, but is commoner in the east and north. It is
know as the " Gallinazo " at Mendoza, and " Cuervo " in Tucuman.
Mr. Barrows tells us that he did not see it during his residence at Con-
cepcion, but was told of its former abundance in times of drought, when
dead sheep were numerous. It was, however, met with by him in small
numbers during his excursion through the Sierras of the Pampas south
of Buenos Ayres.

On the Rio Negro of Patagonia I found these Vultures abundant,
especially near the settlement of El Carmen, where, attracted by the
refuse of the cattle-slaughtering establishments, they congregated in
immense numbers, and were sometimes seen crowded together in
thousands on the trees, where they roosted. Darwin observed them at
the same place, and has described their soaring habits at considerable
length.

The following account of the nesting-habits of this species is given
by Mr. John J. Dalgleish (Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edinb. vi. p. 237) :—
"The eggs seldom, if ever, exceed two in number, and are usually
laid in a hollow tree or on the ground. Their average weight
is about a pound. They are slightly larger than those of the
Turkey-Buzzard, although the latter is a bigger bird. The ground-
colour is of a yellowish white, with blotches of dark reddish brown,
and smaller markings of a lilac shade. These markings are generally
more numerous at the larger end."

313. SARCORHAMPHUS GRYPHUS (Linn.).
(GREAT CONDOR.)

Sarcorhamphus gryphus, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 1 (Rio Negro) ; Scl et
Salv. Nomencl. p. 123 ; Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 433 (Cordova) ; Durnford,
Ibis, 1877, p. 40 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 398 (Central Patagonia).

Description.— General plumage glossy black ; greater wing-coverts margined
with ashy ; neck-ruff white ; head, neck, and centre of chest bare ; head, with
a large caruncle, black ; throat wattled ; chest with a pendent wattle : whole
length 38-0 inches, wing 29-0, tail 14-0. Female similar, but without the wattles
on the head and neck.

Hab. Andes of South America, and adjacent ranges in La Plata.
Dr. Burmeister tells us that he has seen the Condor in the Sierras of

PIIALACROCORACID.E. 91

Cordova and Aconquija, though it is more prevalent in the districts of
the Western Cordillera.

In the territory of Chupat, D urn ford met with it at Ninfas Point in
November, and tells us that when the colonists are hunting in the
neighbourhood of the sea-coast the Condor is the first of the bird-
scavengers to make its appearance after game has been killed.

During his subsequent excursion to the Sengel river in the interior,
t!ie Condor was commonly observed throughout the journey wherever
the rocks were high and steep. Several pairs were noticed nesting on
Nov. 16th, but the nests could not be reached.

My own experience of the Condor is restricted to seeing one indi-
vidual, flying above the sea-shore, south of the Rio Negro.

Order VIII. STEGANOPODES.

Fam. XXXIV. PHALACROCORACID^E, OR
CORMORANTS.

The only family of the Steganopodes that can at present be inserted
in the Argentine list is that of the Cormorants, though doubtless other
forms of this Order (Sula, Phaethon, and Freyata) will be hereafter
found to occur on the coast with more or less frequency.
- One Cormorant only has yet been positively determined as occurring
within the Argentine area.

314. PHALACROCOEAX BRASILIANUS (Om.).
(BRAZILIAN CORMORANT.)

Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 124; iid. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 146 (Buenos Ay res) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 188 (Buenos Ayres), et
1878, p. 399 (Patagonia); White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624 (Buenos Ayres);
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 270 (Entrerios). Haliaeus brasilianus, Burm. Syst.
Ueb. in. p. 460 ; id. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 520 (Rio Parana).

Description. — Black ; feathers edged with metallic green ; bill and naked skin
of the face yellow : whole length 30-0 inches, wing 12-0, tail 6'0. Female
similar. Young brown ; chin and cheeks whitish ; neck greyish, with the tips of
the feathers black ; breast white, with blackish-brown mottlings ; belly black.

Hab. Sea-coasts and inland waters of Central and South America.
This appears to be the only Cormorant met with on the coasts and

92 ARDEID^E.

inland waters of South America north of Buenos Ayres; but two other
species are found in Southern Chili and Patagonia, which may probably
likewise occur in the southern provinces of the Republic*.

Azara tells us that this Cormorant is not uncommon in Paraguay, and
Mr. Barrows found it an " abundant resident " at Concepcion in
Entrerios.

In the vicinity of Buenos Ayres several well-known authorities have
met with it, and Durnford found it common and resident in Chupat.

The name of Brazilian Cormorant, which naturalists have bestowed
on this species, is certainly inappropriate and misleading, since the
bird is very abundant in La Plata, where the native name for it is
Vigud ; and it is also very common in the Patagonian rivers. It
is always seen swimming, sinking its heavy body lower and lower
down in the water when approached, until only the slanting snake-like
head and neck are visible ; or else sitting on the bank, or on a dead
projecting branch, erect, and with raised beak, and never moving
from its statuesque attitude until forced to fly. It always rises reluc-
tantly and with great labour, and has a straight rapid flight, the wings
beating incessantly. By day it is a silent bird, but when many indi-
viduals congregate to roost on the branches of a dead tree overhanging
the water they keep up a concert of deep, harsh, powerful notes all
night long, which would cause any person not acquainted with their
language to imagine that numerous pigs or peccaries were moving about
with incessant gruntings in his neighbourhood.

Order IX. HEEODIONES.

Fam. XXXV. ARDEID^, OR HERONS.

About thirty different species of the fish-eating family Ardeidse occur
within the limits of the Neotropical Region. Of these, eight or nine
are found in greater or less abundance in the provinces of the Argentine
Republic. Five of these species are widely distributed in North and
South America ; the others are restricted to the southern portions of
the New World.

* Namely, P. tmpm'afts, King, and P. albiventris (Lesson). See Zool. Chall., Birds,
p. 121. It was probably one of these two species that Durnford found nesting en
Tombo Point, south of Chupat (cf. Ibis, 1878, p. 399).

ARDEA COCOI.

315. ARDEA COCOI, Linn.
(COCOI HERON.)

Ardea cocoi, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 508 (Parana, Tucuman, Cordova) ;
Scl et Salv. Nomcncl p. 125; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 625 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 189 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p 309 (Pata-
gonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 158 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883,
p. 41 (Cordova) ; Sorrows, Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above grey ; head above, wings, and tail plumbeous black ;
beneath white, neck and sides of belly striped with black : whole length 36-0
inches, wing 18'0, tail 7*0. Female similar.

Hob. North and South America.

In size, form, and colour the Cocoi closely resembles the Common
Heron of Europe; in flight, language, and feeding-habits the two
species are identical, albeit inhabiting regions so widely separated. In
the southern part of South America it is not seen associating with its
fellows, nor does it breed in heronries ; but this may be owing to the
circumstance that in the temperate countries it is very thinly distributed,
and it is highly probable, I think, that in the hotter regions, where it is
more abundant, its habits may not appear so unsocial. Though they
are always seen fishing singly, they pair for life, and male and female
are never found far apart, but haunt the same stream or marsh all the
year round. Azara says that in Paraguay, where it is very scarce,
it goes in pairs and breeds on trees. On the pampas it makes its soli-
tary nest amongst the rushes, and lays three blue eggs.

The following general remarks on the Heron apply chiefly to the
Ardea cocoi, and to some extent also to other species of the Heron
family.

1 have observed Herons a great deal, and think that there is much
to be said in support of Buffon's opinion that they are wretched, indi-
gent birds, condemned by the imperfection of their organs to a per-
petual struggle with misery and want.

Much as the different species vary in size, from the Ardea cocoi to
the diminutive Variegated Heron of Azara (Ardetta involucris], no
bigger than a Snipe, there is yet much sameness in their conformation,
language, flight, nesting and other habits. They possess a snake-like
head and neck, and a sharp taper beak, with which they transfix their
prey as with a dart — also the serrate claw, about which so much has
been said, and which has been regarded as an instance of pure adapta-
tion. A curious circumstance has come under my observation regarding
Herons. Birds in poor condition are very much infested with vermin ;
whether the vermin are the cause or effect of the poor condition, I do
not know ; but such is the fact. Now in this region (the Argentine

91 ARDEID.E.

Republic) Herons are generally very poor, a good-conditioned bird being
a very rare exception ; a majority of individuals are much emaciated
and infested with intestinal worms ; yet I have never found a bird in-
fested with lice, though the Heron would seem a fit subject for them,
and in the course of my rambles I have picked up many individuals
apparently perishing from inanition. I do not wish to insinuate a
belief that this immunity from vermin is due to the pectinated claw ;
for though the bird does scratch and clean itself with the claw, it
could never rid the entire plumage from vermin by this organ, which is
as ill adapted for such a purpose as for " giving a firmer hold on its
slippery prey/'

The Spoonbill has also the serration, and is, unlike the Heron, an
active vigorous bird and usually fat ; yet it is much troubled with
parasites, and I have found birds too weak to fly and literally swarming
with them.

I merely wish to call the attention of ornithologists to the fact that in
the region where 1 have observed Herons they are exempt in a remark-
able degree from external parasites.

Much has also been said about certain patches of dense, clammy,
yellowish down under the loose plumage of Herons. These curious
appendages may be just as useless to the bird as the tuft of hair on
its breast is to the Turkey-cock ; but there are more probabilities the
other way, and it may yet be discovered that they are very necessary to
its well-being. Perhaps these clammy feathers contain a secretion fatal
to the vermin by which birds of sedentary habits are so much afflicted,
and from which Herons appear to be so strangely free. They may even
be the seat of that mysterious phosphorescent light which some one has
affirmed emanates from the Heron's breast when it fishes in the dark,
and which serves to attract the fish, or to render them visible to the
bird, Naturalists have, I believe, dismissed the subject of this light as
a mere fable without any foundation of fact; but real facts regarding
habits of animals have not unfrequently been so treated. Mr. Bartlett's
interesting observations on the Flamingoes in the Society's Gardens
show that the ancient story of the Pelican feeding its young on its own
blood is perhaps only a slightly embellished account of a common habit
of the bird.

I have not observed Herons fishing by night very closely, but there
is one fact which inclines me to believe it probable that some species
might possess the light-emitting power in question. I am convinced
that the Ardea cocoi sees as well by day as other diurnal species ; the
streams on the level pampas are so muddy that a fish two inches below
the surface is invisible to the human eye, yet in these thick waters the

ARDEA COCOT. 95

Herons fish by night and by day. If the eye is adapted to see well with
the bright sun shining, how can it see at night and in such unfavour-
able circumstances without some such extraneous aid to vision as the
attributed luminosity ?

Herons, of all birds, have the slowest flight ; but though incapable
of progressing rapidly when flying horizontally, when pursued by a
Hawk the Heron performs with marvellous ease and grace an aerial
feat unequalled by any other bird, namely, that of rising vertically to an
amazing height in the air. The swift vertical flight with which the
pursued ascends until it becomes a mere speck in the blue zenith, the
hurried zigzag flight of the pursuer, rising every minute above its prey,
only to be left below again by a single flap of the Heron's wings, forms
a sight of such grace, beauty, and power, as to fill the mind of the
spectator with delight and astonishment.

When the enemy comes to close quarters, the Heron instinctively
throws itself belly up to repel the assault with its long, crooked, cutting
claws. Raptorial species possess a similar habit ; and the analogous
correlation of habit and structure in genera so widely separated is very
curious. The Falcon uses its feet to strike, lacerate, and grasp its prey ;
the Heron to anchor itself firmly to its perch ; but for weapons of
defence they are equally well adapted, and are employed in precisely the
same manner. The Heron, with its great length of neck and legs, its
lean unballasted body, large wings, and superabundance of plumage, is
the least suited of birds to perch high ; yet the structure of the feet
renders it perfectly safe for the bird to do so. Thus the Heron is
enabled to sit on a smooth enamelled rush or on the summit of a tree,
and doze securely in a wind that, were its feet formed like those of
other Waders, would blow it away like a bundle of dead feathers.

Another characteristic of Herons is that they carry the neck, when
flying, folded in the form of the letter S. At other times the bird also
carries the neck this way ; and it is, indeed, in all long-necked species
the figure the neck assumes when the bird reposes or is in the act of
watching something below it ; and the Heron's life is almost a per-
petual watch. Apropos of this manner of carrying the neck, so natural
to the bird, is it not the cause of the extreme wariness observable in
Herons ? Herons are, I think, everywhere of a shy disposition ; with us
they are the wildest of water-fowl, yet there is no reason for their
being so, since they are never persecuted.

Birds ever fly reluctantly from danger ; and all species possessing the
advantage of a long neck, such as the Swan, Flamingo, Stork, Spoon-
bill, &c., will continue with their necks stretched to their utmost
capacity watching an intruder for an hour at a time rather than fly

96 ARDEID.E.

away. But in the Herons it must be only by a great effort that the neck
can be wholly unbent ; for even if the neck cut out from a dead bird be
forcibly straightened and then released, it flies back like a piece of
india-rubber to its original shape. Therefore the effort to straighten the
neck, invariably the first expression of alarm and curiosity, must be a
painful one ; and to keep it for any length of time in that position is
probably as insupportable to the bird as to keep the arm straightened
vertically would be to a man. Thus the Heron flies at the first sight of
an intruder, whilst the persecuted Duck, Swan, or other fowl continues
motionless, watching with outstretched neck, participating in the alarm
certainly, but not enduring actual physical pain.

Doubtless in many cases habits react upon and modify the structure
of parts ; and in this instance the modified structure has apparently
reacted on and modified the habits. In seeking for and taking food,
the body is required to perform certain definite motions and assume
repeatedly the same attitudes ; this is most frequently the case in birds
of aquatic habits. A facility for assuming at all times, and an involun-
tary falling into, these peculiar attitudes and gestures appears to be-
come hereditary ; and the species in which they are the most noticeable
seem incapable of throwing tbe habit or manner off, even when placed
in situations where it is useless or even detrimental. Tringte rapidly
peck and probe the mud as they advance ; Plovers peck and run, peck
and run again. Now I have noticed scores of times that these birds
cannot possibly lay aside this habit of pecking as they advance ; for
even a wounded Plover running from his pursuer over dry barren
ground goes through the form of eating by pausing for a moment
every yard or so, pecking the ground, then running on again.

The Paraguay Snipe, and probably other true Snipes, possesses the
singular habit of striking its beak on the ground when taking flight.
In this instance has not the probing motion, performed instinctively as
the bird moves, been utilized to assist it in rising ?

Grebes on land walk erect like Penguins and have a slow awkward
gait ; and whenever they wish to accelerate their progress they throw
themselves forward on the breast and strike out the feet as in swimming.

The Glossy Ibis feeds in shallow water, thrusting its great sickle
beak into the weeds at the bottom at every step. When walking on
land it observes these motions, and seems incapable of progressing
without plunging its beak downwards into imaginary water at every
stride.

The Spoonbill wades up to its knees and advances with beak always
immersed, and swaying itself from side to side, so that at each lateral
movement of the body the beak describes a great semicircle in the

ARDEA COCOI. 97

ater; a flock of these birds feeding reminds one of a line of mowers
mowing grass. On dry ground the Spoonbill seems unable to walk
directly forward like other birds, but stoops, keeping the body in a
horizontal position, and, turning from side to side, sweeps the air with
its beak, as if still feeding in the water.

In the foregoing instances (and I could greatly multiply them), in
which certain gestures and movements accompany progressive motion,
it is difficult to see how the structure can be in any way modified by
them ; but the preying attitude of the Heron, the waiting motionless in
perpetual readiness to strike, has doubtless given the neck its very
peculiar form.

Two interesting traits of the Heron (and they have a necessary con-
nexion) are its tireless watchfulness and its insatiable voracity; for
these characters have not, I think, been exaggerated even by the most
sensational of ornithologists.

In birds of other genera, repletion is invariably followed by a period
of listless inactivity during which no food is taken or required. But the
Heron digests his food so rapidly that, however much he devours, he is
always ready to gorge again ; consequently he is not benefited by what
he eats, and appears in the same state of semi-starvation when food is
abundant as in times of scarcity. An old naturalist has suggested, as
a reason for this, that the Heron, from its peculiar manner of taking its
prey, requires fair weather to fish — that during spells of bad weather,
when it is compelled to suffer the pangs of famine inactive, it contracts
a meagre consumptive habit of body, which subsequent plenty cannot
remove. A pretty theory, but it will not hold water ; for in this region
spells of bad weather are brief and infrequent ; moreover, all other
species that feed at the same table with the Heron, from the little
flitting Kingfisher to the towering Flamingo, become excessively fat at
certain seasons, and are at all times so healthy and vigorous that, com-
pared with them, the Heron is the mere ghost of a bird. In no extra-
neous circumstances, but in the organization of the bird itself, must be
sought the cause of its anomalous condition ; it does not appear to
possess the fat -elaborating power, for at no season is any fat found on
its dry starved flesh ; consequently there is no provision for a rainy
day, and the misery of the bird (if it is miserable) consists in its per-
petual, never- satisfied craving for food.

VOL. II.

98 ARDEID.E.

316. ARDEA EGRETTA (Gm.).
(WHITE EGRET.)

Ardea egretta, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 125 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 189 (Buenos
Ayres), et 1878, p. 399 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 156 (Buenos
Apes) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624 (Salta) ; Barroivs, Auk, 1884, p. 271
(Entrerios, Pampas). Ardea leuce, Burm. Syst. Ueb. iii. p. 416 ; id. La-
Plata Reise, ii. p. 509. Herodias egretta, Baird, Bretc., et Eidgw. Watei*-
B.N.A. i. p. 23.

Description. — White above and beneath ; bill yellow ; legs black ; head not
crested ; side-plumes lengthened and decomposed : whole length 35'0 inches,
wing 15-0, tail 6-0. Female similar, but rather smaller.

Hab. North and South America.

The White Egret inhabits America from Nova Scotia to Patagonia,
and is everywhere common, so that its breeding and other habits are
very well known. On the pampas, owing to the absence of forests, its
nesting-habits have been modified, for there it makes its nest amongst
the reeds ; as do also other species which elsewhere in America, North
and South, build on trees. The following interesting account of a
heronry on the pampas is from a paper by^Mr. Gibson : —

" In November of 1873 I found a large breeding-colony of Ardea
egretta, A. candidissima, and Nycticorax obscurus in the heart of a
lonely swamp. The rushes were thick, but had been broken down by
the birds in a patch some fifty yards in diameter. There were from
300 to 400 nests, as well as I could judge ; of these three fourths were of
A. egretta, and the remainder, with the exception of two or three dozen of
N. obscurus, belonged to A. candidissima. Those of the first-mentioned
species were slight platforms, placed on the tops of broken rushes, at a
height of from two to three feet above the water, and barely a yard apart.
" The nests of A. candidissima were built up from the water to the
height of a foot or a foot and a half, with a hollow on the top for the
eggs ; they were very compactly put together, of small dry twigs of a
water-plant. A good many were distributed amongst those of A. egretta ;
but the majority were close together, at one side of the colony, where
the reeds were taller and less broken.

" The nests of N. obscurus much resembled the latter in construction
and material ; but very few were interspersed amongst those of the
other two species, being retired to the side opposite A. candidissima, on
the borders of some channels of clear water ; there they were placed
amongst the high reeds, and a few yards apart from each other.

'' The larger Egrets remained standing on their nests till I was
within twenty yards of them, and alighted again when I had passed. In
this position they looked much larger than when flying. The smaller

ARDEA CAERULEA. 99

Egrets first flew up onto the reeds above the nests, and then immedi-
ately took to flight, not returning ; while N. obscurus rose and sailed
away, uttering a deep squawk, squawk, long before one came near
the nest.

" At one side of the colony a nest of Ciconia maguari, with two full-
grown young, seemed like the reigning house of the place.

" It certainly was one of the finest ornithological sights I ever saw :
all around a wilderness of dark green rushes, rising above my head as I
sat on horseback ; the cloud of graceful snow-white birds perched every-
where, or reflected in the water as they flew to and fro overhead ; and
the hundreds of blue eggs exposed to the bright sunlight.

"A. egretta and A. candidissima lay four eggs each, though the
former rarely hatches out more than three. N. obscurus lays and hatches
out three. The eggs of all three species are of the same shade of
light blue."

317. ARDEA CANDIDISSIMA, Gm.
(SNOWY EGRET.)

Ardea candidissima, ScletSalv. Nomencl.ip. 125; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 189
(Buenos Ayres) j Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 158 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk,
1884, p. 271 (Entrerios). Garzetta candidissima, Baird, Brew., et Ridgw.
Water-B. N. A. i. p. 28. Ardea nivea, Burm. La-Plata Reise,i\. p. 509.

Description. — White above and beneath ; adult with a long occipital crest of
decomposed feathers and dorsal plumes lengthened ; lores and toes yellow ; bill
black, yellow at base ; legs black, behind yellowish at the lower part : whole
length 24'0 inches, wing 9'5, tail 4*0. Female similar.

Hob. North and South America.

The Snowy Egret is common on the pampas, and throughout all the
warm portions of North and South America; but does not range so far
south as Ardea egretta. It is a very pretty bird in its dazzling white
plumage, and is more active and social in its habits than most Herons,
being usually seen in small flocks, and often associates with Ibises and
other aquatic species. An account of its breeding-habits has already
been given.

318, ARDEA C.ERULEA, Linn.
(BLUE HERON.)

Ardea caerulea, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 509. Florida caerulea, Baird,
Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 43.

Description. — Dark bluish plumbeous ; head and neck purplish chestnut ; bill

100 ARDEID^E.

blue, blackish at the end ; feet black : whole length 20-0 inches, wing 9'0, tail
3-6. Female similar.

Hob. North and South America.

This well-known North- American Heron extends far to the south.
Natterer obtained examples at several places in the province of Sao
Paolo, Brazil. Dr. Burmeister tells us that he met with it on the Rio
Negro, and also near Mercedes in the Argentine Republic.

319. ARDEA SIBILATRIX, Temm.
(WHISTLING HERON.)

Ardea sibilatrix, Temm. PL Col. 271 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 125 ; iid.
P. Z. 8. 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624 (Salta) ;
Harrows, Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above grey; cap, occipital crest, and wing-feathers greyish
black ; large patch behind the eye rufous ; upper wing-coverts rufous, striped-
with grey : beneath white, breast tinged with yellowish ; bill reddish, tip black ;
feet black: whole length 22-0 inches, wing 11 '5, tail 4- 5, tarsus 3-4. Female
similar.

Hob. South America.

This is a beautiful bird, with plumage as soft as down to the touch.
Its colours are clear blue-grey and pale yellow, the under surface being
nearly white. In some specimens that I have obtained the rump and
tail-coverts had a pure primrose hue. There is a chestnut mark on the
side of the head ; the eye is white, and the legs dark green in life.

Azara named this Heron " Flauta del Sol" (flute of the sun), a
translation of the Indian term Curahi-remimbi, derived from the
popular belief that its whistling notes, which have a melodious and
melancholy sound, prophesy changes in the weather.

It comes as far south as Buenos Ayres, but is only a summer visitor
there, and very scarce. Having seen but little of it myself, I can only
repeat Azara's words concerning it. He says it is common in Paraguay,
going in pairs or families, and perches and roosts on trees, and when
flying flaps its wings more rapidly than other Herons. It makes its
nest on a tree, and lays two clear blue eggs.

On the Lower Uruguay, Mr. Barrows likewise found this species
" not common." It was only seen a few times in November. " Though
most resembling the Night- Heron they were active by day, and when
disturbed flew rapidly away from the streams and swamps towards the
dry woods and hills/"

ARG. ORN. PL. XVII

ARDETTA INVOLUCRIS

ARDETTA 1NVOLUCRIS. 101

320. BUTOBIDES CYANURUS (VieilL).
(LITTLE BLUE HERON.)

Butorides cyanurus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 125 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 145
(Buenos Ay res) j Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 62 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows,
Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios). Butorides striata, Baird, Brew,, et Ridgw.
Water-B. N. A. i. p. 50.

Description. — Glaucous grey ; beneath ashy ; crown crested, black, with
greenish gloss ; neck beneath with a band of ferruginous spots, more or less
mixed with black ; wings greenish cinereous ; wing-coverts edged with whitish ;
bill dusky green, feet ashy yellowish: whole length 14-0 inches, wing 6'5f
tail 2'5. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

The Little Blue Heron, though widely distributed, is not anywhere a
common bird. I have always seen them singly, for it loves a hermit-
life, and the feeding-ground it prefers is a spot on the borders of a
marshy stream shut in and overshadowed on all sides by trees and
tall rushes. There the bird sits silent and solitary on a projecting
root or dead branch ; or stands motionless and knee-deep in the
water, intent on the small fry it feeds on. For whole months it will be
found every day in the same place. When intruded on in its haunt it
erects the feathers of its head and neck, looking strangely alarmed
or angry, and flies away uttering a powerful harsh grating cry.

Its nesting-habits I do not know; but Mr. Barrows says that it
undoubtedly breeds near Concepcion on the Lower Uruguay, where it is
abundant in spring and summer.

321. ARDETTA INVOLUCBIS (VieilL).

(VARIEGATED HERON.)

[PLATE XVII.]

Ardetta involucris, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 125; iid. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 634;
Hudson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 624 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 189,
et 1878, p. 62 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 159 (Buenos Ayres) ;
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above pale fulvous ; narrow stripe on the nape black ; front,
stripe on the back of the neck, bend of wing, and outer secondaries chestnut-
red ; back striped with black ; wing-feathers dark cinereous with red tips :
beneath paler, nearly white on the belly ; neck, breast, and flanks with brown
stripes, darker in the centres ; bill yellow ; feet brown : whole length 13'0
inches, wing 5-0, tail 1*5.

Hab. Paraguay and Argentina.

10.2 ARDEID.E.

The Variegated Heron is the least of the family to which it belongs,
its body being no bigger than that of the Common Snipe ; but in struc-
ture it is like other Herons, except that its legs are a trifle shorter in
proportion to its size and its wings very much shorter than in other
species. The under plumage is dull yellow in colour, while all the
other parts are variegated with marks of fuscous and various shades of
brown and yellow. The body is extremely slim, and the lower portion
of the neck covered with thick plumage, giving that part a deceptively
massive appearance. The perching faculty, possessed in so eminent a
degree by all Herons, probably attains its greatest perfection in this
species, and is combined with locomotion in a unique and wonderful
manner. It inhabits beds of rushes growing in rather deep water ;
very seldom, and probably only accidentally, does it visit the shore, and
only when driven up does it rise above the rushes ; for its flight, unlike
that of its congeners, is extremely feeble. The rushes it lives amongst
rise, smooth as a polished pipe-stern, vertically from water too deep for
the bird to wade in ; yet it goes up to the summit and down to the
surface, moving freely and briskly about amongst them, or runs in a
straight line through them almost as rapidly as a Plover can run over
the bare level ground. Unless I myself had been a witness of this feat,
I could scarcely have credited it ; for how does it manage to grasp the
smooth vertical stems quickly and firmly enough to progress so rapidly
without ever slipping down through them ?

The Variegated Heron is a silent solitary bird, found everywhere in the
marshes along the Plata, as also in the reed-beds scattered over the
pampas. It breeds amongst the rushes, and lays from three to five
spherical eggs, of a rich lively green and beautiful beyond comparison.
The nest is a slight platform structure about a foot above the water,
and so small that there is barely space enough on it for the eggs, which
are large for the bird. When one looks down on them they cover and
hide the slight nest, and being green like the surrounding rushes they
are not easy to detect.

When driven up the bird flies eighty or a hundred yards away, and
drops again amongst the rushes ; it is difficult to flush it a second time,
and a third time it is impossible. A curious circumstance is that where
it finally settles it can never be found. As I could never succeed in
getting specimens when I wanted them, I once employed some Gaucho
boys, who had dogs trained to hunt young Ducks, to try for this little
Heron. They procured several specimens, and said that without the
aid of their dogs they could never succeed in finding a bird, though they
always marked the exact spot where it alighted. This I attributed to
the slender figure it makes, and to the colour of the plumage so closely

ARDETTA INVOLUCRIS. 103

assimilating to that of the dead yellow and brown-spotted rushes always
found amongst the green ones ; but I did not know for many years that
the bird possessed a marvellous instinct that made its peculiar conforma-
tion and imitative colour far more advantageous than they could be of
themselves.

One day in November 1870, when out shooting, I noticed a Variegated
Heron stealing off quickly through a bed of rushes, thirty or forty yards
from me ; he was a foot or so above the ground, and went so rapidly
that he appeared to glide through the rushes without touching them.
I fired, but afterwards ascertained that in my hurry I missed my aim.
The bird, however, disappeared at the report ; and thinking I had killed
him, I went to the spot.

It was a small isolated bed of rushes I had seen him in; the mud
below and for some distance round was quite bare and hard, so that it
would have been impossible for the bird to escape without being per-
ceived; and yet, dead or alive, he was not to be found. After vainly
searching and researching through the rushes for a quarter of an hour
I gave over the quest in great disgust and bewilderment, and, after
reloading, was just turning to go, when, behold ! there stood my Heron
on a reed, no more than eight inches from, and on a level with, my
knees. He was perched, the body erect, and the point of the tail
touching the reed grasped by its feet ; the long slender tapering neck
was held stiff, straight and vertically ; and the head and beak, instead
of being carried obliquely, were also pointing up. There was not, from
his feet to the tip of his beak, a perceptible curve or inequality, but
the whole was the figure (the exact counterpart) of a straight tapering
rush : the loose plumage arranged to fill inequalities, and the wings
pressed into the hollow sides, made it impossible to see where the body
ended and the neck began, or to distinguish head from neck or beak from
head. This was, of course, a front view ; and the entire under surface
of the bird was thus displayed, all of a uniform dull yellow, like that of
a faded rush. I regarded the bird wonderingly for some time ; but not
the least motion did it make. I thought it was wounded or paralyzed
with fear, and, placing my hand on the point of its beak, forced the head
down till it touched the back ; when I withdrew my hand, up flew the
head, like a steel spring, to its first position. I repeated the experi-
ment many times with the same result, the very eyes of the bird
appearing all the time rigid and unwinking like those of a creature in a
fit. What wonder that it is so difficult, almost impossible, to discover
the bird in such an attitude ! But how happened it that while
repeatedly walking round the bird through the rushes I had not caught
sight of the striped back and the broad dark-coloured sides ? I asked

104 ARDEID^E.

myself this question, and stepped round to get a side view, when, mira-
bile dictu, I could still see nothing but the rush-like front of the bird !
His motions on the perch, as he turned slowly or quickly round, still
keeping the edge of the blade-like body before me, corresponded so
exactly with my own that I almost doubted that I had moved at all.
No sooner had I seen the finishing part of this marvellous instinct of
self-preservation (this last act making the whole complete), than such a
degree of delight and admiration possessed me as I have never before
experienced during my researches, much as I have conversed with wild
animals in the wilderness, and many and perfect as are the instances of
adaptation I have witnessed. I could not finish admiring, and thought
that never had anything so beautiful fallen in my way before \ for even
the sublime cloud-seeking instinct of the White Egret and the typical
Herons seemed less admirable than this ; and for some time I continued
experimenting, pressing down the bird's head and trying to bend him by
main force into some other position ; but the strange rigidity remained
unrelaxed, the fixed attitude unchanged. I also found, as I walked
round him, that, as soon as I got to the opposite side and he could no
longer twist himself on his perch, he whirled his body with great rapidity
the other way, instantly presenting the same front as before.

Finally I plucked him forcibly from the rush and perched him on my
hand, upon which he flew away ; but he flew only fifty or sixty yards
off, and dropped into the dry grass. Here he again put in practice the
same instinct so ably that I groped about for ten or twelve minutes
before refinding him, and was astonished that a creature to all appearance
so weak and frail should have strength and endurance sufficient to keep
its body rigid and in one attitude for so long a time.

Our figure of this species (Plate XVII.) is taken from a skin in
Sclater's collection, which was procured by Mr. F. Withington in the
Lomas de Zamora in 1883.

322. TIGEISOMA MAKMOBATUM (Vieill.).
(MARBLED TIGER-BITTERN.)

Garza jaspeada, Azara, Apunt. iii. p. 160. Ardea marmorata, Vieill. Nouv.
Diet. xiv. p. 415. Tigrisoma marmoratum, Serl. J.f. O. 1887, p. 30.
Tigrisoma fasciatum, Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 363 (Salta) ? Tigrisoma
brasiliense, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624 (Corrientes) ?

Description. — Above greenish grey, finely crossed by narrow fulvous vermi-
culations ; head and neck uniform rusty red : beneath greyish fulvous ; breast
flammulatcd with white ; flanks and under wing-coverts black with white
cross bars: whole length 18'0 inches, wing 10*5, tail 4*0.

NYCTICORAX OBSCURUS.

105

Hab. Paraguay and N. Argentina.

Graf v. Berlepsch has recently shown that the Tiger-Bittern of Para-
guay differs from Tigrisoma brasiliense (which it generally resembles in
plumage) in having the base of the lower mandible partly feathered as
in T. fasciatum. It is probable that the Argentine Tiger-Bittern
belongs to the same form, but we have not yet met with adult specimens
of it. It occurs in the northern provinces of the Republic, and was
obtained by White in Corrientes, and by Durnford in Salta.

323. NYCTICORAX OBSCURUS, Bp.
(DARK NIGHT-HERON.)

Nycticorax obscurus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 126; Durnford, Ibis, 1878,
p. 63 (Buenos Ayres), et p. 399 (Patagonia); Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 158
(Buenos Ayres). Ardea garden!, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 508
(Parana). Nycticorax garden!, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 624 (Buenos
Ayres and Salta) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above cinereous; front white; head, nape, and scapulars
greenish black ; elongated nuchal plumes white : beneath paler, whitish on
throat and middle of belly ; bill black ; feet flesh-colour : whole length 26-0
inches, wing 12'0, tail 4-8, tarsus 3'2. Female similar.

Hab. Southern half of South America.

In the Argentine Republic the Night-Heron lives in communities,
and passes the hours of daylight perched inactive on large trees or in
marshes on the rushes, and when disturbed by day they rise up with
heavy flappings and a loud qua-quo, cry. At sunset they quit their
retreat, to ascend a stream or seek some distant feeding-ground, and
travel with a slow flight, bird succeeding bird at long intervals, and
uttering their far-sounding, hoarse, barking night-cry.

Where the flock lives amongst the rushes, in places where there are
no trees, the birds, by breaking down the rushes across each other,
construct false nests or platforms to perch on. These platforms are
placed close together, usually where the rushes are thickest, and serve
the birds for an entire winter.

The breeding-habits of the Night-Heron have already been described
in the account of the Ardea egretta.

In the Falkland Islands, where Captain Abbott discovered a heronry
(cf. Ibis, 1861, p. 157), their breeding-habits are the same as on the
pampas.

106

Fam. XXXVI. CICONIID.E, OR STORKS.

The Storks constitute a small but well-defined family of the Order
Herodiones, allied to the Ardeidse, but distinguished by the elevated
hallux, their non-pectinated middle claw, and the absence of powder-
down patches in the plumage. They are divisible into two sub-
families — the true Storks, and the Wood-Ibises (Tantalinse) . Two of
the former group and one of the latter occur within our limits, and two
of these three species range throughout tropical America up to the
Southern United States.

324. MYCTERIA AMERICANA, Linn.
(THE JABIRU.)

Mycteria americana, Baird, Brew., et Ridgiv. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 79 ; Scl.
et Salv. Nomencl. p. 126 j Berl J.f. O. 1887, p. 32 (Paraguay).

Description. — Plumage white ; bill, naked head, and neck and feet black ;
naked crop in life red : whole length 54-0 inches, wing 26-0, tail 9-5, tarsus
11*5. Female similar.

Hob. Texas and Central and South America to La Plata.

This is a majestic bird, the largest of the American Storks ; it stands
five feet high, and the wings have a spread of nearly eight feet. The
entire plumage is pure white, the head and six inches of the neck
covered with a naked black skin ; from the black part extend two scarlet
bands, the skin being glossy and exceedingly loose, and run narrowing
down to the chest. When the bird is wounded or enraged, this loose
red skin is said" to swell out like a bladder, changing to an intensely
fiery scarlet hue. The name " Jabiru " is doubtless due to this circum-
stance, for Azara (who gives the Guarani name of the Stork as Aiaiai)
says that the Indian word Yabiru signifies blown out with wind.

The Jabiru is but rarely found near Buenos Ayres, but occurs more
frequently in Misiones, and in other districts on the northern frontiers
of the Republic. It nests on high trees, as has been recorded by
Brown*, and is said to lay " blue-green " eggs.

325. EUXENURA MAGUARI (Om.).
(MAGUARI STORK.)

Ciconia maguari, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 509 (Tucuman) j Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 126; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 189 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878,

* Canoe and Camp-Life in British Guiana, p. 272.

EUXENURA MAGUART. 107

p. 399 (Centr. Patagonia); Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 153 (Buenos Ayres) ; Bar-
roics, Auk, 1884, p. 271 (Entrerios). Euxenura maguari, Baird, Brew.,
et Uidgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 77.

Description. — Plumage white; wings and upper tail-coverts black; naked
lores and feet red ; bill horn-colour, yellowish at the base : whole length 40-0
inches, wing 2OO, tail 8*0. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

The Maguari Stork is a well-known bird on the pampas, breeding in
the marshes, and also wading for its food in the shallow water ; but it
is not nearly so aquatic in its habits as the Jabiru, and after the breeding-
season is over it is seen everywhere on the dry plains. Here these birds
prey on mice, snakes, and toads, but also frequently visit the cultivated
fields in quest of food. When mice or frogs are exceptionally abundant
on the pampas, the Storks often appear in large numbers, and at such
times I have seen them congregating by hundreds in the evening beside
the water; but in the daytime they scatter over the feeding-ground, where
they are seen stalking along, intent on their prey, with majestic Crane-
like strides. To rise they give three long jumps before committing
themselves to the air, and like all heavy fliers make a loud noise with
their wings. They are never seen to alight on trees, like the Jabiru,
and are absolutely dumb, unless the clattering they make with the bill
when angry can be called a language.

The lay ing- time is about the middle of August, and the nest is built up
amongst the rushes, rising about two feet above the surface of the water.
The eggs are rather long, three or four in number, and of a chalky white.

Mr. Gibson, of Buenos Ayres, furnishes the following lively account
of a young Maguari : — (< One, which I took on October 5, was about the
size of a domestic fowl, in down, and, with the exception of the white
tail, entirely black. It soon became very tame, and used to wander all
over the premises, looking for food, or watching any work that was going
on. Rats were swallowed whole ; and the way it would gulp down a
pound or two of raw meat would have horrified an English housekeeper.
Snakes it seized by the nape of the neck, and passed them transversely
through its bill by a succession of rapid and powerful nips, repeating
the operation two or three times before being satisfied that life was
totally extinct. It used often to do the same thing with dry sticks (in
order not to forget the way, I suppose) ; while on one occasion it swal-
lowed a piece of hard cowhide, a foot long, and consequently could not
bend its neck for twenty-four hours after— till the hide softened, in fact.
The story also went that ' Byles, the lawyer' (as he was called), mistook
the tail of one of the pet lambs for a snake, and actually had it down his
throat, but was ( brought up > by the body of the lamb ! Byles inspired a

108 CICONIID.E.

wholesome respect in all the dogs and cats, but was very peaceable as a
rule. One of our men had played some trick on him, however; and the
result was that Byles generally went for him on every possible occasion,
his long legs covering the ground like those of an Ostrich, while he pro-
duced a demoniacal row with his bill. It was amusing to see his victim
dodging him all over the place, or sometimes, in desperation, turning on
him with a stick ; but Byles evaded every blow by jumping eight feet into
the air, coming down on the other side of his enemy, and there repeating
his war dance ; while he always threatened (though his threats were never
fulfilled) to make personal and pointed remarks with his formidable bill.
" Shortly after his capture feathers began to appear ; and the following
is a description of the bird at the age of about two months : — Tail-
feathers white, remainder of plumage glossy green-black ; bill black ;
legs and feet grey. Spots and patches of white began to appear on head,
back, and wings ; these gradually extended, until, by the end of May,
the adult plumage was all acquired. Then my interest in Byles ceased,
and latterly he strayed away to his native swamps."

326. TANTALUS LOCULATOR, Linn.
(THE WOOD-IBIS.)

Tantalus loculator, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 510 (Rio Parana); Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl. p. 126 ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 272 (Entrerios) ; Baird,
Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 81.

Description. — Plumage white, greater wing-coverts and wing- and tail-feathers
black with bronzy reflexions ; head and upper half of neck naked, dusky ; vertex
covered with a horny plate ; bill yellowish "brown ; sides of head purplish ; feet
bluish : whole length 44-0 inches, wing 17'0, tail 6'0. Female similar.

Hob. North and South America.

Most people in the Plata region are familiar with this bird of the
marshes, its lofty stork-like figure and white plumage making it a very
conspicuous object.

On the pampas it is not uncommon in summer and autumn, and goes
in flocks of a dozen or twenty. The birds are usually seen standing
motionless in groups or scattered about in spiritless attitudes, apparently
dozing away the time. On the wing it appears to better advantage,
having a singularly calm stately flight ; on a warm still day they are
often seen soaring in circles very far up in the sky.

I have never heard of this bird nesting on the pampas, and am inclined
to think that it only breeds in forest-regions, and visits the marshes in
the treeless districts after the young have flown.

PLATALEID.E. 109

Its habits in North America, where it is called the " Wood-Ibis," are
tolerably well known, and in the ornithological works of that country it
is described as " a hermit standing listless and alone on the topmost
limb of some tall decayed cypress, its neck drawn in upon its shoulders,
and its enormous bill resting like a scythe upon its breast/'

It there nests on tall trees, sometimes in company with Egrets, and
lays three white eggs.

Fam. XXXVII. PLATALEID.E, OR IBISES.

The Spoonbills and Ibises constitute a homogeneous family of Hero-
diones, which have a wide distribution over the earth's surface, although
mostly prevalent within intertropical limits. They fall naturallv into
two groups — the Ibises, distinguished by their elongated, compressed,
and sickle-shaped bills ; and the Spoonbills, at once known by the pecu-
liar form of the same organ, which is much expanded at its termination.
Of about twenty-five known species of Ibises, the Neotropical Region
possesses eight or nine, and of these four occur in Argentina. Of the
Spoonbills only one is Neotropical, and that is met with throughout the
southern portion of South America.

327. PLEGADIS GUARAUNA (Linn.).
(WHITE-FACED IBIS.)

Plegadis guarauna, Baird, Brew., et Ridyw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 97. Falci-
nellus guarauna, Elliot, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 505. Ibis falcinellus, Hudson,
P. Z. S. 1870, p. 799 (Buenos Ayres). Falcinellus igneus, Durnford, Ibis,
1877, p. 189 (Buenos Ayres). Plegadis falcinellus, Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 155 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 272 (Entrerios). Ibis
chalcoptera, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 511 (Parana, Mendoza).

Description. — Head, neck, and under surface purplish chestnut, with a white
band round the base of the bill ; back with metallic reflexions : wings and tail
bright green, with bronzy reflexions ; band across upper wing-coverts chestnut ;
bill reddish grey ; feet brown : whole length 22'0 inches, wing 9'0, tail 3'0.
Female similar.

Hab. Central and South America.

This form of the well-known " Glossy Ibis " of Europe is one of our
most abundant waterfowl on the pampas, and appears in spring in
flocks ; but as their movements are somewhat irregular and many indi-
viduals remain with us through the winter, their migrations probably

110 PLATALEID^E.

do not extend very far. In summer they are found beside every marsh
and watercourse, briskly wading about in the shallow water and
plunging their long curved beaks downwards at every step. When
taking wing they invariably utter a loud ha ha ha, resembling hearty
human laughter, but somewhat nasal in sound. They frequently leave
the marshy places and are seen scattered about the grassy plains, feeding
like land-birds ; and on the pampas they often congregate about the
carcass of a dead horse or cow, to feed on the larvae of the flesh-fly in
company with the Milvago and the Hooded Gull.

Their flight is singularly graceful ; and during migration the flocks
are seen to follow each other in rapid succession, each flock being
usually composed of from fifty to a hundred individuals, sometimes of a
much larger number. It is most interesting to watch them at such
times, now soaring high in the air, displaying the deep chestnut hue of
their breasts, then descending with a graceful curve towards the earth,
as if to exhibit the dark metallic green and purple reflexions of their
upper plumage. The flock is meanwhile continually changing its form
or disposition, as if at the signal of a leader. One moment it spreads
out in a long straight line ; suddenly the birds scatter in disorder, or
throw themselves together like a cloud of Starlings ; as suddenly they
again reform to continue their journey in the figure of a phalanx, half-
moon, or triangle. The fanciful notion can scarcely fail to suggest
itself to the spectator that the birds go through these unnecessary
evolutions intelligently in order to attain a greater proficiency in them by
practice, or, perhaps, merely to make a display of their aerial accomplish-
ments. The Glossy Ibis has another remarkable habit when on the wing.
At times the flock appears as if suddenly seized with frenzy or panic, every
bird rushing wildly away from its fellows, and descending with a violent
zigzag flight ; in a few moments the mad fit leaves them, they rise
again, reassemble in the air, and resume their journey.

328. THERISTICUS CAUDATUS (Bodd.).
(BLACK-FACED IBIS.)

Theristicus melanops, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 128 (Patagonia). Geron-
ticus melanopis, Scl. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 261. Theristicus melanopis, Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl p. 127 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 190 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878,
p. 400 (Patagonia); Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 272 (Azul). Theristicus
caudatus, Elliot, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 498. Ibis albicollis, Burm. La-Plata
Reise, ii. p. 510 (Parana, Mendoza, Tucuman).

Description. — Sides of throat and lores bare, skin black ; top of head and
lower part of neck- in front reddish chestnut ; neck white, a narrow line of

THERISTICUS CAUDATUS. Ill

feathers running up the centre of the throat to the chin ; back and wings greyish
brown, with green reflexions, feathers edged with light brown or whitish ;
tertials and outer webs of secondaries for two thirds of their length white,
remainder dark green ; primaries dark green ; rump and upper tail-coverts light
bronzy green ; tail dark bronze-green ; underparts brownish black, with green
reflexions : whole length 33*0 inches, wing 16-25, tail 9'75, bill along culmen 7*0,
tarsus 3'5. Female similar.

Hab. Antarctic South America.

This very fine Ibis, called Mandurria 6 curucdu by Azara and Van-
duria de Invierno (winter Vanduria) in the vernacular, is one of the
most interesting winter visitors from Patagonia to the pampas of Buenos
Ayres. It is found in Chili, and has even been obtained as far north as
Peru. On the east side of the continent it is most abundant (during
the cold season) about latitude 37° or 38°. Its summer home and
breeding-ground appears to be in the extreme south of the continent,
its eggs having been obtained in the Straits of Magellan by Darwin,
and recently by Dr. Cunningham, who only says of it that it is a shy
and wary bird, that goes in flocks of from four to eight, and has a cry
resembling qua-qua, qua-qua. But he might just as well have spelt it
quack-quack, since qua-qua fails to give the faintest idea of the series of
hard abrupt notes of extraordinary power the bird utters, usually when
on the wing, which sound like blows of a powerful hammer on a
metal plate. On the pampas this Ibis appears in May, frequents dry
grassy situations, and goes in flocks of a dozen to forty or fifty indi-
viduals. They walk rapidly, stooping very much, and probing the
ground with their long slender curved beaks, and appear to subsist
principally on the larvae of the large horned beetle, with which their
stomachs are usually found filled. So intent are they on seeking their
food that the members of a flock often scatter in all directions and
wander quite out of sight of each other ; when this happens they occa-
sionally utter loud vehement cries, as if to call their companions, or to
inform each other of their whereabouts. Frequently one is seen to lift
up its wings as if to fly, and, stretching .them up vertically, to remain for
fifteen or twenty seconds in this curious attitude. At sunset they ail
rise up clamouring, and direct their flight to the nearest watercourse,
and often on their way thither go through a strange and interesting
performance. The flock suddenly precipitates itself downwards with a
violence wonderful to see, each bird rushing this way and that as if
striving to outvie its fellows in every wild fantastic motion of which
they are capable. In this manner they rise and descend again and
again, sometimes massed together, then scattered wide apart in all
directions. This exercise they keep up for some time, and while it

112 PLATALEID^l.

lasts they make the air resound for miles around with their loud per-
cussive screams.

In Patagonia I first observed this Ibis roosting on tall trees ; and,
according to Azara, it possesses the same habit in Paraguay. He says
that all the flocks within a circuit of some leagues resort to one spot to
sleep, and prefer tall dead trees bordering on the water, and if there is
only one suitable tree all the birds crowd on to it, and in the morning
scatter, each family or pair flying away to spend the day in its custo-
mary feeding-ground.

The egg obtained by Dr. Cunningham at Elizabeth Island is thus
described by Prof. Newton (Ibis, 1870, p. 502) * :— " Dull surface of a
pale greenish white with engrained blotches (mostly small) of neutral
tint, and some few blotches, spots, and specks of dull deep brown ;
towards the larger end some hair-like streaks of a lighter shade of the
same, and so far having an Ibidine or Plataleine character/''

329. HARPIPRION C^RULESCENS (Vieill.).
(PLUMBEOUS IBIS.)

Harpiprion caerulescens, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 127; Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 159 (Buenos Ayres). Molybdophanes caerulescens, Elliot, P. Z. S.
1877, p. 503. Ibis plumbea, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 510 (Entrerios) .
Ibis caerulescens, ScL et Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 635 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — A white bar commencing above and behind the eye covers
the forehead ; top of head and lengthened nuchal crest dark brown, with a slight
greenish tinge ; throat and neck covered with long narrow feathers, light brown,
in certain lights having a pinkish tinge ; upper parts pale bronzy green ; wings
like the back, in some lights the feathers have a silvery gloss ; primaries deep
blue, greenish towards the edges of the outer webs ; tail dark green : entire under-
parts brownish grey, with light pink reflexions in certain lights ; bill black ; feet
yellow : whole length 33*0 inches, wing 15*5, tail 7*5, bill 6-5. Female similar.

Hab. South-east Brazil and Argentina.

This noble Ibis ranges from Brazil, south of the Amazons, to the
pampas of Buenos Ayres. It is a bird of the marshes, nowhere abun-
dant, and yet is exceedingly well known to most people in the Argentine
country : it would be difficult indeed to overlook a species possessing
so peculiar and powerful a voice. In the vernacular it is called Van-
duria, with the addition of aplomado, or barroso, or de las lagunas, to
distinguish it from the Winter Vanduria. The word is also frequently
spelt Manduria or Banduria, but it does not come from Bandada (flock),

* See also figure, P. Z. S. 1871, pi. iv. fig. 8.

PHIMOSUS INFUSCATUS. 113

as Mr. Barrows imagines when he gives this vernacular name to the
Glossy Ibis ; but from the Spanish stringed instrument called Vanduria.
Possibly the instrument is obsolete now ; not so the word, however, and
it is sometimes used by the poets, instead of " harp " or " lyre/' to
symbolize poetic inspiration. Thus Iriarte : —

•

" Atencion ! que la vanduria he templado."

If one could get a banjo with brass strings so big that it could be
heard a mile and a half away, a dozen strokes dealt in swift succession
on one string would produce a sound resembling the call of this Ibis —
a voice of the desolate marshes, which competes in power with the outra-
geous human-like shrieks of the Ypecaha Rail, the long resounding
\vails of the Crazy Widow or Courlan, and the morning song of the
Crested Screamer.

The Vanduria is usually seen singly or in pairs, and sometimes, but
rarely, in small companies of half a dozen birds. In its habits it is like
a Tantalus, wading in the shallow water of the marshes, and devouring
€els, frogs, fish, &c. After examining the well-filled stomachs of a few
individuals, one is strongly tempted to believe that the beautiful long
beak of this Ibis has " forgotten its cunning" as a probe. At intervals
in the daytime it utters, standing on the ground, its resonant metallic
•cry. It is wary and has a strong easy flight, and is a great wanderer,
but I am not able to say whether it possesses a regular migration
or not.

The celebrated naturalist Natterer procured specimens of this Ibis in
the lagoons of Caicara, in the Brazilian Province of Matogrosso, in
September and November, 1825, but it is not mentioned by general
writers on the birds of S.E. Brazil.

330. PHIMOSUS INFUSCATUS (LichU
(WHISPERING IBIS.)

Ibis infuscata, Bur m. La- Plata Reise, ii. p. 511 (Rio Parana). Phimosus
infuscatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 127; Durnford, Ibis, 1378, p. 63
(Buenos Ayres) ; Salv. Ibis, 1880, p. 363 (Salta) ; Elliot, P. Z S. 1877, p. 495.

Description. — Plumage dark bronzy green, glossed with purple ; fore part and
sides of head and neck naked, red ; bill and feet red: whole length 24*0 inches,
wing ll'o, tail 6*0, bill 5'2. Female similar.

Hob. South America from Colombia south to Argentina.
Of this Ibis, which ranges from Colombia to the Argentine Republic,
a few individuals come as far south as the pampas of Buenos Ayres.
The fore part of the head and throat being unfeathere:!, suggested to

VOL. II. 1

114 PLATALEIDJE.

Azara the name of dfeytado, or " shaved/' but about its habits he has
nothing to say, nor does he mention its peculiar voice, or, perhaps it
would be more correct to say, its want of voice ; for it seems quite silent
unless one comes near to it and listens very intently, when he will be
able to hear little sigh-like puffs of sound as the bird flies away. It
seems strange that this member of a loquacious loud-voiced family
should be reduced to speak, as it were, in whispers !

On two or three occasions I have seen as many as half a dozen indi-
viduals together ; at other times I have seen one or two associating with
the Glossy Ibis.

Azara's name "Shaved" Ibis seems well enough in Spanish, just as
his " Throat-cut " for a Starling with a scarlet throat does not strike one
as at all shocking in that language ; but for an English name I fancy
that " Whispering Ibis/' from the whisper-like sound the bird emits,
would be more suitable, or, at all events, better sounding.

It is possible that two races of this Ibis exist on the South-American
continent ; for in Brazil and further north it is said to have a loud cry,
uttered when taking wing, as in the case of the Glossy Ibis ; and one of
its native names in the tropics — curri-curri — is said to be an imitation
of its usual note.

331. AJAJA ROSEA, Eeichenb.
(ROSEATE SPOONBILL.)

Platalea ajaja, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 511 ; Scl et Salv. P. Z. S. 1808,
p. 145 ; iid. Xomencl. p. 127 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 187G, p. 15 (Buenos Ayres) ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 190 (Buenos Ayres); Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 150
(Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 272 (Entrerios, Bahia Blanca).
Ajaja rosea, Baird, Brew., et Ridyw. Water- B. N. A. i. p. 102.

Description. — Head bare ; neck, back, and breast white ; tail orange-buff,
with the shafts deep pink and inner webs stained with pink ; rest of plumage
pale rose-pink : lesser wing-coverts and upper and lower tail-coverts intense
carmine ; neck with a tuft of twisted plumes, light carmine ; sides of breast pale
creamy buff; bill yellowish grey ; head greenish, space round the eye and gular
sac orange ; feet pale pink : whole length 30'0 inches, wing 15-0, tail 5-0. Female
similar. Young with the head completely feathered.

Hab. North and South America.

The Roseate Spoonbill is found in both Americas and ranges south to
the Straits of Magellan, but in Patagonia it is, I think, rare, for on the
Rio Negro I did not meet with it. On the pampas it is abundant, and
I have been told that it breeds in the marshes there, but I have never
been able to find a nest. It is usually seen in small flocks of from half
a dozen to twenty individuals, which all feed near together, wading up to

AJAJA ROSKA. 115

their knees and sweeping their long flat beaks from side to si(L« a< thry
advance. An English acquaintance of mine kept one of these birds as
a pet on his estancia for seven years. It was very docile, and would
spend the day roaming about the grounds, associating with the poultry,
but invariably presented itself in the dining-room at meal-time, where
it would take its station at one end of the table, and dexterously catch
in its beak any morsel thrown to it.

I believe that more than one species of Spoonbill inhabits South
America, and that the common Spoonbill of the pampas is a distinct
species from the well-known Ajaja. Some remarks of mine on this
subject were printed in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of
London ' about nine years ago; but I find that I am alone amongst
ornithologists in this belief ; I can, therefore, only repeat here what I
have said before, and leave the question for time to decide.

The general belief is that the pale-plumaged birds, with feathered
heads and black eyes (the Roseate Spoonbill having crimson eyes),
and without the bright wing-spots, the tuft on the breast, horny excres-
cences on the beak, and other marks, are only immature birds. Now,
for one bird with all these characteristic marks of the true Platalea
ajaja, which has a yellow tail, we meet on the pampas with not less
than two to three hundred examples of the pale-plumaged bird without
any traces of such marks and with a rose-coloured tail ; and the disparity
in number between mature and immature birds of one species could not
well be so great as that. I have shot one immature specimen of the
true Ajaja — so immature that it seemed not long out of the nest; but
the head was bare of feathers, and it had the knobs on the upper man-
dible, only they were so soft that they could be indented with the nail of
the finger. Azara also mentions an immature bird which he obtained,
but he does not say that the head was feathered ; and even this negative
evidence goes a great way, since it would have been very unlike him
to see a Spoonbill with a feathered head and otherwise unlike Ajaja
rosea, and not describe it as a distinct species.

There are also anatomical differences between the two birds ; the pale-
plumaged species having an ordinary trachea, while A. rosea has a very
curiously -formed trachea, unlike that of any other bird, which has been
described by Garrod as follows : —

" The trachea is simple, straight, of uniform calibre, and peculiarly
short, extending only two thirds down the length of the neck, where the
uncomplicated syrinx is situated and the bifurcation of the bronchi
occurs. The usual pair of muscles, one on each side, runs to this syrinx
from above, and ceases there. The bronchi are fusiformly dilated at
their commencement, where the rings which encircle them are not com-

116

PLATALEID^E

plete, a membrane taking their place in that portion of each tube which
is contiguous to its opposite neighbour. Each bronchus, lower down,
is composed of complete cartilaginous rings."

Trachea of Ajaja rosea. — a. Trachea, b. ST, rinx. d. (Esophagus, e. Cervical

muscles, r.b. Right bronchus. /.&. Left bronchus.

(FromJP.^Z. S. 1875, p. 300.)

The woodcut of this curious structure is here reproduced by the kind
permission of the Zoological Society. It is much to be wished that
some one living in the Argentine Republic would devote himself to the

PHCENICOPTERIDJ5. 117

further investigation of the history of this interesting bird, and settle
the question whether there is more than one species of Argentine
Spoonbill.

To conclude, I may mention that the pet bird my friend kept was of
the pale-plumaged species, and never lost the feathers from its head,
nor did it acquire any of the characteristic marks of P. ajaja.

Fam. XXXVIII. PHCENICOPTERID^E, OR FLAMINGOES.

The very peculiar and isolated type of Flamingo is found in both
the Old and New Worlds, and is, no doubt, of great antiquity. In
the Neotropical Region three species of Flamingo are now known to
occur, one of which is well known in the Argentine Provinces. Of
the other two (Phcenicopterus andinus and P.jamesi*), which inhabit
the Andes of Chili and Bolivia, one has also been ascertained to occur
within the northern frontiers of the Argentine Republic. Both these
last-named species belong to the three- toed section of the genus (Phoe-
nicoparrd). In P. ignipaUiatus the hind toe is present.

332. PHCENICOPTERUS IGNIPALLIATUS, Geoffr. et d'Orb.
(ARGENTINE FLAMINGO.)

Phoenicopterus ignipalliatus, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p 512 (Mendoza,
Parana, Rosario, Buenos Ayres); Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 127 ; iid. P. Z .8.
1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres) j Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) j
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 41, et 1878, p. 400 (Patagonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880>
p. 156 (Buenos Ayres) j Barrow*, Auk, 1884, p. 272 (Pampas).

Description. — Hindtoepresent. Plumage rosy red; wing-coverts crimson ; wing-
feathers black ; bill pale yellowish red, apical half black ; feet dark violet-grey :
whole length 39*0 inches, wing 15*0, tarsus ll'O. Female similar, but smaller.

Hab. Southern portions of South America.

The Argentine Flamingo inhabits the whole of the Argentine country,
down to the Rio Negro in the south, where I found it very abundant.
The residents told me of a breeding-place there — a shallow salt-lake —
which, however, had been abandoned by the birds before my visit. The
nest there, as in other regions, was a small pillar of mud raised a foot or
eighteen inches above the surface of the water, and with a slight hollow
on the top ; and I was assured by people who had watched them on
their nests that the incubating bird invariably sits with the hind part

* Cf. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1886, p. 399.

118 PHCENICOPTERID^E.

of the body projecting from the nest, and the long legs dangling down
in the water, and not tucked up under the bird.

On the Rio Negro I found the birds most abundant in winter, which
surprised me, for that there is a movement of Flamingoes to the north
in the autumn I am quite sure, having often seen them passing overhead
in a northerly direction in the migrating-season. I have also found the
young birds, in the grey plumage, at this season in the marshes near to
Buenos Ayres city, hundreds of miles from any known breeding-place.
Probably the birds in the interior of the country, where the cold is far
more intense than on the sea-coast, go north before winter, while
those in the district bordering on the Atlantic have become stationary.

The Flamingo has a curious way of feeding : it immerses the beak,
and by means of a rapid continuous movement of the mandibles passes
a current of water through the mouth, where the minutest insects and
particles of floating matter are arrested by the teeth. The stomach is
small, and is usually found to contain a pulpy mass of greenish-coloured
stuff, mixed with minute particles of quartz. Yet on so scanty a fare
this large bird not only supports itself, but becomes excessively fat. I
spent half a winter in Patagonia at a house built on the borders of a
small lake, and regularly every night a small flock of Flamingoes came
to feed in the water about 200 yards from the back of the house. I
used to open the window to listen to them, and the noise made by their
beaks was continuous and resembled the sound produced by wringing
out a wet cloth. They feed a great deal by day, but much more, I
think, by night.

Where they are never persecuted they are tame birds, and when a
flock is fired into and one bird killed, the other birds, though appa-
rently much astonished, do not fly away. They are silent birds, but not
actually dumb, having a low hoarse cry, uttered sometimes at the
moment of taking flight ; also another cry which I have only heard from
a wounded bird, resembling the gobbling of a turkey-cock, only shriller.
They are almost invariably seen standing in the water, even when not
feeding, and even seem to sleep there ; on land they have a very singular
appearance, their immense height, in proportion to their bulk, giving
them an appearance amongst birds something like that of the giraffe
amongst mammals. To the lakes and water-courses in the midst of the
grey scenery of Patagonia they seem to give a strange glory, while
standing motionless, their tall rose-coloured forms mirrored in the dark
water, but chiefly when they rise and pass in a long crimson train or
phalanx, flying low over the surface.

PALAMEDEID/E.

333. PHCENICOPTEEUS ANDINUS, Philippi.
(ANDEAN FLAMINGO.)

Phcenicopterus andinus, Philippi, Reise d. d. Wmte Alacama, p. 164, tt. iv., v. ;
Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 127 j Scl. P. Z. S. 1886, p. 399 ; Burm. P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 364 (Cordilleras of N.-West).

Description. — Hind toe absent. Plumage rosy white ; lower neck and breast
carmine; wings scarlet, with the tips of the quills black; bill at the base
yellowish stained with red ; apical half black ; feet yellow : whole length 35-0
inches, wing 16'0, tarsus 9'0. Female similar, but smaller.

Hab. Andes of Bolivia and Northern Chili.

The Andean Flamingo, which is at once distinguishable from P. igni-
palliatus by the complete absence of the hind toe, is stated by Dr. Bur-
meister, on the authority of Heir Schickendantz, to be found on the
north-western frontiers of the Argentine Republic, on the lagunes of
the eastern valleys between the Cordilleras and the adjacent mountains.

Order X. ANSEBES.

Fam. XXXIX. PALAMEDEID/E, OR SCREAMEES.

This singular Neotropical form is even more isolated than the
Flamingo and more difficult to place satisfactorily in a linear series.
It seems, however, that it is best arranged near the Anatidse, as first
suggested by Mr. Parker*, and that it may with least inconvenience
be constituted an aberrant family of the Order Anseres.

Besides the typical form Palamedea (with one species found in Ama-
zonia and the interior of Brazil) the present family contains only one other
genus — Chauna — in which the head carries a feather-crest instead of the
long horny wattle of Palamedea. One species of Chauna is met with in
Argentina, the only other known species (C. derbiana) being confined
to Colombia and Venezuela.

334. CHAUNA CHAVARIA (Linn.).
(CRESTED SCREAMER.)

Palamedea chavaria, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 500 (Parana^). Chauna,
chavaria, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 128; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 145 (Bueuos
Ayres) ; Durnfurd, Ibis, 1878, p. 63 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 165 (Buenos Ayres) ; Harrows, Auk, 1834, p. 272 (Entrerios).

* Cf. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 511.

120 PALAMEDEID.E.

Description. — Slaty grey, blacker on the back ; chin, neck, and checks whitish ;
a naked ring round the neck; nape crested; belly whitish; feet red : whole
length 32-0 inches, wing 19-0, tail 8-0. Female similar.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and La Plata.

This majestic bird, called Chajd in the vernacular,, is common through-
out the Plata district, in marshes and on the open level country
abounding in water and succulent grasses, and ranges south to the
neighbourhood of Bahia Blanca. It is most abundant on the pampas
south of Buenos Ayres city, and on that vast expanse of perfectly level,
green country the bird is seen at its best ; it is there an important
feature in the landscape ; its vocal performances are doubly impressive
on account of the profound silence of nature, and its singularity — the
contrast between its aerial habit and ponderous structure — strikes one
more forcibly where the view is so unobstructed and the atmosphere
so pure.

The Crested Screamer, like most of the larger birds and mammals
in every part of the globe to which European emigration is attracted, is
probably doomed to rapid extermination. My observations of the bird,
in that portion of the pampas where it is most abundant, date back
some years, to a time when the inhabitants were few and mainly of
Spanish race, never the destroyers of bird-life. The conditions had
become extremely favourable to this species. It is partially aquatic in
its habits ; and in desert places is usually found in marshes, wading iu
the shallow water, and occasionally swimming to feed on the seeds and
succulent leaves of water-loving plants. After the old giant grasses of
the pampas had been eaten up by the cattle, and the sweet grasses of
Europe had taken their place, the Screamers took kindly to that new
food, preferring the clovers, and seemed as terrestrial in their feeding-
habits as Upland Geese. Their food was abundant, and they were never
persecuted by the natives. Their flesh is very dark, is coarse-grained
but good to eat, with a flavour resembling that of wild duck, and there
is a great deal of meat on a bird with a body larger than that of a Swan.
Yet no person ever thought of killing or eating the Chaja ; and the birds
were permitted to increase to a marvellous extent. It was a common
thing a few years ago in the dry season to see them congregated in
thousands : and so little afraid of man were they that I have often
ridden through large scattered flocks without making the birds take
wing.

A curious thing about the Screamer is that it pairs for life, and yet
is one of the most social of birds. But if a large flock is closely looked
at, the birds are invariably seen methodically ranged in pairs. Another

CIIAUNA CIIAYAIUA. l>>]

curious thing is that, notwithstanding the formidable weapons they
possess (each wing being armed with two large spurs), they are ex-
tremely pacific in temper. I have never been able to detect even the
slightest approach to a quarrel among them ; yet it is hard to believe
that they do not fight sometimes, since weapons of offence are usually
found correlated with the disposition to use them. Captive birds, how-
ever, can be made to fight ; and I have known Gauchos take them for
the pleasure of witnessing their battles. They are very easily tamed,
and in that state seem to show greater docility and intelligence than
any of our domestic birds ; and become so attached to their home that
it is quite safe to allow them to fly about at will. They associate, but
do not quarrel, with the poultry. They are quick to distinguish strangers
from the people of the house, showing considerable suspicion of them,
and sometimes raising a loud alarm at a stranger's approach. Towards
dogs and cats they are often unfriendly ; and when breeding it is dan-
gerous for a strange person to approach the nest, as they will sometimes
attack him with the greatest fury.

The Screamer is a very heavy bird, and rises from the ground labori-
ously, the wings, as in the case of the Swan, making a loud noise.
Nevertheless, it loves soaring, and will rise in an immense spiral until it
wholly disappears from sight in the zenith, even in the brightest weather ;
and considering its great bulk arid dark colour, the height it ultimately
attains must be very great. On sunny windless days, especially in
winter and spring, they often spend hours at a time in these sublime
aerial exercises, slowly floating round and round in vast circles, and
singing at intervals. How so heavy and comparatively short-winged a
bird can sustain itself for such long periods in the thin upper air to
which it rises has not yet been explained.

The voice is very powerful. When disturbed, or when the nest is
approached, both birds utter at intervals a loud alarm-cry, resembling
in sound the anger-cry of the Peacock, but twice as loud. At other
times its voice is exercised in a kind of singing performance, in which
male and female join, and which produces the effect of harmony. The
male begins, the female takes up her part, and then with marvellous
strength and spirit they pour forth a torrent of strangely-contrasted
sounds — some bassoon-like in their depth and volume, some like drum-
beats, and others long, clear, and ringing. It is the loudest animal-
sound of the pampas, and its jubilant martial character strongly affects
the mind in that silent melancholy wilderness.

The Screamers sing all the year round, at all hours, both on the
ground and when soaring ; when in pairs the two birds invariably sing

122 ANATID^.

together, and when in flocks they sing in concert. At night they are
heard about nine o' clock in the evening, and again just before dawn.
It is not unusual, however, to hear them singing at other hours.

The nest is a large fabric placed among the low rushes and water-
lilies, and is sometimes seen floating on the water, away from its moor-
ings. The eggs are five, pointed at one end, pure white, and in size
like the eggs of the domestic goose. The young are clothed in yellow
down like goslings, and follow the parents about from the date of
hatching.

Fam. XL. ANATID.E, OR DUCKS.

The Anatidse or Waterfowl are a well-known family of universal
distribution over the earth's surface. As shown in an article published
in the Zoological Society's 'Proceedings' for 1876*, upwards of 60
species of this group of birds are found in the Neotropical Region, and
of these about 22 occur in the Argentine Republic. Amongst the
Argentine species are some of the finest and most ornamental of the
whole family, such as the Black-necked Swan, the Ashy-headed Goose,
and the Chiloe Wigeon — all well known from their introduction and
acclimatization in Europe. .

It may be remarked that nearly all the Argentine members of this
family belong to Antarctic forms, and are specifically different from
those met with in North America.

335. BERNICLA MELANOPTERA (Eyton).
(ANDEAN GOOSE.)

Chloephaga melanoptera, Burm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 513 (Cordilleras).
Bernicla melanoptera, Burm. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 365 ; Sol. et Salv. P. Z. S.
1876, p. 362; iid. Nomencl. p. 128.

Description. — White ; wing-feathers black ; scapulars and tail greenish black ;
greater wing-coverts externally purplish, forming a speculum ; smaller wing-
coverts white ; anterior scapulars spotted with brown, posterior scapulars brown
with a greenish tinge: whole length 30-0 inches, wing 17-5, tail 6-5. Female
similar, but smaller.

Hob. Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Chili.
Dr. Burmeister met with this fine Goose on the Rio Blanco in
the province of San Juan, within the confines of the Argentine

* « A Revision of the Neotropical Anatidee," by P. L. Sclater and 0. Salvin, P. Z. S.
1876, p. 358.

BI'RNICLA DISPAR. \:>:\

Republic. It is an inhabitant of the high Andes of Peru and
Bolivia, and is also found throughout the central provinces of Chili,
descending to the plains in the winter. Its native name is " Piuquen"
and it is said to be so abundant on a lagoon near the Portello Pass
between Mendoza and Santiago that the spot is called " Valle de los
Piuquenes."

336. BEENICLA DISPAR, Ph. et Landb.
(BARRED UPLAND GOOSE.)

Bernicla dispar, Burmeister, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 366 (Sierra Tinta, Rio Negro).
Bernicla antarctica, Burm. La-Tlata Reise, ii. p. 514 (err.). Chloephaga
dispar, Scl. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 334 (Chili). Bernicla magellanica, Set.
P, Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) ; Durnf. Ibis, 1878, p. 400 (Chupat).
Chloephaga magellanica, Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 273 (Carhue").

Description. — White ; neck behind and body beneath banded with black ;
primaries, greater wing-coverts, tertiaries, and scapulars cinereous ; rump and
tail-feathers ashy black ; bill black ; feet dark plumbeous : whole length 26-0
inches, wing 16*0, tail 5*5. Female', head and neck cinnamon-brown; abdo-
men similar, passing into white on the crissum, and altogether barred with
black ; upper back also barred ; rump and tail-feathers brownish black.

Hab. Chili and Argentina.

This bird is a northern form of the well-known " Upland Goose " of
the Falkland Islands and Southern Patagonia, from which it differs in
the male being completely barred across with black on the lower surface.
It was first described by Philippi and Landbeck from Chilian specimens,
and in 1872 recognized by Dr. Burmeister as found near the Sierra
Tandil and on the Rio Negro.

In April and May this Goose migrates northwards, along the eastern
coast, as far as the pampas of Buenos Ayres, the migration ending about
one hundred and fifty miles south of Buenos Ayres city. Further south
they are at this season of the year excessively abundant in suitable
localities. Their great camping-grounds are the valleys of the rivers
Negro and Colorado, where they are often so numerous as to denude
the low grounds of the tender winter clovers and grasses, and to cause
serious loss to the sheep-breeders. They also visit the cultivated fields
to devour the young wheat, and are intelligent enough to distinguish
between a real human enemy and the ragged men of straw, miscalled
scarecrows, set up by the farmers to frighten them. While com-
mitting their depredations they are exceedingly wary and difficult to
shoot, but at night, when they congregate by the water-side, they give
the sportsman a better chance. I have succeeded in killing as many as

ANATID/E.

five at a shot by stalking them under cover of the darkness ; and a more
deliciously flavoured game-bird than this Goose I have never tasted.

They are social birds, always going in large flocks, and are very
loquacious, the female having a deep honking note, while the male
responds with a clear whistling, like the Sanderling's note etherialized.

337. BERNICLA POLIOCEPHALA, Gray.
(ASHY-HEADED GOOSE.)

Bernicla poliocephala, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 366 ; Burmeister, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 366 (Bahia Blanca) ; Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 400 (Centr. Patagonia) . Chloephaga poliocephala,
Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 128.

Description. — Head, neck, and scapulars greyish plumbeous ; breast and upper
back chestnut, banded across with black; abdomen, under wing-coverts, and
bend of the wing white ; primaries black ; secondaries white ; greater wing-
coverts black, edged with shining green and tipped with white ; lower back and
tail black ; flanks banded with white and black ; crissum chestnut ; bill black ;
feet on the outside yellow, on the inner side brownish black : whole length 24-0
inches, wing 13'5, tail 5'0. Female similar.

Hab. Patagonia. Southern Chili, and Southern Argentina.

This Patagonian Goose migrates northwards in winter, and appears
on the Rio Negro and in the Buenos-Ayrean pampas in May, usually in
small flocks, but sometimes as many as one or two hundred are seen
together. The extreme limit of their winter migration appears to be
about sixty miles south of Buenos Ayres city, on the plains near the
river Sanborombon; probably they have before now been driven
from this locality by the Duck-shooters, but it was formerly their
favourite rendezvous, where they collected in large numbers, though
further north scarcely one was ever seen.

Durnford tells us that this Goose is resident on Lake Colguape in
the territory of Chupat, and breeds there abundantly.

338. CYGNUS NIGEJCOLLIS, Gm.

(BLACK-NECKED SWAN.)
[PLATE XVIII.]

Cygnus nigricollis, Burin. La-Iluta Reise, ii. p. 512 (Parana) ; Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 129 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 370 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 191
(Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 400 (Centr. Paragonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 33 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 273 (Entrerios).

Description. — White ; head and neck black ; postocular streak and chin white ;

ARG. ORN. PL. XVIII

CYGNUS NIGRICOLLIS,

CYGNUS NIGRICOLLIS. 125

lores naked ; bill plumbeous : cere red ; feet pale carneous : whole length 48'0
inches, wing 17'5, tail 5-5. Female similar.

Hab. Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

To my perhaps partial mind this species is preeminent for beauty
among the Swans, although it is considerably smaller than the bird of
the Old World, and does not, it must be admitted, comport itself so
majestically. In questions of this kind it is natural for every one to be
somewhat biassed in favour of the things of his own country ; but it will
be readily admitted by all, I think, that the black-necked bird is one of
three species greatly surpassing all others of this genus iu beauty — the
other two being, of course, the domesticated Swan of Europe and the
Australian Black Swan (perhaps the most graceful bird on the globe).

This Swan is very abundant on the pampas of Buenos Ayres and
in Patagonia, and ranges south to the Magellan Straits and the Falk-
lands. As a rule they are seen in small flocks, but sometimes as many
as two or three hundred congregate together. They are heavy birds
and rise with difficulty, and fly rapidly and with great violence, like all
heavy-bodied short-winged species ; but in no other very large bird
with which I am acquainted do the wings produce so loud a rushing
sound. In quiet places the beating of their wings can be heard
distinctly when the birds are no longer in sight, although, owing to
their large size, the eye can follow them very far. Gauchos sometimes
capture them by suddenly charging down the wind upon them, uttering
loud shouts which greatly terrify the birds, and when they attempt to rise
with the wind they only flap along the ground and are easily knocked
over. A Gaucho of my acquaintance one day caught three out of a
flock of six in this way ; but a very strong wind favoured him, and the
birds were at some distance from the water, and allowed him to come
near before making the sudden charge. As a rule, they are seen on the
water, and when on land they keep very close to the margin.

According to Mr. Gibson, who has observed their breeding- habits,
they begin to nest in July — just after the winter solstice. The nest is
always placed among thick rushes growing in deep water, and the Swan
invariably swims to and from her nest. It is built up from the bottom
of the swamp, sometimes through four or five feet of water, and rises a
foot and a half above the surface. The top of the nest measures about
two feet across, with a slight hollow for the eggs, which are cream-
coloured and have a smooth glossy shell. The number varies from
three to five, and on one occasion six were found. Mr. Gibson has seen
the parent bird swimming from the nest with the young on her back.

Our figure of this species (Plate XVIII.) is taken from the specimen
now living in the Zoological Society's Gardens.

126

ANATID.E.

333. COSCOROBA CANDIDA (VieiTA
(COSCOROBA SWAN.)

Cygnus coscoroba, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 512 (Parana); Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 129; iid. P. Z. 8. 1876, p. 371; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 191
(Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 400 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. :iO
(Buenos Ayres). Coscoroba Candida, Reichenb. Nat. Syst. p. x.

Description. — White ; tips of the primaries black ; bill coral-red ; .feet dull red :
whole length 4OO inches, wing IT'S, tail 5-8. Female similar.

Hab. Patagonia, Chili, Argentina, and Paraguay.

This Swan is considerably smaller than the black-necked species, and
also inferior in beauty on account of its shorter iieck. It is, neverthe-
less, a very handsome bird, being entirely of a pure white colour except
the tips of the primaries, which are black. The beak and legs are bright
rosy red. In its habits, language, and flight it also differs much from
Cygnus nigricollis, and the country people call it Ganso (Goose) , probably
on account of its goose-like habit of sometimes feeding away from the
water, or because its flesh has the flavour of Wild Goose. As a rule
they go in small parties of five or six individuals, but sometimes flocks
numbering two or three hundred are seen in the cold season. Their
migrations are very irregular, and sometimes they are excessively abun-
dant in a district one year and absent from it the next. When disturbed
they utter a loud musical trumpeting cry, in three notes, the last with a
falling inflection ; and their wings being much longer proportionately
than in the black-necked species, they rise with greater ease and have
a much freer and an almost soundless flight.

Concerning their breeding-habits, Mr. Gibson observes that the nest
is usually placed on the ground at some distance from the water. It is
about a foot and a half high, made of mud and rushes; the hollow,
which is rather deep, is lined with dry grass.

The eggs are eight or nine in number ; smooth, white, and rounder
than those of Cygnus nigricollis.

340. DENDROCYGNA FULVA (Gm.).
(FULVOUS TREE-DUCK.)

Dendrocygna fulva, Burm. La- Hat a Reise, ii. p. 514 (Parana); id. P. Z. 8.
1«72, p. 367; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 129; iid. P. Z. S. 18C9, p. 635
(Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 372 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 63 (Buenos Ayres) ;
White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 625 (Buenos Ayres).

Description.— Chestnut- red, top of head darker, with black line down the
nape ; back black, on the upper portion banded with chestnut ; win^s and tail

DENDROCYGNA FULVA. 127

black ; lesser wing- coverts dark chestnut ; upper tail-coverts white ; flank -
plumes elongated, chestnut, banded with black and white ; bill and feet black :
whole length 18*0 inches, wing 8*5, tail 2-0. Female similar.

Hab. Mexico and South America.

This Duck, the well-known Pato silvon (Whistling Duck) of the
eastern Argentine country, is found abundantly along the Plata and the
great streams flowing into it, and northwards to Paraguay. Along this
great waterway it is to some extent" a migratory species, appearing in
spring in Buenos Ayres in very large numbers, to breed in the littoral
marshes and also on the pampas. They migrate principally by night,
and do not fly in long trains and phalanxes like other Ducks, but in a
cloud ; and when they migrate in spring and autumn the shrill confused
clangour of their many voices is heard from the darkness overhead by
dwellers in the Argentine capital ; for the Ducks, following the eastern
shore of the sea-like river, pass over that city on their journey. North-
wards this Duck extends to Central Brazil; from the northern half
of the southern continent and from Central America it is absent,
but it reappears in Mexico. Commenting on these facts Messrs. Sclater
and Salvin write: — u Singular as this distribution is, it is still more
remarkable when we consider that there appear to exist no tangible
grounds for separating the American bird from that called D. major by
Jerdon, which ranges throughout the peninsula of India and is also
found in Madagascar ! "

The Whistling Duck, in its chestnut and fulvous plumage, is a hand-
some bird and somewhat singular in appearance, especially when seen
in a large body on the ground. When out of the water they crowd
close together, and when disturbed stand up craning their necks, looking
strangely tall on their long blue legs. While thus watching an intruder
they are silent, and the sudden ringing chorus of whistling voices into
which they burst at the moment of rising has a curious effect.

So extremely social are these Ducks that even when breeding they
keep together in large flocks. The nest is made of stems and leaves, on
the water among the reeds and aquatic plants ; and sometimes large
numbers of nests are found close together, as in a gullery. The eggs
are pure white, and each bird lays, I believe, ten or twelve, but I am not
sure about the exact number ; and I have so frequently found from
twenty to thirty eggs in a nest that I am pretty sure that it is a com-
mon thing for two or three females to occupy one nest.

128 ANATID.E.

341. DENDROCYGNA VIDUATA (Linn.).
(WHITE-FACED TREE-DUCK.)

Dendrocygna viduata, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 515 (Tucuman) ; id. P. Z. 8,
1872, p. 367 ; Scl. et Salo. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 160 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 376 j
Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 64 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Face and spot on the throat white ; nape, neck in front, middle
of abdomen, tail, rump, and wings black ; hind neck chestnut ; middle of back
and scapulars brown, the feathers margined with ochraceous ; wing-coverts
olivaceous black ; flanks banded with black and white ; bill and feet black :
whole length 17'0 inches, wing 9-0, tail 2-5. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

This Tree-Duck resembles that last described in size, form, and
maroon-red plumage, but is of a darker tint, and may also be easily
distinguished, even at a long distance, by its white face contrasted with
the velvety black of the head and neck. Compared with Dendrocygna
Julva it is a rare species, being usually found in pairs in the Plata
district, although sometimes as many as half a dozen are seen together.
When taking wing it also whistles, but differently from the allied
species, having three long clear whistling notes, not unlike the three-
syllabled cry of the Sandpiper, only the notes are more prolonged. Of
its breeding-habits I know nothing.

342. SARCIDIORNIS CARUNCULATA (Licht.).
(CRESTED DUCK.)

Sarcidiornis regia, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 513 (Tucuman) ; id. P. Z. S,
1872, p. 365. Sarcidiornis carunculata, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 377 ;
Sclater, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 695, pi. Ixviii.

Description. — Head and neck white, spotted with black, hind neck almost
black ; base of neck and body beneath white ; flanks black ; back and wings
black ; secondaries glossed with bronze, the scapulars with purple ; lower back
grey ; tail brown ; bill, with caruncle on the culmen, and feet black : whole
length 3OO inches, wing 15*0, tail 6'0. Female similar, but rather smaller.

Hab. Brazil, Paraguay, and northern confines of Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister met with this Duck in the province of Tucuman, and
it probably occurs also in other places on the northern frontiers of the
Republic.

CAIRINA MOSCHATA.

121)

343. CAIRINA MOSCHATA (Linn.).
> (MUSCOVY DUCK.)

Cairina moschata, Burm. La-Plata Keise, ii. p. 514 (Parana, Santa F6, Tucu-
man) ; id. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 307 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129 ; iid. P. Z. 8

1876, p. 378; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 625 (Salta).

Description. — Whole head and neck and body beneath brownish black ; belly
closely banded with narrow white lines ; back greenish purple, with the feathers
edged with black ; scapulars and elongated tertials and tail bright shining green ;
secondaries edged with metallic blue ; primaries black ; upper and under wing-
coverts and axillary plumes white ; flanks slightly tinged with green ; bill with
caruncles red ; feet black : whole length 29-0 inches, wing 15-0, tail 7'5. Female
similar, but smaller.

Hab. Central and South America.

Everyone is familiar with this species in its domestic state, called in
the Argentine country Pato creollo (Creole Duck) ; but the wild bird,
called Pato real, is little known, although a few stragglers are seen as
far south as Buenos Ayres, where I have met with eight or nine
examples. Concerning the distribution and habits of this species
Messrs. Sclater and Salvin write : — " The Muscovy Duck, so well
known in a domestic state 'nearly all over the world, is a native of the
hottest portion of tropical America. It is usually found in lowland
swampy districts ; and where there are extensive forests it not unfre-
quently abounds. During the day the birds remain in the forest-
swamps j but towards evening numbers may be seen sitting on the lower
boughs of trees standing on the margin of a clearing.

" Its extreme northern limit seems to be N.W. Mexico. Its southern
range extends to the upper Parana and Tucuman. It is not uncommon
in Paraguay, according to Azara, although not found on the La Plata.
It is to be seen usually in pairs or singly, but also in flocks of twenty
or thirty. It always roosts in trees, usually resorting to the same trees
night after night. The nest, in which from ten to fourteen eggs are
deposited, is made in a hole or fork of a large tree at some elevation
from the ground. It seeks its food not only in the rivers, but on
moonlight nights resorts to the maize and corn-fields, and also plucks
up the roots of mandioca.

:< The native habitat of the Muscovy Duck was known to some of the
earliest writers. The date of its introduction as a domesticated species
into Europe and elsewhere does not appear to have been recorded, but
doubtless dates back to soon after the Spanish conquests in America/'

VOL. n.

130 ANATID/E.

344. HETERONETTA MELANOCEPHALA (Vieffl.).

(BLACK-HEADED DUCK.)

Heteronetta melanocephala, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 382. Anas
melanocephala, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129 5 Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 64
(Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above deep blackish brown, minutely vermiculated with rufous;
head and neck black ; narrow terminal band on the secondaries white ; beneath
dirty white, on the upper breast, flanks, and crissum freckled with rufous ; bill
blackish, with a basal spot on each side flesh-colour ; feet horny brown : whole
length 14-5 inches, wing 6-3, tail 2-3. Female similar, but head like the back ;
cheeks brown, freckled with black, and throat and superciliary stripe whitish.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chili.

This small, obscurely coloured Duck extends from Southern Brazil
over the pampas of Buenos Ayres into Chili. Near Buenos Ayres it is
scarce. Durnford shot a pair in September 1876, in the reed-beds of
Alvear, about twenty miles to the north-west of the city.

345. QUERQUEDULA CYANOPTERA (Vieill.).

(BLUE-WINGED TEAL.)

Anas cyanoptera, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza, Parana). Quer-
quedula cyanoptera, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1809,
p. 160 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 384 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos
Ayres), et 1878, p. 400 (Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 625 (Cata-
marca) ; Barrows, Auk, 1 884, p. 273 (Pampas). Pterocyanea cyanoptera,
Burm. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 368.

Description. — General plumage red ; top of head black; middle of back and
scapularies streaked with black ; lesser wing-coverts blue ; wing-speculum green,
margined above with white ; primary wing-feathers black, secondaries flammu-
lated with white and buff; bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 18'0 inches,
wing 7'6, tail 3'0. Female : above blackish, feathers margined with whitish :
beneath dirty white, variegated with brown; throat white, with blackish
freckles.

Hab. North and South America.

This Teal has an exceedingly wide distribution in America, being
found from California in the northern continent down to the Straits of
Magellan and the Falkland Islands in the south. Its fine, strongly
contrasted colours give it a very handsome appearance — the wings being
clear grey-blue, the body deep maroon-red, the feet vivid yellow, beak
black, and iris gold-colour. On the pampas it is common, and almost
invariably seen in pairs at all seasons. Many of the Teals are quarrel-
some in disposition; but this species, I think, exceeds them all in
pugnacity, and when two pairs come together the males almost invariably
begin fighting.

QUERQUEDULA VERSICOLOR.

131

346. QUERQUEDULA FLAVIROSTRIS (VieilL).
(YELLOW-BILLED TEAL.)

Anas flavirostris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza). Querquedula
flavirostris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146
(Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 386; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos
Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 42 (Cordova) ;
Burm. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 367.

Description. — Above pale slaty brown ; whole head barred across with narrow
blackish bands ; middle of back mfescent, with the centres of the feathers black
and narrowly margined with brownish ochraceous ; rump paler ; a broad wing-
speculum black, with a margin of ochraceous above and below, and a bronzy-
green blotch in the centre ; wing-feathers slaty, margins of secondaries on each
side pale rufous; abdomen whitish, breast and belly distinctly spotted with
black ; bill yellow ; culmen and tip black ; feet horn-colour : whole length
15*0 inches, wing 7'5, tail 7'5. Female similar.

Hob. Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

In the southern part of the Argentine Republic this is one of the
commonest species, and is almost invariably found in every marsh,
stream, and pool of water on the pampas. It is resident, and usually
goes in flocks of from a dozen to thirty individuals. It has a rapid
flight, and is restless, lively, and extremely pugnacious in its habits.
When a flock is on the water the birds are perpetually quarrelling.
They are also highly inquisitive, and I have often shot them by first
showing myself to the flock, and then standing or sitting still, when
they would soon come wheeling about, flying in very close order. They
quack and chatter in a variety of tones, and the male has also a clear
whistling note in the love-season.

The nest of this Duck is always made at a distance from the water,
sometimes as far as one or two miles. It consists of a slight hollow in
the ground under a thistle-bush or tussock of long grass, and is lined
with dry grass and a great deal of down, which is increased in quantity
during incubation. The eggs are reddish cream-colour, and five is the
usual number laid ; but I have also found nests with six and seven.

347. QUERQUEDULA VERSICOLOR (VieilL).
(GREY TEAL.)

Querquedula versicolor, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129; iid. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 388; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos
Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Patagonia) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerios).
Anas maculirostris, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza). Quer-
quedula maculirostris, Burm. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 367.

132 ANA.TID.E.

Description. — Above grey, with narrow black cross bands, which are more
numerous and narrower on the rump ; top of head smoky brown, sides of head
and throat white ; abdomen whitish, tinged with ochraceous and spotted with
black on the breast, more whitish and with numerous cross bands on the belly ;
wings externally greyish brown ; speculum purplish green, margined with
white above and below, also with a subterminal black band ; flanks distinctly
barred across with black and white ; bill black, with an orange blotch each side
at the base of the mandible ; feet hazel : whole length 16'5 inches, wing 7'6,
tail 3*4. Female similar, but colour duller and wing-speculum not so bright.

Hob. Paraguay, Argentina, Patagonia, and Chili.

This prettily variegated blue-grey Teal with its strongly marked bill is
perhaps the most abundant of the genus in the Argentine Republic,
especially in the southern portion. It is resident, and unites in much
larger flocks than any other bird of this group in the country. Its
note when disturbed or flying is very peculiar, resembling in sound the
muffled stridulating of the mole-cricket. Durnford found it common
and breeding at Baradero.

348. QUERQUEDULA TORQUATA (VieilL).
(RING-NECKED TEAL.)

Querquedula torquata, Sd. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129; iid. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 635
(Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 389 j Burm. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 367 (Parana).

Description. — Above earthy brown ; head above and neck, which expands into
a half-collar, together with the lesser wing-coverts, lower back, and tail above,
black ; scapulars pure chestnut ; wings brownish black, with a large white
blotch on the coverts of the secondaries, which are themselves bronzy green :
beneath, sides of head and throat dirty white streaked with brown; breast
tinged with rosy red and sparingly spotted with black ; belly and flanks white,
very narrowly barred with grey ; crissum black, with a white blotch on each
side: whole length 14-0 inches, wing 7*2, tail 2-7. Female: brown; super-
ciliaries and stripe on each side of the head with the throat and sides of the
neck white : beneath white, banded across with brown ; wings and tail black ;
secondaries bronzy green; wings with a white blotch as in the male; bill
reddish ; feet brown.

Hab. Paraguay and Argentina.

This beautiful Duck, for our first knowledge of which we are indebted
to Azara, is rather scarce in collections. Azara described the two
somewhat dissimilar sexes under different names, the male being his
Pato collar negro, and the female his Pato ceja blanca.

In the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres the Ring-necked Teal is

QUEEQUEDULA BRASILIENSIS.

133

strictly migratory, and in the month of October appears in small flocks
in the marshes along the river ; but in the interior of the country it is
seldom met with. They are extremely active birds, constantly flying
about from place to place both by day and night ; and in the love-
season, when they alight in a pool of water, the males immediately
engage in a spirited combat. While flying they utter a peculiar jarring
sound, and occasionally a quacking note, rapidly repeated and sounding
like a strange laugh ; but on the water, especially in the evening, the
male emits a long inflected note, plaintive and exquisitely pure in
sound — a more melodious note it would be difficult to find even among
the songsters.

349. QUERQUEDULA BRASILIENSIS (Om.).
(BRAZILIAN TEAL.)

Anas brasiliensis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 517 (Parana, Tucuman).
Querquedula brasiliensis, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 129 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1869,
p. 635 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 390 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 192, et 1878,
p. 64 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 273 (Entrerios) ; Burm. P. Z. S.
1872, p. 368.

Description. — Above brown ; head more rufous ; lower back, tail, and lesser
wing-coverts black ; wings brownish black ; outer webs of the inner primaries
and the secondaries shining bronzy green ; broad tips of the outer secondaries
white, divided from the green colour by a black band : beneath paler, washed on
the breast with rusty red ; throat whitish ; belly slightly banded with brown ;
bill blackish ; feet red : whole length 15-5 inches, wing 7'0, tail 3*3.

Hab. South America.

This richly coloured Teal, which is widely extended in South America
from Guiana down to the Straits of Magellan, is usually met with in
pairs near Buenos Ayres, although as many as five or six are sometimes
seen together. In habits it is a tree- duck, preferring water-courses in
the neighbourhood of woods, and is frequently seen perched on hori-
zontal branches. The flight is slow and with the wings very much
depressed, as in a duck about to alight on the water; and the beautiful
blue, green, and white speculum is thus rendered very conspicuous.
The note of the male in the love-season is a long plaintive whistle,
singularly pure and sweet in sound, and heard usually in the evening.

It is a rather curious coincidence that the vernacular name of this
Teal in La Plata should be Pato Portugues, which means, as things are
understood in that region, Brazilian Duck.

134 ANATID^E.

350. DAFILA SPINICAUDA (Vieill.).
(BROWN PINTAIL.)

Anas spinicauda, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 515 (Parana). Anas oxyura,
Burm. ibid. (Mendoza). Dafila spinicauda, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 666,
pi. xxxviii.j Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 130; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146 (Buenos
A) res), 1869, p. 157, et 1876, p. 392 j Dumford, Ibis, 1878, p. 64 (Buenos
Ayres) et p. 401 (Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 42 (Buenos Ayres) ;
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerios).

Desertion. — Above brown ; feathers black in the centre and margined with
brown ; head above bright rufous spotted with black ; wings brown, with a
large speculum of bronzy black, distinctly margined above and below with buff:
beneath, throat dirty white, sparingly spotted with black ; breast, flanks, and
crissum tinged with rufous, the feathers with black centres ; belly white, in the
lower portion slightly varied with brown ; bill black, at the base yellow ; feet
plumbeous : whole length 19*0 inches, wing 9'7, tail 5'5. Female similar.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and
Patagonia.

The Brown Pintail is the commonest Duck in the Argentine Republic,
and unites in the largest flocks. It is also, according to Philippi and
Landbeck, the commonest species in Chili. It ranges from South
Brazil and Peru to the Magellan Straits and the Falklands ; but is
probably most abundant in the Plata district and in North Patagonia.
In the autumn it sometimes visits the pampas in immense numbers, to
feed on the seed of the giant thistle (Carduus mariana) ; and on these
occasions I have known as many as sixty killed at one shot. The
birds, however, soon become wary when feeding on the open plains in
large flocks, and it then becomes impossible to approach them without
a trained horse. The Ducks pay no attention to horses and cattle
browsing near them ; and the trained animal, with the gunner con-
cealing his gun and person behind it, feeds quietly along, and gradually
approaches the flock until within range. In the valley of the Rio
Negro, in Patagonia, the Pintails sometimes cause serious damage to
the farmers, coming up in clouds from the river by night to devour the
ripe grain.

In favourable seasons the Pintail is a resident ; but like the marsh-
gulls, pigeons, the American golden plover, and all birds that live and
move in immense bodies, it travels often and far in search of food or
water. A season of scarcity will quickly cause them to disappear from
the pampas ; and sometimes, after an absence of several months, a
day's rain will end with the familiar sound of their cry and the sight
of their long trains winging their way across the darkening heavens.

Their nest is made on the ground, under the grass or thistles, at a
distance from the water, and is plentifully lined with down plucked

MAEECA SIBILATRIX,

135

from the bosom of the sitting bird. The eggs are seven or eight in
number and of a deep cream-colour.

351. DAFILA BAHAMENSIS (Linn.).
(BAHAMA PINTAIL.)

Anas bahamensis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 515 (Rio Uruguay). Dafila
bahamensis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 130; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 140
(Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 393; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 192 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Cai-hue", Pampas) ; Burm. P. Z. S. 1872,

p. 367.

Desertion. — Above reddish brown ; feathers with their centres blackish ;
lower back blackish ; upper tail-coverts and tail fawn-colour ; wings dark slaty
black ; broad speculum bronzy green, margined above and below by a fawn-
coloured band, the lower band with an interior black margin ; edgings of the
external secondaries fawn-colour : beneath brownish fawn-colour, entirely
covered with obsolete black spots; throat and cheeks and front neck pure
white ; bill black, with a red spot at the base on each side ; feet brown : whole
length 18'0 inches, wing 8*4, tail 5'0. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

The Bahama Duck, as it is commonly called, though it is very doubt-
ful whether it really occurs in the Bahama Islands, is found throughout
South America from British Guiana to Patagonia; and Burmeister
says that it is spread over the whole of Brazil, and that it is nearly the
commonest species of Duck in that country.

On the pampas of Buenos Ayres this Duck is not a common bird.
It is usually seen in pairs, or, on rare occasions, three or four together.

352. MARECA SIBILATBIX (Poepp.).
(CHILOE WIGEON.)

Anas chiloensis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 517 (Mendoza). Mareca chilo-
ensis, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 635 (Buenos Ayres) ; iid. Nomencl. p. 130.
Mareca sibilatrix, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 395 ; Durnford, lots,
1877, p. 41 (Chupat), p. 192 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Central Pata-
gonia) ; Narrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Bahia Blanca).

Desertion. — Above black, on the neck barred across with white ; feathers of
the back and scapularies margined with white ; head above and cheeks pure
white ; nape and back of the neck shining greenish purple ; wings brown, lesser
wing-coverts white ; secondaries velvety black, white at the base : beneath
white, throat and fore neck blackish ; upper breast black, with narrow white
cross bands ; flanks stained with rusty rufous ; bill and feet black : whole length
20-0 inches, wing 10'3, tail 4-3. Female similar, but not so bright in colour.

136 ANATID^E.

Hab. Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The Chiloe Wigeon, as this Duck has been usually called since its
introduction and acclimatization in England, is the only species of the
genus found in South America, and is most abundant on the pampas,
where it is called by the country people Pato picaso or Pato overo
(piebald duck), or Chirivi from its cry. It is a very handsome bird;
the upper plumage variegated with black, white, and grey; forehead,
speculum, and under surface white ; head and neck dark glossy green.
It is resident, and is usually seen in small flocks of from a dozen to
twenty birds, but sometimes as many as one or two hundred congregate
together. They are wary and loquacious, strong on the wing, and fre-
quently engage in a peculiar kind of aerial pastime. A small flock will
rise to a vast height, often until they seem mere specks on the sky, or
disappear from sight altogether ; and at that great altitude they con-
tinue hovering or flying, sometimes keeping very nearly in the same
place for an hour or more, alternately separating and closing, and every
time they close they slap each other on the wing so smartly that the
sound may be heard distinctly even when the birds are no longer visible.
While flying or swimming about they constantly utter their far-sounding
cry — three or four long, clear, whistling notes, followed by another
uttered with great emphasis and concluding with a kind of flourish.

The nest is made amongst the rushes in the marshes, and the eggs
are pure white and eight or nine in number.

353. SPATULA PLATALEA (Vieill.).
(RED SHOVELLER.)

Anas platalea, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 517 (Parana, Buenos Ayres).
Spatula platalea, Scl et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres), et
1876, p. 396 ; lid. Nomencl. p. 130; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 41 (Chupat), et
1878, p. 65 (Buenos Ayres) et p. 401 (Central Patagonia) ; Narrows, Auk,
1884, p. 274 (Carhu(3, Pampas) ; Burm. P. Z. 8. 1872, p. 368.

Description. — Above and beneath reddish, with round black spots ; head and
neck lighter and spots smaller ; lower back blackish, barred with rufous, ruinp
black ; wings brownish black ; lesser coverts blue ; middle coverts white ;
secondaries bronzy black ; outer secondaries and scapulars with white shaft-
stripes ; crissum black ; tail brown, lateral rectrices edged with white ; bill
dark, feet yellow : whole length 20'0 inches, wing 8'0, tail 4-5. Female :
above blackish brown, edged with rufous ; lesser wing-coverts bluish ; beneath
buffy rufous, varied and spotted with blackish except on the throat.

Hab. Argentina, Patagonia, and Chili.

There is but one Shoveller Duck in South America, the present

METOPIANA PEPOSACA.

137

species, which is confined to the southern part of the continent, from
Paraguay to Patagonia, and is familiar to sportsmen in the Plata as the
Red Duck, or Espatula. It is seldom met with in flocks of more
than twenty or thirty individuals, and a large number of birds appear
to pair for lif e> as they are usually seen in pairs at all seasons of the year.
In the autumn and winter months I have sometimes observed small
flocks composed of males only, but these were perhaps young birds not
yet paired. They feed in shallow water, where by plunging the head
down they can reach the mud at the bottom ; and when several are seen
thus engaged, all with their heads and necks immersed, they look curi-
ously like headless ducks floating on the water. When disturbed or
flying the male emits a low sputtering sound, and this is its only
language. They are resident and the least wary of ducks; never
engage, like other species, in real or mock combats ; and their flight is
rapid and violent, the wings beating quickly.

354. METOPIANA PEPOSACA (Vieill.).
(ROSY-BILLED DUCK.)

Anas peposaca, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 518 (Rio Parana). Metopiana
peposaca, Scl et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 398 ;
iid. Nomencl. p. 130 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 192 (Buenos Ayres) ; White,
P. Z. S. 1882, p. 625 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 ; Scl.
P. Z. S. 1870, p. 666, pi. xxxvii.

Description. — Above black, very finely striated with white on the back ; back of
head and neck with a purplish tinge ; secondaries of wings white with black ends,
and covered with the black coverts, leaving a white speculum ; primaries greyish
white, the four outer ones on their outer webs and all on their extremities
black ; whole belly minutely vermiculated with grey and white ; crissum white ;
bill rosy red, enlarged at the base ; feet yellowish : whole length 19'0 inches,
wing 9-4, tail 2-8. Female. Above brown, bend of wing and speculum white j
beneath white, breast and flanks brownish ; bill dark ; feet horn-colour.

Hab. Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The Rosy-billed Duck, usually called "Black Duck" in the Plata,
inhabits the Argentine country from Paraguay to Patagonia, and also
occurs in Uruguay and Chili, but does not extend to Brazil.

A peculiar interest attaches to this species owing to the fact that it
is the only freshwater Duck in the subfamily Fuligulinse, in which it is
classed. With the exception of the Loggerhead Duck (Tachyeres cine-
reus), found in the Falklands and the Magellan Straits, all the other
sea-ducks of this division inhabit North and Central America ; so that
the Rosy-bill appears to have separated itself widely from its nearest

138 ANATID^E.

relations geographically as well as in habits. In appearance it is a fine
bird, the black plumage being frosted on the upper parts with white in
a very delicate manner, while the rosy bill and large carmine caruncle
and golden red iris contrast beautifully with the glossy purple head and
neck. The speculum is white, the legs bright yellow. The plumage of
the female is brown.

In marshy places on the pampas the Rosy-billed Duck is very abun-
dant, and they sometimes congregate in very large flocks. They obtain
their food from floating weeds in the water, and are never seen, like the
Pintails and other kinds, feeding on the dry land. They rise heavily,
the wings being comparatively small, and have a rapid, straight, violent
flight; they are nevertheless able to perform long journeys and travel
in long lines and at a considerable elevation. Their only language is a
deep, hoarse, prolonged, raven-like note, uttered by the male in the love-
season. The nest is made on swampy ground near the water, of dry
rushes, and is, for a duck, a deep well-made structure ; the eggs are
oval in form, cream-coloured, and twelve in number.

355. ERISMATURA FERRUGINEA, Eyton,
(RUSTY LAKE-DUCK.)

Erismatura ferruginea, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 131 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 404 ;
Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) j Burmeister, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 368
(Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 42 (Chupat), p. 192 (Buenos Ayres),
et 1878, p.^401 (Central Patagonia).

Description. — Above chestnut-red, whole head and neck black ; wings and tail
brown : beneath dirty white, sprinkled with brown ; breast and flanks chestnut ;
bill bluish ; feet brown : whole length 16'0 inches, wing 5*5, tail 3-8.

Hab. Central Peru, Chili, and Argentina.

This Lake-Duck ranges from Central Peru and the north Argentine
provinces to Patagonia in the south, but is in no place a very common
bird. It inhabits interior lakes and streams, living almost as much in
the water as a Grebe5 which in habits it resembles, remaining motionless
when disturbed, but gradually sinking lower in the water, and diving,
when only the head and neck are visible above the surface.

356. NOMONYX DOMINICUS (Linn.).
(WHITE-WINGED LAKE-DUCK.)

Erismatura dominica, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 131 j Lee, Ibis, 1873, p. 137
(Entrerios) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Pampas). Nomonyx dominicus,
Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. ii. p. 109.

COLUMBUXffl.

139

Description.— Above ferruginous ; top of head black ; superciliaries and band
beneath the eye with chin and cheeks whitish, with black freckles ; wings
brown, with a large white patch on the secondaries ; tail black; abdomen dirty
white, sprinkled with rufous ; axillaries pure white ; bill bluish ; feet black :
whole length 13-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail 3'8. Female : brownish black, back
spotted with buify ; sides of head and body beneath ochraceous, with black
cross bands.

Hab. West Indies and South America.

This Lake-Duck, which has an extensive range over the northern part
of South America, was obtained by Mr. Lee in Entrerios, and by Mr.
Barrows in the streams of the Pampas. Mr. Barrows found it asso-
ciated with Holland's Grebe, Coots, and Gallinules, usually in small
parties of from three to six individuals.

Order XI. COLUMB^J.

Fam. XLL COLUMBINE, OR PIGEONS.

The great and useful Order of Pigeons is generally diffused over
the earth's surface, although most abundant within the tropics, and
not met with in high Arctic or Antarctic latitudes. In the Neo-
tropical Region from 60 to 70 species are found, and among these,
although none of them can rival the Fruit-Pigeons of the Eastern
Tropics, are some of remarkable beauty and grace. These brilliantly-
coloured species are, however, mostly from the northern portion of the
Neotropical Region. The Columbse of the Argentine Republic are in
general modestly clad and fewer in numher, only eight Pigeons being
as yet included in the Argentine Ornis.

357. COLUMBA PICAZURO, Temm.
(PICAZURO PIGEON.)

Patagicenas xnaculosa, Burm. La-Plata Seise, ii. p. 496 (Mendoza, Cordova,
Tucuman). Columba picazuro, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 132; iid. P. Z. S.
1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 193 (Buenos Ayres) ;
Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 6 (Buenos Ayres); Harrows, Auk, 1884, p. 274
(Entrerios).

Description. — Above pale brown ; head and neck vinous ; back of neck with
white cross bands which are edged with black ; lower back and tail plumbeous ;

14-0 COLUMBID^E.

wings plumbeous, larger coverts broadly edged with white : beneath pale vina-
ceous ; flanks and crissum plumbeous : whole length 14*0 inches, wing 8*0,
tail 4'5. Female similar.

Hab. S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

The Picazuro or common Wood-Pigeon of the Argentine Republic
is of about the size of the domestic Pigeon, but has longer wings, and
differs greatly in colour and markings. In summer it inhabits woods,
and is seen in pairs or small parties, but in winter unites in flocks of from
twenty to one or two hundred individuals, and roams much over the
open country. It is a wary bird, and when feeding walks on the ground
in a slow and somewhat stately manner. In spring, its song resounds
in the woods, and, when heard for the first time, fills the listener with
wonder, so strangely human-like in tone are its long mournful notes.
The notes are five, the last one long with a falling inflection, and pro-
foundly sorrowful. The nest is a platform structure, frequently placed
on a broad horizontal branch ; the eggs are two, and closely resemble
those of the common Rock-Pigeon of Europe.

358. COLUMBA MACULOSA, Temm.
(SPOT-WINGED PIGEON.)

Columba maculosa, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 132; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 545 (Rio Negro) ; Dumford, Ibis, 1877, p. 42 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 401
(Centr. Patagonia); White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 626 (Catamarca); Barrows,
Auk, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerioe).

Description. — Above pale vinaceous brown, profusely spotted on the back and
wings with white apical spots ; lower back and tail plumbeous ; wings and tail
slaty black, the former with narrow whitish margins : beneath plumbeous, with
a strong vinaceous tinge ; bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 13*0 inches,
wing 8'5, tail 4-5. Female similar.

Hab. Peru, Bolivia, Western Argentina, and Patagonia.

This Pigeon has a general resemblance to the Picazuro, but may be
at once distinguished by its spotted back and wings. It ranges from
South Peru through Bolivia and Western Argentina into Patagonia,
where it appears to be a resident. In winter, the valley of the Rio
Negro is visited by it in immense flocks, which are a great plague to the
farmers, as they descend in clouds on the fields, and devour the wheat
before it has time to sprout. While watching crowds of these birds
feeding on the ground, I noticed that their manner was in striking con-
trast to that of the C. picazuro, which has slow and dignified motions ;
for it hurried about, and snatched up its food with such rapidity
that the most animated motions of other birds that feed in flocks on

ZENAIDA MACULATA.

141

the ground seemed languid by comparison. This excessively lively
habit is, no doubt, directly caused by the conditions of life; the
sterile soil and scanty vegetation of the region it inhabits require in a
species going in large bodies, and subsisting exclusively on fallen seed,
a greater activity than is necessary in the rich fertile region further
north.

Its song is composed of notes equal in length and number to that of
the Picazuro, but its voice is exceedingly hoarse, like that of the
European Wood-Pigeon.

The great body of these birds retire, on the approach of summer,
from the Bio Negro valley, a few only remaining to breed. Their
nesting -habits and eggs are like those of the Picazuro.

359. ZENAIDA MACULATA (Vieill.).
(SPOTTED DOVE.)

Zenaida maculata, Surm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 497; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 132; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 193 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 8 (Buenos Ayres) ; White,
P. Z. S. 1882, p. 626 (Catainarca) ; Earrows, Auk, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above pale brown; nape plumbeous; outer wing-coverts and
scapularies with a few black spots ; wings dark grey, with fine white margins ;
tail plumbeous, broadly ended with white, and crossed by a subapical black
hand ; middle rectrices like the back : beneath pale vinaceous, brighter on the
breast, and whiter on the throat ; bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 9*0 inches,
wing 5-5, tail 3-5. Female similar.

Hab. South America, from the Amazons to Chili and Buenos Ayres.

This is the commonest species of the Pigeon tribe in the Argentine
country, and is known to every one as the Torcasa, probably a corruption
of Tortola, Turtle-Dove. In autumn they often congregate in very
large flocks, and are sometimes observed migrating, flock succeeding
flock, all travelling in a northerly direction, and continuing to pass
for several consecutive days. But these autumnal migrations are not
witnessed every year, nor have I seen any return-migration in spring ;
while the usual autumn and winter movements are very irregular, and
apparently depend altogether on the supply of food. When the giant
thistle has covered the plains in summer incredible numbers of
Torcasas appear later in the season, and usually spend the winter on the
plains, congregating every evening in countless myriads wherever there
are trees enough to form a suitable roosting-place.

On bright warm days in August, the sweet and sorrowful sob-like
song of this Dove, composed of five notes, is heard from every grove —

142 COLUMBINE.

a pleasing, soft, murmuring sound, which causes one to experience by
anticipation the languid summer feeling in his veins.

The nest, as in other Pigeons, is a simple platform of slender sticks ;
the eggs are oval, white, and two in number. The birds appear to breed
by preference near a human habitation, and do so probably for the sake of
the protection afforded them ; for the Chimango and other birds of prey
destroy their eggs and young to a large extent.

One summer a Torcasa laid an egg in the nest of one of my Pigeons,
built on the large horizontal branch of a tree at some distance from the
dove-cote. The egg was hatched, and the young bird reared by its foster-
parents ; and when able to fly it took. up its abode along with the other
Pigeons. The following spring it began to separate itself from its com-
panions, and would fly to the porch, and sit there cooing by the hour
every day. At length it went away to the plantation, having, I believe,
found a mate, and we saw no more of it.

360. METRIOPELIA MELANOPTERA (Mol.).
(BLACK-WINGED DOVE.)

Metriopelia melanoptera, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 496 (Cordilleras) ;
Scl. et Salv. NomencL p. 132.

Description. — Above pale brown ; wings and tail black ; bend of wing white ;
wing-coverts like the back : beneath pale vinaceous ; bill and feet black : whole
length 8'0 inches, wing 5'0, tail 3'5. Female similar.

Hab. Andes of South America.

This Dove is widely diffused in Western South America from Ecuador
to Chili. Dr. Burmeister tells us that it is found in the high valleys of
the Cordilleras on the Argentine side, from 6000 to 12,000 feet in
altitude, and along with Phrygilus fruticeti is one of the birds seen at
the greatest altitudes by the traveller over the passes of the Andes.
One of Dr. Burmeister's specimens is in the collection of Messrs.
Salvin and Godman.

361. METRIOPELIA AYMARA (Knip et Prev.).
(AYMARA DOVE.)

Metriopelia aymara, Scl. et Salv. NomencL p. 132. Coluxnbina aurisqua-
xnata, Leybold, Leopoldina, viii. p. 53 (1873).

Description. — Above pale brown ; wings and tail black ; wing-coverts like the
back ; some of the middle coverts with bright golden apical spots : beneath pale
vinaceous ; throat whitish ; middle of belly and crissum pale cinnamomeous ;

COLUMBULA PICUI. 143

bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 7'0 inches, wing 4-5, tail 2-5. Female
similar.

Hab. Peru, Bolivia, and N.W. Argentina.

Dr. Leybold's collector obtained examples of this Dove in 1863, at
Los Paramillos, a rocky district near Uspallata, on the Argentine slope
of the Chilian Andes. Some of these specimens are in the collection
of Messrs. Salvin and Godman.

The species is easily recognizable by the bright golden wing-spots.

362. COLUMBULA PICUI (Temm.).
(PICUI DOVE.)

Columbula picui, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 496 (Mendoza, Parana, Tucu-
man); Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 133; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos
Ayres); Durnford, Ibis, ]877, p. 193 (Buenos Ayres); Gibson, Ibis, 1880,
p. 7 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above brownish cinereous : head and neck plumbeous ; wing-
feathers black ; coverts and outer secondaries like the back, but bordered with
white on their outer edges, and with a band of bright blue across the tips of the
lesser coverts ; tail white, middle rectrices like the back, lateral rectrices more
or less bordered with cinereous on the outer web, except the outer pair, which
are pure white : beneath pale vinaceous ; throat, lower belly, and crissum
white ; under wing-coverts black ; bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 6-5
inches, wing 3'5, tail 2-0. Female similar, but duller ; above nearly uniform
brown.

Hab. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chili.

This species, the smallest of our Doves, is common everywhere in the
Plata district, where it is called Tortolita (Little Turtle-Dove), Azara's
name Picui not being known to our countrymen.

It is usually seen with its mate, for many individuals seem to pair for
life ; but sometimes a dozen or twenty individuals unite in one flock. It
is resident, comes a great deal about houses, and is familiar with man,
and lively in its habits. It sings a great deal in summer, and even on
warm days in winter; but its tones are wanting in the wild pathos which
gives a charm to the melody of some of our larger species, the song
consisting of a succession of long, rather loud, and somewhat monoto-
nous notes, pleasant to hear, like most bird-music, but nothing more.

The nest is the usual slight structure of sticks ; the eggs two, oval,
and white. They breed twice, and sometimes three times, in one season,
the last brood being hatched as late as April or even May.

144 COLUMBID.E.

363. CHAM£2PELIA TALPACOTI (Temm.).
(TALPACOTI DOVE.)

Chamaepelia talpacoti, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 133 ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 626 (Salta).

Description. — Above deep reddish vinaceous ; head plumbeous ; wings black ;
coverts and outer secondaries like the back, but the latter spotted with elongated
black bands on the outer webs ; tail black, tipped with vinaceous ; middle rec-
trices like the back : beneath similar, but not so dark, and whitish on the
throat ; bill black ; feet yellow : whole length 6-5 inches, wing 3'5, tail 2-5.
Female similar, but much duller and more brownish.

Hab. Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

The Talpacoti or Chocolate Dove is an inhabitant of Brazil, Bolivia,
and Paraguay. In Argentina it occurs only on the northern frontiers,
and was met with by White at Oran, in the province of Salta, in the
month of November : — " These pretty chocolate-coloured Doves," he
tells us, " fly in pairs, and at this date were found constructing their
nests in the orange-groves. They are sometimes seen on the ground
busily in quest of seeds, but are very wild and not at all common/'

White also obtained specimens of this Dove at Concepcion in
Misiones.

364. ENGYPTILA CHALCAUCHENIA (Scl. et Salv.).
(SOLITARY PIGEON.)

Peristera frontalis, JBurm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 497 (Parana, Tucuman).
Leptoptila megalura, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 626 (Salta) (?). Lepto-
ptila chalcauchenia, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 633 ; iid. Nomencl. p. 133 ;
Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 363 (Salta) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above greyish brown ; head and nape plumbeous ; back of neck
with the feathers edged with iridescent bronzy green ; tail blackish, broadly
tipped with white; central rectrices like the back: beneath pale vinaceous;
middle of throat, belly, and crissum white ; under surface of wings bright
chestnut ; bill black ; feet yellowish : whole length lO'O inches, wing 5'7, tail
4-8. Female similar.

Hab. Argentine Republic.

This Dove, which is a southern form of a widely distributed group of
species of the genus Engyptila, formerly called Leptoptila, inhabits
the woods of the Plata district, and never, like other Pigeons, seeks the
open country to feed. It is solitary, although, where many birds live
in close proximity, three or four may be sometimes seen in company.
It spends a great deal of time on the ground, where it walks about

. 145

under the trees rather briskly, searching for seeds and berries. Their
song is a single uninflected and rather melodious note, which the bird
repeats at short intervals, especially in the evening during the warm
season. Where the birds are abundant the wood, just before sunset,
becomes vocal with their curious far-sounding notes ; and as this evening
song is heard as long as the genial weather lasts, it is probably not
related to the sexual instinct. The nest is a simple platform; the eggs
are two and white, but more spherical in shape than those of most other
Pigeons.

Order XII. GALLING.

Fam. XLIL CRACIDJE, OR CURASSOWS.

Of the great Order of Gallinaceous Birds, so useful to mankind, two
forms only are found in South America — the Toothed Partridges
(Odontophorina) and the Curassows (Cracida). No member of the
former group has as yet been ascertained to occur in Argentina ; and
of the Curassow family (one of the most characteristic types of Neo-
tropical forest-life) only four species are with certainty known to be
found within our limits out of a total of some fifty known species. But
the Cracidae are essentially tree-birds, and can only be looked for in
forest-countries.

365. CRAX SCLATERI, G. R. Gray.
(SCLATEE/S CURASSOW.)

Crax alector, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 500. Crax sclateri, Gray, List of
Gallincp., p. 14 (1867); Scl. Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 28, pis. xliv. & xlv. ;
Burm. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 702.

Description. — Black ; lower belly and tips of tail-feathers white ; lores naked ;
cere and bill yellow ; feet flesh-colour : whole length 32-0 inches, wing 14-0,
tail 14-0. Female : above black, with buify cross bars ; crest white, barred with
black : beneath, throat black, breast more or less barred with black ; abdomen
ochraceous; tail black, with buffy- white bars and tips.

Hob. Paraguay and N. Argentina.

Azara described both sexes of this Curassow under the name of " El
Mitu" (Apunt. iii. p. 83), but, along with other authors, confounded

VOL. II. L

146 CRACID.E.

it with the Crested Curassow of Guiana (Crax alector). In Paraguay
it is said to be numerous, but in Argentina only occurs on the northern
and eastern frontiers (in Tucuman and Misiones), where it frequents
the forests.

366. PENELOPE OBSCURA, Temm.
(DARK GUAN.)

Penelope obscura, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 136; iid. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 525;
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios). Penelope bcliviana, Burm.
P. Z. S. 1871, p. 701 (Tucuman) ? Penelope pileata, White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 627 (Catamarca) ?

Description. — Dark bronzy green ; lower back and abdomen chocolate-brown ;
feathers of upper back, wing-coverts, and body beneath down to the middle of
the belly margined with white ; feathers of front part of head edged with silvery
white: whole length 25*0 inches, wing 11'5, tail 12-0. Female similar.

Hab. Paraguay, Northern Argentina, and Bolivia.

This Guan was first made known to us as an inhabitant of Paraguay
by Azara, who described it in his ' Apuntamientos ' * under the name of
" El Yaciihu " or " Pavo del Monte" (Wood-Turkey) of the Spaniards.
The examination of skins of it obtained by Capt. J. T. Page, of the U.S.
Navy, during his expedition up the Rio Paraguay and Rio Vermejo,
enabled Messrs. Salvin and Sclater to make this identification.

In Entrerios, Mr. Barrows tells us, this species is limited to the
borders and islands of the River Uruguay, where in heavy growths of
timber it is not uncommon, though rarely seen. Here it builds a large
nest in the trees and lays white eggs.

It is probable that the Guan of Tucuman called by Dr. Burmeister
Penelope boliviano, and that of Catamarca referred by White to
P. pileata likewise belong to this species.

367. PIPILE CUMANENSIS (Jacq.).
(WHITE-HEADED GUAN.)

Penelope pipile, Burm. La-Plata JReise, ii. p. 499 (Tucuman). Pipile cuma-
nensis, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 529; Burm. P.Z.S. 1871, p. 702
(Tucuman).

Description.— 'Bronzy black ; whole top of the head white, with narrow black
shaft-stripes; wing-coverts and breast-feathers edged with white; a large
blotch on the wing white ; naked cheeks and throat-caruncle blue : whole
length 27-0 inches, wing 13-0, tail 11-0. Female similar.

* Vol. iii. p. 72, no. 335.

RALLID^E. 147

Hab. South America from Venezuela to Northern Argentina.
Dr. Burmeister tells us that this Guan, which is widely extended in
South America, occurs in the forests of Tucuman.

368. ORTALIS CANICOLLIS, Wagl.
(HOARY-NECKED GUAN.)

Penelope canicollis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 499. Ortalida canicollis,
Scl et Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 534 ; iid. NomencL p. 136 ; Burm. P. Z. S. 1871,
p. 701. Ortalis canicollis, Salvin, Ibis, 1830, p. 363 (Tucuman). Ortalida
guttata, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 627 (Salta) ?

n. — Above bronzy brown ; top of head cinereous : beneath more
ochraceous ; throat and breast washed with bronzy ; neck and breast slightly
spotted with greyish ; under wing-coverts, flanks, and crissum chestnut ; tail
bronzy green, five outer rectrices broadly tipped with chestnut ; bill yellowish ;
feet pale hazel : whole length 22*0 inches, wing 9*8, tail 10'3. Female similar.

Hab. Paraguay and Northern Argentina.

For our first knowledge of this Guan we are also indebted to Azara,
who described it in his f Apuntamientos ' (iii. p. 77) under the name
Yacu caraguata, as found in the forests of Paraguay. Thence it extends
into the wooded districts of the northern provinces of the Argentine
Republic, where it was obtained by Dr. Burmeister in Tucuman and by
Capt. Page's expedition on the Rio Parana and Rio Vermejo. It is
probable also that the Guan met with by White near Salta, and referred
by him to O. guttata,, was really of the present species.

Order XIV. GERANOMOKPH^l.

Fam. XLIII. KALLID.E, OR RAILS.

The Rallied are well represented in the Argentine Republic, eight
Rails and Crakes, two Waterhens, and three Coots being met with
within its limits, and it is highly probable that the list will be further
augmented as discovery advances.

The presence of three species of Coots, all apparently in abundance, is
a somewhat special peculiarity of the Argentine Ornis. Most of the
other Argentine Rallidse have an extended range.

L 2

148 RALLID^E.

369. RALLUS MACULATUS, Bodd.

(SPOTTED RAIL.)

[PLATE XIX.]

Rallus xnaculatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 139 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 444 ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 65 (Buenos Ayres) ; Narrows, Auk, 1834, p. 276
(Entrerios) j Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above blackish ; back and wings dark olive-brown, spotted all
over with white : beneath barred across with white and black ; chin and crissum
white ; bill yellow, with a bright red spot at the base ; feet pale brown : whole
length 11-0 inches, wing 5-2, tail 2-0. Female similar.

ITab. South America.

The Spotted Rail, which has a wide distribution in South America,
occurs as far south as Buenos Ayres. Our figure is taken from an
example of this species obtained by Mr. F. Withington in September
1885 in the Lomas de Zamora. Concerning its nesting-habits he sends
the following note : — " It breeds amongst the reeds, and its nest is
placed about 18 inches from the water. To reach it the birds collect a
heap of reeds, grass, and other materials, and alongside form an inclined
platform that answers the purpose of a staircase, by which the birds
ascend or descend with ease. The usual clutch of eggs is seven, but I
have taken fifteen from one nest, all good. These, of course, could not
have been laid by one bird/'

370. EALLUS ANTAECTICUS, King.
(ANTARCTIC RAIL.)

Rallus antarcticus, Scl. et Salv. Xomencl. p. 139 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 445 ;
iid. Ex. Orn. t. Ixxxii. p. 163; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 276 (Carhue') ;
Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Above brown, striped with black ; wing-coverts rufous ; remiges
blackish : beneath plumbeous : flanks and under wing-coverts black, barred
across with white : whole length 8'0 inches, wing 37, tail 1*5. Female similar.

Hab. Chili, Argentine Republic, and Patagonia.

This Rail is a small southern representative of the well-known
Virginian Rail of the U.S. It is stated to be " rather common » at
Carhu^ by Mr. Barrows, and Mr. Withington has recently sent us
specimens from the Lomas de Zamora.

RALLUS RHYTIRHYNCHUS. 149

371. RALLUS RHYTIRHYNCHUS, VieiU.
(BLACK RAIL.)

Aram ides rhytirhynchus, JSurm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 504 (Parana). Rallus
rythyrliynclius, Scl. et Salt). Nomencl. p. 139 ; fid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146
(Buenos Ayres) et p. 446 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 104 (Buenos Ayres) ;
Dumford, Ibis, 1878, p. 65 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 42
(Cordova) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 276 (Entrerios). Rallus nigricans,
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 193.

Description. — Above greenish brown ; beneath plumbeous ; bill incurved,
greenish, with a blood-red basal spot; feet red: whole length 12*0 inches,
wing 5-4, tail 2-8. Female similar.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

This Rail differs from the other species in its beak, which is very
long and curved, as in the Painted Snipe (Rhynchad), and has three
strongly contrasted colours — dark green, bright blue, and scarlet at the
base. The blue and red tints become very vivid in the love-season.
Without being anywhere abundant, the Black Rail is found throughout
the Plata Region in every place where reeds and rushes grow. In the
marshes along the Plata they are met with quite as frequently in winter
as in summer ; this fact surprised me greatly, since I know this species
to be migratory, their unmistakable cries being heard overhead every
night in spring and autumn, when they are performing their distant
journeys. Probably all the birds frequenting the inland marshes on
the south-western pampas migrate north in winter, and all those inha-
biting the Plata marshes and the Atlantic sea-board, where there is
abundant shelter and a higher temperature, remain all the year. On
the Rio Negro of Patagonia I found the Black Rail a resident, but the
winter of that district is singularly mild ; moreover, the wide expanse
of waterless country lying between the Rio Negro and the moist pampa
region would make an annual migration from the former place difficult
to such a feeble flier. Of this instinct we know at least that it is
hereditary ; and it becomes hard to believe that from every one of the
reed-beds distributed over the vast country inhabited by this species a
little contingent of migrants is drawn away annually to winter else-
where, leaving a larger number behind. Such a difference of habit
cannot exist among individuals of a species in one locality ; but differ-
ences in the migratory as in other instincts, great as this, are found in.
races inhabiting widely separated districts.

It is difficult to flush the Black Rail ; it rises in a weak fluttering
manner, the legs dangling down, and, after flying thirty or forty yards,
drops again into the reeds. Its language is curious : when alarmed, the
bird repeats, at short intervals, a note almost painful from its excessive

150 RALLID^E.

sharpness, and utters it standing on a low branch or other elevation,
but well masked by reeds and bushes, and incessantly bobbing its
head, jerking its tail, and briskly turning from side to side. It has, at
such times/ a very interesting appearance, while the long beak, brilliant
with the nuptial colouring, the bright-red eye and vermilion legs,
admirably contrasting with the fine deep slate plumage, give it consi-
derable claims to beauty. At other times it has a hollow call-note with
a puzzling ventriloquism in the sound, which is sometimes repeated at
short intervals for an hour. While uttering it the bird stands, as
usual, on a slight eminence, but drawn up in a listless attitude and
without any of its nods and jerks and other frisky gestures. It has
also a kind of song, which sounds not unlike the braying of a donkey ;
hence the vernacular name Burrito (little ass) by which the bird is
known in the Plata. This song is heard both day and night, and is a
confused performance, uttered without pause, and composed of several
long shrill notes, modulated and mingled with others, hollow and
booming. These notes can be heard a thousand yards away ; but, far or
near, they always sound remote.

372. RALLUS NIGRJCANS, VieilL
(PLUMBEOUS RAIL.)

Ar amides nigricans, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 504. Rallus nigricans,
Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 446; iid. Nomencl. p. 139.

Description. — Above olivaceous brown ; front, side of the head, and body beneath
plumbeous ; throat whitish ; lower belly, thighs, and tail blackish ; bill straight,
uniform dark greenish : whole length 10*0 inches, wing 5'3, tail 2'S. Female
similar.

tlab. South Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

This Rail is said by Dr. Burmeister to occur near Buenos Ayres, but
the bird taken for this species by Durnford (Ibis, 1877, p. 193 ; 1878,
p. 66) appears to have been R. rhytirhynchus.

373. ARAMIDES YPECAHA (VieilL).
(YPECAHA RAIL.)

Aramides gigas, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 504 (Parana). Aramides ype-
caha, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. ] 39 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, pp. 144; 448 ;
Hudson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 105 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 194
(Buenos Ayres) ; Narrows, Auk, 1884, p. 276 (Entrerios).

Description.— Above olive-green ; neck red ; front cinereous ; rump and tail

ARAMIDES YPECAHA.

151

black : beneath, throat white, breast and neck cinereous ; abdomen rosy red,
lower belly and thighs grey; flanks and crissum black; under wing-coverts
rufous, with black cross bars ; bill yellow ; feet red : whole length 19-0 inches,
wing 8-5, tail 3-3. Female similar.

IJab. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

1 Ypecaha " is the Guarani name, preserved by Azara, of this highly
interesting species; by the Spanish it is called " Gallineta," from its
supposed resemblance to a fowl. Without any brilliant tints, there is
yet something so pleasing to the eye in the various hues of its plumage
—light brown and drab colour, grey, buff, and black — all these colours
so harmoniously disposed, the effect heightened by the long straight
yellow beak, golden-red eye, and vermilion legs, that I do not know a
handsomer waterfowl.

These Rails are found as far south as the thirty-fifth parallel of lati-
tude, and are abundant along the marshy borders of the Plata, frequenting
the vast reed-beds and forests of water-loving Erythrina crista-galli.
Where they are never persecuted they are bold pugnacious birds, coming
out of the reeds by day and attacking the domestic poultry about the
houses and even in the streets of the villages situated on the borders of
their marshy haunts. But when compelled to place man on the list of
their enemies, it is a difficult matter to get a sight of one ; for, like all
birds that rise laboriously, they are vigilant to excess, and keep themselves
so well concealed that the sportsman may pass through their haunts
every day of the year, and the Ypecaha still be to him no more than a
" wandering voice." But even persecution does not entirely obliterate a
certain inquisitive boldness which characterizes them. Usually they roam
singly in quest of food, but have reunions in the evening and occasion-
ally during the day, especially in gloomy weather. On misty days they
often wander to a distance from the covert, walking with an easy, some-
what stately grace, jerking the tail at every stride, and running with a
velocity no man can equal. Where there are woods they usually fly,
when disturbed, into a tree ; and it is in connexion with this habit that
the Ypecaha sometimes makes a curious mistake in places where it has
not been much shot at. One day, while pushing my way through a dense
growth of rushes, I saw two Ypecahas, not fifteen yards from me, on
the horizontal branch of a tree, to which they had evidently flown for
safety. I was anxious to secure them, but surprised at their temerity ;
and wishing to find out its cause, I approached them still nearer, and
then stood for some time observing them. It was easy to see that they
fancied themselves quite safe from me while off the ground. In the
most unconcerned manner they continued strutting up and down along
the branch, jerking their tails, and turning about this way and that, as

152

if to tantalize their baffled enemy by ostentatiously displaying their
graces.

When surprised on the open ground the Ypecaha lies close, like a
Tinamou, refusing to rise until almost trodden upon. It springs up with
a loud-sounding whirr, rushes violently through the air till, gaining the
reeds, it glides a few yards and then drops : its flight is thus precisely
like that of the Tinamou, and is more sounding and violent than that of
the Grouse or Partridge. On spying an intruder it immediately utters
a powerful cry, in strength and intonation not unlike that of the Pea-
fowl. This note of alarm is answered by other birds at a distance as
they hastily advance to the spot where the warning was sounded. The
cry is repeated at irregular intervals, first on one side, then on the
other, as the birds change their position to dog the intruder's steps and
inspect him from the reeds. I have surprised parties of them in an open
space, and shot one or more ; but no sooner had the survivors gained
their refuge than they turned about to watch and follow me, sounding
their powerful alarm the whole time. I have frequently been followed
half a mile through the rushes by them, and by lying close and mimick-
ing their cries have always succeeded in drawing them about me.

But the Ypecaha's loudest notes of alarm are weak compared with the
cries he utters at other times, when, untroubled with a strange presence,
he pours out his soul in screams and shrieks that amaze the listener with
their unparalleled power. These screams, in all their changes and modu-
lations, have a resemblance to the human voice, but of the human voice
exerted to its utmost pitch, and expressive of agony, frenzy, and despair.
A long piercing shriek, astonishing for its strength and vehemence, is
succeeded by a lower note, as if in the first one the creature had well-
nigh exhausted itself. The double scream is repeated several times ;
then follow other sounds, resembling, as they rise and fall, half-suppressed
cries of pain and moans of anguish. Suddenly the unearthly shrieks
are renewed in all their power. This is kept up for some time, several
birds screaming in concert ; it is renewed at intervals throughout the
pay, and again at set of sun, when the woods and marshes resound with
the extravagant uproar. I have said that several birds unite in scream-
ing ; this is invariably the case. I have enjoyed the rare pleasure of
witnessing the birds at such times; and the screams then seem a fit
accompaniment to their disordered gestures and motions.

A dozen or twenty birds have their place of reunion on a small area
of smooth clean ground surrounded by reeds ; and by lying well con-
cealed and exercising some patience, one is enabled to watch their pro-
ceedings. First one bird is heard to utter a loud metallic-sounding
note, three times repeated, and somewhat like the call of the Guinea-

ARAMIDES YPECAHA. 153

fowl. It issues from the reeds, and is a note of invitation quickly
responded to by other birds on every hand as they all hurriedly repair
to the customary spot. In a few moments, and almost simultaneously,
the birds appear, emerging from the reeds and running into the open
space, where they all immediately whirl about and begin the exhibition.

Whilst screaming they rush from side to side as if possessed with
frenzy, the wings spread and agitated, the beak wide open and raised
vertically. I never observed them fight or manifest anger towards each
other during these performances ; and, knowing the pugnacious spirit
of the Ypecahas, and how ready they are to seek a quarrel with birds of
other species, this at first surprised me, for I was then under the
mistaken impression that these gatherings were in some way related to
the sexual instinct.

Whilst watching them I also remarked another circumstance. When
concealing myself amongst the rushes I have been compelled to place
myself so disadvantageously, owing to the wet ground, that any single
bird straying accidentally into the open space would have discovered my
presence immediately ; yet the birds have entered and finished their
performance without seeing me, so carried away are they by the emotion
that possesses them during these moments. But no sooner has the wild
chorus ended than, aware of my presence, they have fled precipitately
into the reeds.

We frequently speak of our familiarity with the habits of the species
we have long and carefully observed in a state of nature ; yet the know-
ledge so gained must necessarily be exceedingly imperfect, for with
many shy vigilant birds it is next to impossible to see them without being
seen ; and no bird, conscious of being watched, will act unconstrainedly
any more than a human being with clouded reputation will comport
himself naturally with the eyes of a detective on him. While we are
observing the bird, the bird watches us : of all its curious doings when
we are out of its sight and mind we see nothing. The only way to learn
the habits of a species like the Ypecaha — wary, intelligent, and passing
its life behind a screen of rushes — is to domesticate it ; for although in
this state some instincts are blunted and others remain in abeyance, they
are not obliterated. It might surprise some that I speak of the Ypecaha
as an intelligent bird, since it is a member of the ( ' stupid family/' as
Professor Parker has called the Rails ; but in spite of the very profound
admiration I feel for that illustrious anatomist, I believe he is wrong
about these birds : there is, to my mind, very much more stupidity in
the Anserine and Limicoline families, while the Ypecaha has always
seemed to me a singularly intelligent bird.

Fortunately Azara was able to give an account of one of these birds

154 RALLID^E.

in a domestic state, which shows that it makes a very sprightly and
entertaining, although a mischievous pet. It was taken young and
allowed to run about at liberty with the poultry at the house of a
village doctor in Paraguay. When full-grown it was very domineering,
and became the tyrant of the poultry-yard. Occasionally a cock had the
courage to face it, and then a singular combat would ensue : the Ypecaha,
moving with astonishing rapidity, putting its head low down, would
charge, and, thrusting its head between the cock's legs, fling him instantly
011 his back, then rain a shower of blows on his breast before he could
rise. It was fond of eggs, and always knew when a hen went off to
lay, cautiously following her to the nest and then concealing itself at
some distance to wait. As soon as the egg was dropped it would run,
pick it up with its beak, and carry it away to a safe distance, and then,
breaking a hole in the shell at one end, suck out the contents without
spilling a drop. Sometimes, when the hen remained too long on the
nest, it would lose its temper and, driving her off, pursue her with the
greatest animosity about the grounds, administering correction with its
sharp beak. Not satisfied with devouring all the eggs laid by the
doctor's fowls, it visited all the neighbours' houses, doing so much
damage that at length the poor doctor, afraid perhaps that his practice
would suffer, had the troublesome bird put to death.

This Ypecaha would never allow any one to touch it, but it would
come into the house and search through all the rooms for thimbles,
scissors, and other small metal objects, and these it would carry away to
conceal them among the weeds or else bury them in the mud. It was
also a good mouser, and after killing a mouse with a blow from its beak
would swallow it entire.

374. POEZANA LEUCOPYRRHA (Vieill.).
(RED-AND-WHITE CRAKE.)

Corethrura leucopyrrha, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 505 (Tucuman). Por-
zana leucopyrrha, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 140; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 454 ;
iid. Ex. Orn. pi. Ivi. p. 111.

Description. — Brownish olive, head reddish ; wings, tail, and hind back
daiker: beneath white; sides of the head and of the neck and breast chestnut-
red; flanks barred with white and black ; crissum black in the middle, white on
each side ; bill olivaceous ; feet yellowish : whole length 6'75 inches, wing 3'1,
tail 1/9. Female similar.

Hab. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

This Crake is an inhabitant of Southern Brazil and Paraguay, but

PORZANA NOT ATA. 155

also occurs in the Northern Provinces of the Argentine Republic, where
it was met with by Dr. Burmeister in Tucuman.

375. PORZANA SALINASI (Philippi).
(SPOT-WINGED CRAKE.)

Rallus salinasi, Pkilippi, Wiegm. Arch. 1857, pt, i. p. 262 (Chili) ; Burm. Ibis,
1888, p. 285. Porzana spiloptera, Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 194, pi. iii.
(Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above olive-brown with black markings ; wings with white
cross bands ; front, sides of head, and body beneath plumbeous ; flanks dark
grey, with transverse bars of white ; under tail-coverts barred with black and
white ; beak dark horn-colour ; feet rather lighter : whole length 5'5 inches.

Hab. Chili and Argentina.

In 1876 Durnford obtained a specimen of this Crake from the river-
scrub near Belgrano in the province of Buenos Ayres, and described
and figured it in ' The Ibis' under the MS. name "spiloptera" which
had been given by Dr. Burmeister to an example of the same bird in the
Buenos Ayres Museum.

Dr. Burmeister has, however, recently ascertained that the appellation
which he proposed for this species must give way to that of salinasi,
under which title it was described in 1857 by Dr. Philippi of Santiago.

Porzana salinasi, as we must therefore call it, is most nearly allied to
P. spilonota of the Galapagos (cf. Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 456),
but has the wings more distinctly striped, and the back olive-brown,
with black markings, and not of a uniform ferruginous.

376. PORZANA NOTATA (Gould).
(MARKED CRAKE.)

Zapornia notata, Gould, Zool. Vvy. Beagle, iii. p. 132, pi. xlviii. (La Plata).
Porzana notata, Scl. et Salv. Nomend, p. 140 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 450 j
Sclater, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 255.

Description. — Above dark olive-brown, with small white spots : beneath black,
barred across with white : whole length 5*5 inches, wing 3*0, tail 1-3.

Hab. Argentina and Patagonia.

The type specimen of this little Crake was obtained during the voyage
of the ' Beagle/ on board the ship, when in the Rio Plata. Another
specimen was captured off the coast of Uruguay and brought alive to
England in 1876. An example of the same species in the Paris Museum
was procured by d'Orbigny in Patagonia.

156 RALLIED.

377. PORPHYRIOPS MELANOPS (VieilU
(LITTLE WATERMEN.)

Ortygometra melanops, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 505 (R. Uruguay). Por-
phyriops melanops, Scl. etSalv. Nomencl. p. 140 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 461,
et 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above olivaceous ; head darker ; wings brown ; wing-coverts
tinged with chestnut ; outer secondaries more or less distinctly margined with
white : beneath cinereous ; middle of belly and crissum white ; flanks olivaceous,
spotted with white ; bill dark olive, with the tip yellowish ; feet hazel : whole
length 9*0 inches, wing 5-0, tail 2O. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

In the southern part of the Argentine country the Little Waterhen
is a summer visitant, and very abundant in the marshes along the Plata.
In language and habits it is like the Coots : it is not often seen on land,
and feeds principally as it swims about in a jerky manner among the
floating weeds. It appears in October, migrating exclusively, I think,
by night ; and after the autumnal departure an individual is rarely seen.
By day they are shy and retiring, but scatter abroad in the evening,
frequently uttering their hollow mysterious cry, called the witch laugh
by superstitious people, and resembling a sudden burst of hysterical
laughter, the notes beginning loud and long, becoming brief and hurried
as they die away.

378. GALLINULA GALEATA (Licht.).
(AMERICAN WATERHEN.)

Gallinula galeata, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 505 (Rio Parana) ; Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl. p. 140 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 4C2 ; WJiite, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 627
(Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above grey ; middle of back and wings olivaceous brown :
beneath grey, whitish on the middle of the belly ; bend of the wing, stripes on
the flanks, and sides of crissum pure white ; middle of crissum and tail black;
frontal shield and bill red, the latter tipped with yellow ; feet olive varied with
yellow ; naked portion of shank scarlet : whole length 15'0 inches, wing 7*5,
tail 5'5. Female similar.

Hab. North and South America.

The American representative of our familiar Waterhen extends into
the western provinces of the Argentine Republic. Mr. Barrows tells
us it is abundant on the Lower Uruguay, and Dr. Burmeister met with
it on the Parana.

FULICA LEUCOPYGA. 157

379. FULICA ARMILLATA, Vieill.
(RED-GARTERED COOT.)

Fulica armillata, Burm. La- Plata Reise, ii. p. 505 (Mendoza, Parana) ; ScL e.t
Sato. Nomencl. p. 140 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres) ; iid. Ex.
Orn. pi. Iviii. p. 115 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 195 (Bueiios Ayres), et 1878,
p. 401 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios) ; Withing-
ton, Ibis, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Dark slaty ; whole head blackish ; beud of wing and outer
margin of external primary white ; crissum white, with a black median patch ;
bill yellow, with red basal spots ; frontal shield large, oval, yellow, margined
with red ; feet large, yellowish olive ; front of them and naked portion of tibia3
red : whole length 16-0 inches, wing 7*8, tail 2-0. Female similar.

Hab. South Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

This is the largest of the three Coots found within our limits, and
further distinguishable by the great size of the feet and the bright red
markings at the base of the yellow bill. It seems to be generally dis-
tributed over the lagoons of the Pampas. Dr. Burmeister obtained
specimens at Mendoza and Parana, Durnford near Buenos Ayres and
in Chupat, and Mr. Barrows in Entrerios, where he says it is not
uncommon in the cold weather. In general plumage this Coot closely
resembles the Yellow- billed Coot, but differs in the base of the upper
mandible being of a deep orange-red, this colour extending to the middle
of the frontal shield, and in the absence of white on the secondaries.
The naked part of the leg above the foot is also of a bright red,
hence Azara's appropriate name of " Red-gartered Coot."

Durnford received the eggs of this Coot from a correspondent living
to the south of Buenos Ayres, where it was said to be " quite common."
He describes the eggs as being readily distinguishable from those of the
two other species by their larger size.

380. FULICA LEUCOPYGA, Hartl.
(RED-FRONTED COOT.)

Fulica leucopyga, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 140; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 467; iid.
Ex. Orn. p. 120 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 42 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 66 (Buenos
Ayres) et p. 402 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas
de Zamora).

Description. — Dark cinereous ; head and neck black ; crissum white, with a
black median patch ; bill and frontal shield scarlet ; tip of bill yellow ; feet
olivaceous : whole length 15-0 inches, wing 6-8, tail 2-0. Female similar.

Hab. Uruguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

158 RALLID^!.

The want of the white margin to the outer primary and the smaller
and pointed head-shield distinguish this Coot from the preceding species.
From F. leucoptera it may be at once known by the absence of the
white tips to the secondaries.

Durnford found the Red-fronted Coot common, and breeding in the
lagoons north of Buenos Ayres. The nests of this bird and of F. leucoptera,
he tells us, are much alike, but those of the present species are perhaps
rather the smaller. " They are formed of reeds, and placed in clumps of
the same, the bottom just above the water. The eggs vary in number
from six to eight, and also differ a good deal in colour. Their ground-
colour is dark greyish brown, finely mottled and streaked with rufous
and darker brown, some of the spots being of a considerable size."

381. FULICA LEUCOPTERA, Vieill.
(YELLOW-BILLED COOT.)

Fulica leucoptera, Burm. La-Plata Relse, ii. p. 505 (Parana); Sol. et Salv.
Nomencl.-p.UO; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 488; iid. Ex. Orn. pi. Ix. p. 119;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 42
(Cordova) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 277 (Carhu6, Pampas) ; Withingtmi, Ibis,
1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description. — Dark slaty ; head and neck black ; crissum white, with a black
median patch ; bend of wing and outer margin of external primary, also the tips
of some of the secondaries, white ; bill yellow ; head-shield rounded behind ;
feet olivaceous : whole length 15-0 inches, wing 7*8, tail 2-0. Female similar.

Hob. Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.

This is perhaps the most abundant species of Fulica in the Plata
region, and certainly congregates in the largest numbers. The colour
of the beak and shield is of a very delicate yellow; the legs and feet
dull green ; the head, neck, and part of the back velvet-black ; all the
rest of the plumage dark slate-colour, except the under coverts of the
tail, which are white, and render the bird very conspicuous when it is
swimming away with the tail raised vertically.

On the pampas, in large marshy lagoons, this Coot is sometimes seen in
immense numbers ; thousands of birds uniting in one flock, and spreading
over the low shores to feed, they look like a great concourse of Rooks.
But they are exceedingly timid, and at the sight of a bird of prey or
other enemy they all scuttle back to the water, tumbling over each
other in their haste to reach it. They rise in a peculiar manner, rapidly
striking the surface of the water with their great lobed feet, often for a
distance of twenty or thirty yards before they are fully launched
in the air. They are loquacious birds, and when swimming about

ARAMIDJE. 159

concealed among the thick rushes are heard answering each other in a
variety of curious tones, some of their loud, hollow-sounding, reiterated
cries resembling peals of laughter.

The nest is a slovenly structure of rushes lying on the water, with a
very slight depression for the eggs, which are ten or twelve in number.
These are long, pointed at one end, dull cream-colour, marked over the
whole surface with small blackish and purple spots.

Farn. XLIV. ARAMID.E, OR COURLANS.

The Courlans are a peculiar American family, intermediate between
the Cranes and the Rails. Of the two known species, which are nearly
allied, one occurs in the Argentine Republic.

382. ARAMUS SCOLOPACEUS (Gm.).
(SOUTHERN COURLAN.)

Aramus scolopaceus, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 504 (Parana) ; Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 141 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 160 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 102
(Buenos Ayres) ; Dumford, Ibis, 1877, p. 196 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis,
1880, p. 160 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios).

Description. — Above brown ; forehead, lores, and chin greyish white ; neck
striped with white : beneath similar ; bill brown ; legs greenish grey : whole
length 24*0 inches, wing 13*0, tail 5-0. Female similar.

Hob. South America.

This curious bird has a blackish-brown plumage, glossed with bronze
on the upper parts ; its total length is about two feet and a half, and
the wings, when spread, measure nearly four feet from tip to tip. It
has been called " an abnormal relative of the Rails at most/' and in its
peculiar flight and many of its habits certainly differs very widely from
the Rails.

The beak of this bird is nearly 5 inches long, straight, and of an iron
hardness; the tip is slightly bent to one side, the lower mandible some-
what more than the upper. The tongue extends to the extremity of the
beak ; at the end it is of a horny toughness, and frayed or split into
filaments. This beak is a most effective instrument in opening shells ;
for where mollusks abound the Courlan subsists exclusively on them, so
that the margins of the streams which this bird frequents are strewn
with innumerable shells lying open and emptied of their contents.
Every shell has an angular piece, half an inch long, broken from the

160 ARAMID^E.

edge of one valve. Mussels and clams close their shells so tightly that
it would perhaps be impossible for a bird to insert his beak, however
knife-like in shape and hardness, between the valves in order to force
them open ; therefore I believe the Courlan first feels the shell with his
foot whilst wading, then with quick dexterity strikes his beak into
it before it closes, and so conveys it to the shore. Otherwise it would
be most difficult for the bird to lift the closed shell from the water and
to carry it to land ; but supposing it could do this, and afterwards suc-
ceed in drilling a hole through it with its beak, the hole thus made
would have jagged edges and be irregular in shape. But the hole is,
as I have said, angular and with a clean edge, showing that the bird had
just thrust his beak half an inch or an inch between the valves, then
forced them open, breaking the piece out during the process, and
probably keeping the shell steady by pressing on it with its feet.

By day the Courlan is a dull bird, concealing itself in dense reed-beds
in streams and marshes. When driven up he rises laboriously, the legs
dangling down, and mounts vertically to a considerable height. He
flies high, the wings curved upward and violently flapped at irregular
intervals; descending, he drops suddenly to the earth, the wings
motionless, pointing up, and the body swaying from side to side, so that
the bird presents the appearance of a falling parachute. On smooth
ground he walks faster than a man, striking out his feet in a stately
manner and jerking the tail, and runs rapidly ten or twelve yards
before rising. At the approach of night he becomes active, uttering
long clear piercing cries many times repeated, and heard distinctly two
miles away. These cries are most melancholy, and, together with its
mourning plumage and recluse habits, have won for the Courlan several
pretty vernacular names. He is called the " Lamenting Bird " and the
" Crazy Widow," but is more familiarly known as the " Carau."

Near sunset the Caraus leave the reed-beds and begin to ascend the
streams to visit their favourite fishing-grounds. They are very active
at night, retiring again at the approach of morning, and sometimes
pass the day perched on trees, but more frequently concealed in dense
reed-beds.

As the breeding-season draws near they become exceedingly clamo-
rous, making the marshes resound day and night with their long wailing
cries. The nest is built among the rushes, and contains ten or twelve
eggs as large as Turkey's, slightly elliptical, sparsely marked with
blotches of pale brown and purple on a dull white ground, the whole egg
having a powdered or floury appearance. When the nest is approached
the parent birds utter sharp angry notes as they walk about at a distance.
The young and old birds live in one flock until the following spring.

CARIAMID.E. 161

The Carau is more nocturnal than the true Rails, and, having a far
more powerful flight, takes to wing more readily ; in its gestures and
motions on the ground it resembles them, but differs strikingly from
all Ralline birds in the habit it possesses of flying when disturbed to
some open place, where it walks about conspicuously, watching the
intruder.

Fam. XLV. CARIAMID^, OR CAKIAMAS.

The Cariamas are another purely Neotropical family of which but
two species are known. These peculiar birds, remarkable for their long
legs and harsh voices, have been regarded by some authors as allied
to the Cranes, and by others as akin to the Secretary-Vulture (Serpen-
tarius), to which they have certainly considerable superficial resem-
blance. Dr. Burmeister, who has carefully investigated the osteology
and anatomy of Cariama cristata, has come to the conclusion that the
true place of this somewhat isolated form is near the Storks. But
Huxley (P. Z. S. 1867, p. 457) has placed it along with the Cranes,
though somewhat doubtful whether it should not rather form an Order
apart ; and we prefer to follow his decision.

383. CARIAMA CRISTATA (Linn.).
(CRESTED CARIAMA.)

La Saria, Azara, Apunt. Hi. p. 101 (Paraguay). Dicholophus cristatus, Burm.
Syst. Ueb. Vog. Brasil. iii. p. 401 ; id. Abh. nat. Ges. Halle, i. p. 11 (1854).
Cariama cristata, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 141.

Description. — Plumage yellowish grey, with numerous narrow darker and
lighter cross bands ; lower belly not banded ; wings and tail blackish brown,
with broad white cross bands; breast with pale shaft- stripes : front crested;
bill and feet reddish : whole length 32-0 inches, wing 14-0, tail 14-0. Female
similar, but more yellowish.

Hab. Campos of S.E. Brazil and Paraguay.

The Crested Cariama is a native of the Campos of the interior of
Brazil, where it is well known as the " Seriema." Hence it extends
into the open districts of Paraguay, and, it is said, into the adjoining
parts of the Argentine Republic, though we are not able at present to
give any exact authority for this statement.

The Cariama lives on the ground among the high grasses of the
Campos, where the traveller frequently hears its loud screaming cry as
he rides along the tracks. It feeds principally upon insects and cater-

VOL. II. M

162 CARTAMID^l.

pillars, but also eats berries and fleshy fruits, and, it is said, snakes and
other reptiles. It breeds in low bushes ; and lays two roundish, spotted
eg-ffs, which in colour somewhat resemble those of the Crakes and Rails.

C5o J

This bird is often brought alive to Europe, and examples may always
be seen in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London. Here
they have paired and nested on more than one occasion, but have not
succeeded in rearing their young. The frontispiece to the first volume
of this work, which represents the Crested Cariama, is taken from one
of these captive birds.

384. CHUNGA BURMEISTERI (HartL).
(BURMEISTER'S CARIAMA.)

Dicholophus burmeisteri, HartL P. Z. S. 1860, p. 335; Burm. La-Plata
Reise, ii. p. 506 (Rioja, Catamarca, Tucuman). Chunga burmeisteri, ScL
P. Z. S. 1870, p. 666, pi. xxxvi. ; ScL et Salv. Nomencl. p. 141. Cariama
burmeisteri, Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 364 (Tucuman).

Description. — A very slight frontal crest; plumage cinereous, the feathers
crossed by very narrow bands of whitish and black ; lores and long superciliary
stripe white : beneath paler on the chest ; lower belly and crissum fulvous
white ; wings brownish black, beneath with broad blackish bars ; tail like the
back, but with two broad black subterminal cross bands, except on the two
middle rectrices ; bill and feet black : whole length 28-0 inches, wing 12'0,
tail 14*0. Female similar.

Hab. Northern Argentina.

This Cariama, which much resembles the Crested Cariama in general
appearance though smaller in size, and distinguished by several struc-
tural characters, is one of the many discoveries of the distinguished
naturalist whose name it appropriately bears. Dr. Burmeister first met
with the " Chunia," as this bird is called by the natives, in the province
of Tucuman during his travels in the northern parts of the Argentine
Republic in 1859.

The Chunia, he tells us, is naturally friendly to mankind, and is
often kept tame in the courtyards of houses along with the domestic
fowls, amongst which it stalks about, eating remnants of flesh and large
insects, especially grasshoppers. At night it roosts upon the roofs of
the corridors.

In a free state the Chunia lives in the forests, running about in the
bush in the daytime, and roosting in the summit of the large trees.
The nest is placed in bushes, not very high, and the young birds are
often taken when half-fledged and become quickly accustomed to
captivity.

PARRID.E. 103

Dr. Burmcister first met with this bird at La Invernada between Tucu-
man and Catamarca *, but tells us that it inhabits besides these two
provinces the adjoining districts of La Rioja and Santiago del Estero.
It is always easier to hear it than to see it, for its loud screaming voice
may be recognized at a distance, but when approached in the bush it
keeps a discreet silence.

Several examples of Burmeister's Cariama have been received alive
in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, from one of which
an excellent figure has been taken by Mr. Smit (see P. Z. S. 1870,
plate xxxvi.). The frontispiece of the present volume is a reduction of
that figure by the same artist.

Order XV. LIMICOL^l,

Fam. XLVI. PARRID.E, OR JACANAS.

The Jacanas are a tropical group of birds with a somewhat general
resemblance to the Rails, but with their toes enormously elongated, so
as to enable them to move with facility over water-plants on the surface
of lakes and ponds. In essential structure, however, they are now
ascertained to be most nearly allied to the Plovers.

One genus of Jacanas (Parr a) is peculiar to America, and a single
species of this genus occurs in the Argentine Republic.

385. PARRA JACANA (Linn.).
(COMMON JACANA.)

Paxra jacana, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 506 (Tucuman); Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 142 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres) ; Ihtrnford,
Ibis, 1877, p. 196 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 627 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios).

Description. — Head and neck purplish black ; back and wings bright chest-
nut ; primaries and secondaries pale greenish yellow tipped with brown ; flanks
dark chestnut ; breast dark black ; abdomen purplish ; tail chestnut tipped with
black ; wattles on head and base of bill red, rest of bill yellow ; feet olive ;
whole length 10*5 inches, wing 5'8, tail 2'2. Female similar.

Hab. South America from Venezuela down to Buenos Ayres.

The beautiful Jacana or Jassana, sometimes called Alas-amarillas in
the vernacular, differs very widely from all the other members of the
Limicoline Order in its appearance, which is most singular — the toes

* See Burmeister, * Reise duch die La Plata-Staaten,' ii. p. 195.

164 PARRID.E.

being enormously long, the head ornamented with red lobes, and the
wings armed with spurs, these and the beak being of a bright yellow.
The colouring of the plumage heightens the novelty of its appearance :
the head, neck, and underparts being black; the shoulders, back, and
wing-coverts chestnut ; while the quills, which have a bright satiny lustre,
are apple-green in colour, and in some lights appear golden yellow.

In the southern part of the Plata district the Jacana is migratory,
arriving from the north in Buenos Ay res early in October, either singly
or in small parties. In their migration they appear to follow the
course of the Plata ; and, though some individuals are found breeding
inland, they are for the most part confined to the littoral marshes.

The Jacanas journey by very easy stages, frequently alighting to rest
by the way ; for they are so incapable of sustained flight that boys on
the pampas occasionally take them, pursuing them on horseback till
the birds drop down exhausted. I believe the migratory Rails travel
in the same way — a matter not easily determined, as they migrate by
night ; but they are feeble-winged creatures, and when driven to rise
flutter away as if wounded. I have observed the Jacanas migrating by
day, but would not for this reason affirm that they do not journey by
night, since the Bartram's Sandpiper and other species journey both
day and night.

The Jacana flies swiftly, in a straight line and close to the surface :
the wings flutter rapidly ; and there are frequent intervals of gliding.
When rising it presents a most novel appearance, as the lovely pale
green of the wings is quite concealed when the bird is at rest; the
beauty of its flight is thus greatly enhanced by the sudden display
of a hue so rare and delicate. At a distance from the beholder, and in
a strong sunshine, the wings appear of a shining golden yellow. Not
only when flying does the Jacana make a display of its beautiful wings;
without rising it has a way of exhibiting them, appearing to delight as
much in them as the Cockatoo does in its crest or the Peacock in its
train. When several of these birds live in company^ occasionally they
all in one moment leave their feeding, and with quick excited notes,
and clustering together in a close group, go through a singular and
pretty performance, all together holding their wings outstretched and
agitated, some with a rapid fluttering, others with a slow-moving leisurely
motion like that of a butterfly sunning itself. The performance over,
the birds peaceably scatter again. I have never observed Jacanas
fighting.

Shortly after arriving they pair, and build a simple nest with few
materials, usually on the floating weeds. The eggs are four, in shape
like Snipe's eggs, and have deep-brown spots on a pale yellowish- brown

165

ground. During incubation the male keeps guard at some distance
from the nest, and utters a warning cry at the approach of an intruder ;
the female instantly flies from the nest, but in rising renders herself
very conspicuous. When the nest is approached the parent birds hover
about, occasionally fluttering as if wounded, all the time keeping up a
clamour of hurried angry notes somewhat resembling the barking cries
of the Black-collared Stilt.

Fain. XLVII. CHARADRIIDjE, OR PLOVERS.

Plovers are found all over the world's surface and in every degree of
latitude, and some of the species have an almost cosmopolitan distri-
bution. In the Neotropical Region about twenty Plovers are known,
of which seven are found within our limits. Three of these are
Antarctic species that visit Argentina during the winter, one arrives in
the opposite season from the north, and the other three are more or less
abundant residents.

386. VANELLUS CAYENNENSIS (Om.).
(CAYENNE LAPWING.)

Vanellus cayennensis, Burin. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 502 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 142 j iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 42 (Chupat), p. 196 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 402 (Centr. Patagonia) ;
Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 161 (Buenos Ayres) : Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 278
(Entrerios, Pampas) ; Seebohm, Plovers, p. 216. Philomachus cayanus,
Darwin, ZooL Voy. i Beagle ,' iii. p. 127.

Description. — Wings with a large yellow spine. Above grey; broad front
and thin vertical crest black ; a patch on the scapulars bronzy purplish ; upper
tail-coverts white ; primaries purplish black ; greater coverts pure white, passing
into greyish on the secondaries ; lesser wing- coverts bronzy green ; tail — basal
half white, apical half purplish black tipped with white : beneath, chin, line
down the middle of the throat and breast shining black ; sides of neck grey,
passing into white on the face ; abdomen and under wing-coverts pure white ;
bill red, with black tip ; feet flesh-colour : whole length 13-0 inches, wing 8-2,
tail 4'2, tarsus 3*1. Female similar.

Hab. Eastern South America.

The Lapwing of La Plata is considerably larger than the well-known
Lapwing of the Old World, but closely resembles that bird in the
general colour of the plumage, in the long, slender, black crest, and in
general appearance. Throughout the Argentine country it is called

166

CHARADRIID^E.

Teiit-te'ru, from its ever-repeated dissyllabic cry ; west of the Andes the
vernacular name is Queltregue, also in imitation of its notes. It has
red legs, crimson irides, a rosy beak tipped with black, and coral-red

CAYENNE LAPWING.

(Seebohm's l Plovers,' p. 216.)

wing-spurs ; and these spots of bright colour add to its bold striking
appearance. In size, beauty, and spirit it is a king among the Plovers,
while its jealous aggressive disposition gives it the character of a tyrant
amongst birds in general. On the pastoral pampas (the district from
which the giant grasses have disappeared) it is excessively abundant ;
and it is there resident, although, as with most strong-winged resident
species, some individuals do certainly migrate, small parties being occa-
sionally seen in spring and autumn flying steadily at a great height,
apparently performing a long journey. As a rule the birds pair for
life, and remain always on the spot where they breed. They may be
persecuted with guns, their eggs taken year after year, even the ground
turned up with the plough, but they still refuse to be driven out. In
regions having a broken surface — hills, woods, and sheltered hollows —
birds naturally get attached to one spot, for each locality possesses its
own features, and individuals frequenting it acquire a knowledge of its
advantages. The vast pampas have a uniform level surface, and
produce the same kinds of food in the same quantities. They are
parched with droughts and flooded by rains alternately, and swept by
dust-storms in summer and cold gales in winter — violent enough, one

VANELLUS CAYENNENSIS. 107

would imagine, to drive every winged creature awuy and obliterate all
marks of home. Again, the powerful flight of this species would enable
it to take long journeys, and, if unaffected by atmospheric changes,
scarcity of food and water might be a temptation to seek new regions.
But through all vicissitudes the Teru-teru clings to its chosen spot of
ground.

In defence of its territory it wages perpetual war against most living
creatures, the objects of its special abhorrence being men, dogs, rheas,
and birds of prey generally. Its noisy cry and irascible temper are
spoken of by most travellers and naturalists ; for no person riding
across the pampas could possibly overlook the bird, with its screaming
protests against all trespassers perpetually ringing in his ears ; but they
have all omitted to mention the singular habit which this bird has of
associating in sets of three for the purpose of amusement or play.
Each couple, as I have said, live always together on their own pretty-
well-defined plot of ground, which they jealously guard from intrusion.
Yet if one watches a pair of them for a while he presently sees
another — one of a neighbouring couple — rise up and fly to them,
leaving his own mate to take care of home ; and, instead of resenting
this visit as an intrusion, they welcome it with notes and signs of
manifest pleasure. Advancing to the visitor, they place themselves
behind it, and then all three, keeping step, begin a rapid march,
uttering loud drumming and rhythmical notes in time with their
movements, the notes of the birds behind coming in a rapid stream,
while the leading bird utters loud single notes at regular intervals.
The march ceases, the leader stretches out his wings, still emitting loud
notes, while the other two, with puffed-out plumage, standing exactly
abreast, stoop forward until the tips of their beaks touch the ground,
and, sinking their voices to a murmur, remain for some time in
this singular posture. The performance is then over; the birds all
resume their natural attitudes, and the visitor takes his leave. It is
quite certain that this display has no connection with the sexual
feeling, for it is indulged in all the year round, at all hours of the day,
and also during moonlight nights. It is simply the bird's manner of
expressing its joyous spirits; for most living creatures — birds espe-
cially— have more or less well-defined methods of playing; and playday
with the Teru is every day, and at very brief intervals. And yet
the grave pompous air of the birds, and the military precision of their
movements, might easily lead an observer to attribute these displays to
some more important motive. Play is not only indulged in with
neighbours ; there are many solitary Terus continually wandering
about from place to place — probably young birds not yet settled in

168 CHARAD1UID/E.

life — and when one of these vagrants passes near a pair he is imme-
diately invited to join them, and, when he alights, all go through the
performance together with great zest. In this case, however, as soon
as it is over, the strange bird is attacked with great spirit and chased
away ; and if by chance he comes down again near them, they hasten
to drive him up with increased fury.

While watching their antics, which the Gauchos call the Teru's quad-
rilles, a curious subject of inquiry suggested itself to my mind. It
appeared to me that its manner of playing has had a reflex effect strong
enough to mark the bird's whole character — language, bearing, and
habits being coloured by it, and even the domestic relations interfered
with. And with regard to the latter point, though it is the rule that
each cock bird has only one hen, I have known several instances of a
cock with two hens, the two females laying their eggs in one nest and
taking turns in sitting on them. I have also found instances of two
males to one female ; and in one case, where I watched the birds, I
noticed that when the female was on the nest the males stood over her,
one on each side.

I once had my attention drawn to a large concourse of Terus by the
strange behaviour of two individuals amongst them, and I stayed to
watch their proceedings. It was in the dry hot weather, and a great
many birds had congregated to drink at a lagoon. Some hundreds of
them were standing about, quietly preening their feathers, and in the
middle of the flock two birds were conspicuously marching about, stiff
and upright as a couple of soldiers engaged in some military exercise,
and uttering loud notes full of authority. Every few minutes a fresh
bird would arrive and alight at some distance from the water, on which
the two noisy birds would bustle up, and, ranging themselves behind it,
run it with loud drumming notes to the margin; then, standing close
together, they would wait till its thirst was quenched, after which they
would run it away to some distance from the water, of which they
seemed to have made themselves dispensers. For over an hour I
continued watching them, and every bird that arrived was conducted to
and from the water in this ceremonious manner.

Occasionally several couples unite and soar about in a compact flock ;
they divide into sets of three birds each, then hover for some time, all
waving their wings exactly in time and screaming their notes in unison,
and these movements seem like an imitation in the air of the usual
marching and drumming performance on the ground.

The breeding-season of the Terus begins as early as the month of
June in favourable seasons; severe cold, drought, or other causes
sometimes delays it to August. The nest is a shallow circular hollow

YANELLUS CAYENNENSIS.

169

made by the bird on the level plain, and lined with broken grass-stems
and small fragments of thistle-stalks ; the eggs are four, rather sharply
pointed at one end, and have an olive-green ground-colour spotted with
black. The eggs in different nests vary greatly in size, ground-colour,
and in the amount of black they are marked with, no two birds laying
eggs exactly alike.

While the female is on the nest the male keeps watch at a distance
of twenty or thirty yards, and utters a low warning cry in case of
danger. The female leaves the nest sometimes by running, but often er
flies from it, and by marking the spot she rises from, it is easy to find
the nest on the open level pampas. In the course of a morning's ride
I have picked up as many as sixty-four eggs. During incubation the
birds are excessively watchful and jealous, their irritability increasing
with the growth of the chick in the shell ; and at that time they will
attack any bird of prey approaching the nest with amazing virulence.
When approached by a human being they fly to meet him when he is
still far from them, and hovering, with loud screams, over him, dash
down at intervals, threatening to strike with their wing-spurs, coming
very close to his head. Unable to intimidate the enemy with this show
of violence, the bird changes its tactics, and, alighting at some distance,
counterfeits the action of a bird seeking its nest. With well-acted
caution and secrecy in its manner, it runs silently along, stooping low,
and having found a slight nest-like depression on the surface, sits on
it, half opens its wings, and begins gathering all the small sticks or
straws within its reach and carefully arranges them about it, as most
ground-breeding birds do when incubating. Sometimes also, like many
other species, it tries to lead one away from the nest by feigning lameness ;
but the former instinct of seeking and sitting on an imaginary nest,
which I have not observed in any other bird, seems far more complex
and admirable.

When sheep in a flock pass over the nest, the bird stands on it to
defend its eggs; and then its loud cries and outspread wings often
serve to bring the sheep, from motives of curiosity, about it. Even
with a dozen sheep clustered round it the bird stands undaunted,
beating their faces with its wings ; but, unhappily for it, if the shepherd
is following, the loud cries of the bird bring him to the spot, and the
eggs so bravely defended are taken.

170 CHARADRIIDjE.

387. CHARADRIUS DOMINICUS, Mtiller.
(AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER.)

Charadrius virginianus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 501. Charadrius
virginicus, ticl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 142; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 197
(Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 628 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows,
Auk, 1884, p. 313 (Bahia Blanca) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas
de Zamora). Charadrius dominicus, Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B.
N. A. i. p. 139. Charadrius fulvus americanus, Seebohm, Plovers,
p. 100.

Description. — Above brownish black, with numerous irregular spots of yellow ;
forehead, superciliary stripe, and sides of neck white : beneath black ; crissum
whitish ; axillaries smoky grey ; bill black ; feet dark grey : whole length
10'5 inches, wing 7'0, tail 2-8. Female similar. Young: beneath dirty white,
with greyish freckles.

Hob. America.

This closely allied representative of the Golden Plover of Europe,
from which it is distinguishable mainly by its' rather larger size and
smoky-grey axillaries, visits South America in autumn.

The American Golden Plover is abundant and well known to every-
one by its native name Chorlo throughout Southern Argentina. Its
wild clear notes are first heard about the last week in August ; and
among the first comers many individuals are seen still wearing the
nuptial dress. After their long journey from the Arctic regions
they are lean and not worth shooting ; two months later they become
excessively fat, and are then much appreciated by gourmets. But
although so regular in their arrival they do not regularly visit the same
localities every season ; the bird may be abundant in a place one year
and scarce or absent altogether the next. During the spring, from
September to December, they prefer open plains with short grass and
in the neighbourhood of wet or marshy ground ; at the end of
December, when the giant thistle (Carduus mariana), which often
covers large areas of country, has been burnt up by the sun and blown
to the ground, they scatter about a great deal in flocks of from one to
four or five hundred. At noon, however, they all resort to a lagoon or
marshy place containing water, congregating day after day in such
numbers that they blacken the ground over an area of several acres in
extent; and at a distance of a quarter of a mile the din of their united
voices resembles the roar of a cataract. As population increases on the
pampas these stupendous gatherings are becoming more and more rare.
Twenty-five years ago it was an exceptional thing for a man to possess
a gun, or to use one when he had it ; and if Chorlos were wanted, a
Gaucho boy, with a string a yard long with a ball of lead attached to

EUDROMIAS MODESTA. 171

each end, could knock down as many as he liked. 1 have killed them
in this way myself, also with the bold perdida — a ball at the end of a
long string thrown at random into a cloud of birds.

The habits, flight, and language of the Golden Plover need not be
spoken of here, as this bird has been so often and exhaustively described
by North-American ornithologists. The only peculiarity it possesses
which I have not seen mentioned, is its faculty of producing a loud
sound, as of a horn, when a few passing birds, catching sight of others
of their kind on the ground below, descend violently and almost verti-
cally to the earth with unmoving wings. This feat is, however, rarely
witnessed ; and on the first occasion when I heard the sound high above
me, and looked up to see half a dozen Chorlos rushing down from the
sky, the sight almost took my breath away with astonishment.

The Golden Plover appears to be most abundant on the pampas
between the thirty-fourth and thirty-sixth parallels of latitude, but ho\v
far south its range extends has not yet been ascertained. The return
migration begins early in March, and yet Mr. Barrows met with it in
the neighbourhood of Bahia Blanca and on the Sierra de la Ventana from
February 8 to March 19. During most of this time he says it was
abundant in flocks of from twenty to two hundred birds, which appeared
to be moving uniformly south or south-west.

388. EUDROMIAS MODESTA (Licht.).
(WINTER PLOVER.)

Vanellus modestus, JBurm, La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 502 (Pampas). Eudromias
modesta, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 143 j iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144 (Buenos
Ayres); Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 197 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 402
(Centr. Patagonia) ; Sorrows, Auk, 1884, p. 313 (Entrerios) j Withington,
Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora). Charadrius modestus, Seebohm,
Plovers, p. 105.

Description. — Above brownish cinereous ; frontal band and superciliary stripe
white ; wings and central tail-feathers blackish ; lateral tail-feathers white, the
inner ones with an imperfect black subterminal band : beneath, throat cinereous,
breast bright chestnut with a black band below ; belly white ; bill black, base
of lower mandible yellowish ; feet brown : whole length 7'5 inches, wing 5-3,
tail 2'4. Female similar. Young without the rufous chest.

Hab. Antarctic America.

This species in its gait, flight, and general appearance closely re-
sembles the American Golden Plover, but is smaller than that bird, and
its sober upper plumage is unrelieved with flecks of golden colour. It
breeds in South Patagonia and the Falklands, and migrates north in
autumn, appearing on the pampas in April, and being met with there

172 CHARADRIID.E.

throughout the winter ; hence the vernacular name Chorlito de invierno
(Little Winter Plover) . In its winter dress the upper plumage is greyish
drab colour ; the breast dark brown ; the belly white. It is shy and
active in disposition, has a very rapid flight, and is seen in flocks
varying greatly in number, from a dozen to two or three hundred
individuals. When feeding the birds scatter very widely, running

WINTER PLOVER.

(Seebohm's t Plovers/ p. 105.)

swiftly over the ground in all directions. When on the wing it
frequently utters its cry, which has not the mellow tone of the Golden
Plover's note, but it is wonderfully clear and far-reaching, and impresses
the listener with its wildness and melancholy.
Their return migration takes place in August.

389. JEGIALITIS FALKLANDICA (Lath.).
(PATAGONIAN SAND-PLOVER.)

JEgialitis falklandica, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 143 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144
(Buenos Ayres), et 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 402
(Centr. Patagonia) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 163 (Buenos Ayres) ; Harrows,
Atik, 1884, p. 313 (Entrerios). Charadrius falklandicus, Seebohm, Plovers,
p. 155.

Description. — Above brown ; front white ; band across forehead and sides of

/EGIALITIS COLLARIS. 173

head black, bordered with rufous; wings black, with bright shafts and white edges
to the base of some of the inner primaries ; central tail-feathers black, lateral
white, with a more or less distinct subterminal blackish band, except on the outer
pair : beneath white, crossed by two broad blackish bands on the breast ; bill
and feet black : whole length 7'0 inches, wing 5-0, tail 2*1. Female similar.

Hub. Patagonia. Falkland Islands, Chili, and Argentina.

The pretty little Belted Plover inhabits the Falklands and South
Patagonia, and migrates north in winter as far as Paraguay ; but it is
not anywhere common, and is seldom seen in parties exceeding half a
dozen in number. It is extremely active, always preferring wet grounds
to dry, and runs rapidly over the mud in search of food like a Tringa.
Its only language is a low clicking note uttered when taking wing.

Some individuals remain to breed as far north as the pampas of
Buenos Ayres. Mr. Gibson says the nest is always placed near the
water, and is a slight scrape in the ground lined with dry grass. The
eggs are three in number, have black spots on an olive ground, and in
shape resemble Lapwing's eggs.

Durnford also found it breeding in the Chupat Valley in September
1877.

390. ^GIALITIS COLLARIS (Vieill.).
(AZARA'S SAND-PLOVER.)

Charadrius azarae, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 501. ^Egialitis collaris,
Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 143 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 67 (Buenos Ayres) ;
id. Ibis, 1880, p. 424 (Tucuman) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 628 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 313 (Entrerios). Charadrius collaris,
Seebohm, Plovers, p. 173. " Cinereous Plover," Hudson, P. Z. S. 1871,
p. 261.

AZARA'S SAND-PLOVER.
(Seebohm's 'Plovers,5 p. 173.)

JJescription. — Above brown ; front white : fore half of head and line between
bill and eyes black ; top of head and sides of neck tinged with rusty red ;

174 CHARADRIID.E.

primaries blackish with bright shafts and slight white edgings ; tail with the
central rectrices blackish brown, lateral rectrices white : beneath white ; pec-
toral collar black; bill black : feet yellow : whole length 6-0 inches, wing 4-1,
tail 2-0. Female similar.

Hab. South and Central America.

Azara's Sand-Plover is distributed all over South America east of
the Andes , and has been obtained by Mr. Salvin in Guatemala. It is
a close ally of the Kentish Plover of Europe (J£. cantiana), but has
the black pectoral band complete in the adult form.

This Plover appears to be an inland species. Durnford observed it
in October, December, and February in the neighbourhood of Buenos
Ay res, on " dry sandy ground," frequenting the same sort of places as
the Common Ring-Plover in England. He also met with it during his
last journey to Tucuman, and Mr. Barrows found it " rather abundant"
in small flocks all over the open country in Entrerios.

391. OREOPHILUS RUFICOLLIS (Wagl.).
(SLENDER-BILLED PLOVER.)

Oreophilus ruficollis, Wagl., Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 143; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 42 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 402 (Centr. Patagonia). Oreophilus totani-
rostris, Cab. J.f. O. 1878, p. 199 (Sierra de Cordova). Charadrius tota-
nirostris, Seebohm, Plovers, p. 111.

Description. — Above grey, varied with yellowish brown, and striped with
black on the back and wing-coverts ; front and superciliaries yellowish brown ;
stripe through the eye blackish ; wings blackish with white shafts, and slightly
edged with white, their under surface white ; tail grey, with a black subter-
minal bar on the lateral feathers : beneath grey, whole throat rusty reddish ;
large ventral patch black ; sides of belly and crissum cinnamomeous white ; bill
black ; feet yellowish : whole length 10*0 inches, wing 6'5, tail 3*0, bill from
gape 1*5.

Hab. Southern half of South America.

This pretty and curious Plover, with a Snipe-like beak, inhabits
South Patagonia and the Falklands. In the autumn it migrates north,
and during the cold season is found sparsely distributed throughout
the Argentine States, and passes into Bolivia and Peru. On the
pampas it is most abundant in April, but most of the birds seen during
that month are travellers to warmer latitudes.

It is a shy and exceedingly active bird, somewhat larger than the
Golden Plover in size, and in the Plata district is usually called Chorlo
canela, from the prevailing cinnamon-red tint of the plumage. It is

OREOPH1LUS RUFICOLLIS.

175

distinguished in the family it belongs to by the great length of its
straight slender probe-like bill, unlike that of any other Plover ; and it
also has other structural peculiarities, the toes being exceptionally
short and thick, the frontal bone curiously modified, and the eyes
enormously large, like those of a nocturnal species. I do not think,
however, that it migrates by night, as I have never heard its peculiar
passage-cry after dark. A flock is usually composed of from a dozen

SLENDER-BILLED PLOVER.
(Seebohm's < Plovers,' p. 111.)

to thirty individuals, and when on the ground they scatter widely,
running more rapidly than any other Plover I am acquainted with.
When they travel the flight is swift and high, the birds much scattered.
They possess no mellow or ringing tones like other members of the
Plover family ; on the ground they are silent, but when taking wing
invariably utter a long tremulous reedy note, with a falling inflection,
and usually repeated three or four times. The sound may be imitated
by striking on the slackened strings of a guitar. This cry is frequently
uttered while the birds are migrating.

On the Rio Negro in Patagonia I observed this Plover only in the
winter season ; but Durnf ord found it nesting in the valley of the
Sengel in Chupat in the month of December.

176 THINOCORID/E.

392. H^MATOPUS PALLIATUS, Temm.
(AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER.)

Haematopus palliatus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 143 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878,
p. 403 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Seebohm, Plovers, p. 305 ; Baird, Brew., et Ridgiv.
Water-B. N. A. i. p. 112.

Description. — Head and neck all round black ; back and wing-coverts brown ;
upper tail-coverts, greater wing-coverts, and abdomen white ; bill and feet
orange : whole length 17'0 inches, wing 9-5, t;dl 3-5. Female similar.

Hab. America.

This Oyster-catcher is widely distributed along the coasts of North
and South America, from Nova Scotia to Patagonia. Durnford found
it nesting near Tombo Point in Central Patagonia in the month of
December, but failed to obtain the eggs.

At the same place Durnford also observed the Black Oyster-catcher
(H. ater), but that is an Antarctic species, which may probably not
come further north.

Fam. XLVIII. THINOCORID^E, OR SEED-SNIPES.

The family Thinocoridse, which embraces the two genera Thinocorus
and Attagis, is a peculiar group of South-American birds of somewhat
Partridge-like appearance, and associated by the older authors with the
Gallinae, but now known to be most nearly allied in essential structure
to the Plovers. The Seed- Snipes are inhabitants of bare and desolate
districts, being found in the northern parts of the continent only on
the high Andes, but descending to the sea-level in Patagonia and the
Falkland Islands. The species are few in number, only about six being
known, of which two occur within Argentine limits.

393. THINOCORUS EUMICIVORUS, Eschsch.
(COMMON SEED-SNIPE.)

Thinocorus rumicivorus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 501 (Rosario) ; Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl. p. 144 j iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) j Durnford,
Ibis, 1877, p. 42 (Chupat) et p. 197 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 403 (Centr.
Patagonia) ; Tacz. Orn. Per. iii. p. 283.

Description. — Above buffy brown, marbled and irregularly banded with black ;
wing-feathers black, edged with white, external secondaries like the back • tail

THINOCORUS RUMICIVORUS. 177

black, broadly tipped with white, central rectrices like the back : beneath
white ; a broad line on each side of the throat uniting in the centre of the
neck and expanding into a collar on the breast black ; sides of neck greyish ;
bill dark brown ; feet yellow ; claws black : whole length 6-5 inches, wing 3'9,
tail 1§9. Female: above like the male: beneath white, sides of neck and
breast brown varied with blackish, with slight traces only of the black bar.

Hob. Western Peru, Bolivia, Chili, Patagonia, and Argentina.

This curious bird has the grey upper plumage and narrow, long,
sharply-pointed wings of a Snipe, with the plump body and short
strong curved beak of a Partridge. But the gallinaceous beak is not
in this species correlated, as in the Partridges, with stout rasorial feet ;
on the contrary, the legs and feet are extremely small and feeble, and
scarcely able to sustain the weight of the body. When alighting the
Seed-Snipe drops its body directly upon the ground and sits close like
a Goatsucker; when rising it rushes suddenly away with the wild
hurried flight and sharp scraping alarm-cry of a Snipe. It is exclu-
sively a vegetable-feeder. I have opened the gizzards of many scores
to satisfy myself that they never eat insects, and have found nothing in
them but seed (usually clover-seed) and tender buds and leaves mixed
with minute particles of gravel.

These birds inhabit Patagonia, migrating north to the pampas in
winter, where they arrive in April. They usually go in flocks of about
forty or fifty individuals, and fly rapidly, keeping very close together.
On the ground, however, they are always much scattered, and are so
reluctant to rise that they will allow a person to walk or ride through
the flock without taking wing, each bird creeping into a little hollow
in the surface or behind a tuft of grass to escape observation. During
its winter sojourn on the pampas the flock always selects as a feeding-
ground a patch of whitish argillaceous earth, with a scanty withered
vegetation ; and here when the birds crouch motionless on the ground,
to which their grey plumage so closely assimilates in colour, it is most
difficult to detect them. If a person stands still close to or in the midst
of the flock the birds will presently betray their presence by answering
each other with a variety of strange notes, resembling the cooing of
Pigeons, loud taps on a hollow ground, and other mysterious sounds,
which seem to come from beneath the earth.

In the valley of Rio Negro I met with a few of these birds in summer,
but could not find their nests.

Durnford, however, who found them breeding in Chupat at the
end of October, tells us that the nest is a slight depression in the
ground, sometimes lined with a few blades of grass. " The eggs have
a pale stone ground-colour, very thickly but finely speckled with light

VOL. II. N

178 SCOLOPACIDJS.

and dark chocolate markings ; they have a polished appearance, and
measure 1-3 x -8 inch" (Ibis, 1878, p. 403).

394. THINOCORUS ORBIGNYANUS, Geoffr. et Less.
(D'ORBIGNY'S SEED-SNIPE.)

Thinocorus orbignyanus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 500; Scl. et Sate-
Nomencl. p. 144 ; Tacz. Orn. Per. iii. p. 281.

Description. — Above yellowish brown, streaked and marbled with black ;
wing-feathers blackish with lighter edgings, inner secondaries like the back ;
back and sides of neck grey : beneath white ; throat white, surrounded by a
narrow black band ; breast grey, joining the grey neck, and bordered beneath by
a narrow black band ; bill brown, tip black ; feet yellow, claws black : whole
length 8-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail 3-0. Female : above like the male, but without
the grey neck : beneath white, sides of neck and breast like the back ; throat
white.

Hab. Western Peru, Bolivia, Chili, and Western Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister met with examples of this Seed-Snipe, which is
easily distinguishable from the preceding species by its larger size, in
the high valleys of the Sierra of Uspallata, at an elevation of about
6000 feet above the sea-level. It is called " Guancho " by the natives
after its peculiar call-note, which, however, sounded more like " Tulco"
to Dr. Burmeister, and is often heard at night-time.

This Seed-Snipe is also found in Peru at high elevations in the
Puna region (12,000 to 14,000 feet), where M. Jelski obtained its eggs.
A description of them with some interesting notes on the habits of the
species are given in Taczanowski's ' Ornithologie du Perou.'

Fam. XLIX. SCOLOPACID^, OK SNIPES.

Like the Plovers, the Snipes are nearly universally distributed over
the world's surface, though most abundant in northern regions. Of
about 35 Neotropical species 15 are known to occur in the Argentine
Republic, and many additions to the list of these wandering birds may
be reasonably expected.

Of the fifteen Scolopacidae already recognized as occurring within our
limits, all but three are Arctic species, which only visit the far south
during their migrations. The three exceptions are the Brazilian Stilt
(Himantopus brasiliensis) , the Paraguay Snipe (Gallinago paraguaia),

HIMANTOPUS BRASILIENSIS.

179

and the Painted Snipe (Rhyncluea semicollaris) , which are resident all-
the year in the Argentine Republic.

395. HIMANTOPUS BRASILIENSIS, Brehnu
(BRAZILIAN STILT.)

Himantopus nigricollis, • Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 502 (Pampas); Scf.. et
Sak. P. Z. 8. 1808, p. 144 (Buenos Ayres); Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 314
(Entrerios, Azul, Pampas). Himantopus brasiliensis, Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl. p. 144 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1873, p. 454 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p.
(Buenos Ayres) : Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 162 (Buenos Ayres).

Head of BRAZILIAN STILT.
(P. Z. S. 1873, p. 454.)

Description. — White ; line behind each eye, nape, back of neck, interscapulium,
and wings black ; a narrow white band divides the black neck from the black
upper back ; bill black ; feet orange : whole length 14'0 inches, wing 8-5, tail
3-3, bill from gape 2-5, tarsus 4-2. Female similar.

Hab. South America.

This bird is resident and common in the Plata district, and is called
in the vernacular Tfru-real, also Zancudo (stilt). It frequents marshes
and lagoons, and wades in search of food in the shallow water near the
margin. It is lively in its movements, and notwithstanding the great
length of its legs has a pretty, graceful appearance on the ground. On
the wing, however, it is seen at its best, the flight being remarkably
swift and free, while the sharply-pointed glossy-black wings contrast
finely with the snow-white plumage of the body, and the red legs
stretched out straight behind have the appearance of a long slender taiL
Stilts are fond of aerial exercises, pursuing each other with marvellous
velocity through the air, so that a fevr moments after the spectator has

180 SCOLOPACJD^E.

almost lost sight of them in the sky above they are down again within
a few yards of the surface. While pursuing each other they constantly
utter their excited barking cries,, which in tone remind one of the melo-
dious barking of some hounds.

The nest is made on the low ground close to the water, and consists

merely of a slight lining of dry grass and leaves gathered in a small

depression on the surface ; the eggs are four in number, pyriform, dark

olive colour, spotted with brownish black, the spots being very thickly

crowded at the large end. During incubation the male keeps guard and

utters a warning note on the appearance of an enemy, whereupon the

female quits the nest. They also counterfeit lameness to draw a person

from the neighbourhood of the eggs or young, but in a manner peculiar

to this species ; for owing to the great length of their legs they cannot

drag themselves along the ground, as ducks, plovers, partridges, and

other birds do. Placing themselves at a distance of forty or fifty yards

from the intruder, but with breast towards him, they flutter about a

foot above the ground, their long legs dangling under them, and appear

as if struggling to rise and repeatedly falling back. If approached they

slowly retire, still fluttering just above the grass and without making

any sound. After the young birds are able to fly they remain with the

parents until the following spring ; and sometimes two or three families

associate together, raising the number of the flock to fifteen or twenty

birds. The young have a sharp querulous cry of two notes ; the

plumage is brown and pale grey ; the eyes black. After nine or ten

months the adult plumage is acquired, not by moulting, but by a

gradual change in the colours of the feathers. By the same gradual

process the eye changes from black to crimson, the outer edge of the

iris first assuming a dull reddish colour, which brightens and widens

until the whole iris becomes of a vivid red.

396. PHALAROPUS WILSONI, Sabine.
(WILSON'S PHALAROPE.)

Phalaropus wilsoni, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 144 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 42
(Chupat). Steganopus wilsoni, Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A.
i. p. 335.

Description. — Above cinereous ; head above and stripe down the neck clear
greyish white ; sides of head and neck black ; middle of back grey, varied with
dark maroon j rump and body beneath white ; neck beneath stained with rufous ;
bill and feet black : whole length 8-5 inches, wing 5 -5, tail 2-5. Female
similar, but rather brighter. Winter plumage : above dark grey, beneath
white.

GALLINAGO PARAGUAY. 181

Hab. America, descending southwards during migration to Patagonia.

Wilson's Phalarope is a North- American species, which breeds in the
north-west of that continent, and descends as far south as Chili and
Patagonia during migration.

WILSON'S PHALAROPE.
(Seebohm's 'Plovers,' p. 342.)

Durnford in 1876 met with this species in the Chupat Valley, " in the
still pools formed by the eddies in the river and in the adjacent stagnant
ditches." It was " usually seen in pairs." Leybold's collector obtained
specimens of it near Mendoza.

397. GALLINAGO PARAGUALE (VieilU
(PARAGUAY SNIPE.)

Scolopax frenata, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 503. Gallinago paraguaiae,
Sd. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144 (Buenos Ayres) ; iid. Nomencl. p. 144 ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 198 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 314
(Eritrerios) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora). Scolopax
frenata magellanica, Seebohm, Plovers, p. 496.

Description. — Above brown, striped and barred with black and pale fulvous ;
•wings dark cinereous edged with white ; tail of 16 rectrices, of which the outer
pair are pin-shaped : beneath white, breast marbled with blackish and brown :
whole length 10-5 inches, wing 5*1, tail 2-4, bill 2-8.

Hab. Patagonia, La Plata, and Paraguay.

This familiar bird, called Agachona in the vernacular, from its habit
of crouching close to the ground to escape observation when approached,
is abundant in the Plata district arid resident, although its sudden and
total disappearance from all the open wet places where it is common in

182 SCOLOPACID^].

the winter gives one the impression that it is migratory. The bird,
however, only retires to breed in the extensive lonely marshes. The nest
is a slight depression on the moist ground close to the water, and lined
with a little withered grass. The eggs are four, pear-shaped, and spotted
with black on an olive-coloured ground.

After the summer heats are over Snipes suddenly appear again all
over the country, and at this season they are frequently met with on the
high and dry grounds among the withered grass and thistles. In
favourable wet seasons they sometimes collect in large flocks, numbering
not less than five or six hundred birds, and a flock of this kind will
occasionally remain in one spot for several months without breaking up.
They usually frequent an open spot of level ground where the water just
covers the roots of the short grass ; here the birds keep close together
while feeding and are visible from a long distance ; but they become
extremely wary, all raising their heads in a very un-Snipe-like manner
at the slightest alarm, and taking flight with the readiness of Wild
Ducks. These flocks are, however, not often met with. Usually the
Snipe is a solitary bird, crouches close when approached, and springs
up suddenly when almost trodden on, loudly uttering its sharp scraping
alarm-cry ; after rising to a considerable height, flying in a wild erratic
manner, it returns suddenly to the earth, often dropping into the grass
within twenty yards of the spot it rose from.

It is, indeed, curious to see how these habits, characteristic of the
Snipes all over the world, are so completely laid aside when the birds
associate in large flocks.

Early and late in the day many individuals are usually on the wing
engaged in their aerial pastimes, the singular grinding sounds caused
by their feathers in their violent descent from a great height being
distinctly audible at a distance of nearly a mile. It is heard throughout
the winter at all hours of the day in mild damp weather, and on moon-
light nights often until after midnight.

398. RHYNCHJEA SEMICOLLABIS (Vieill).
(PAINTED SNIPE.)

Rhynchaea hilarii, Burm. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 504 (Rio Parana). Bhynchaea
semicollaris, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. 8. 1868, p. 144 (Buenos Ayres) ; iid.
Nomend. p. 145 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 199 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 403
(Chupat) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 314 (Entrerios); Seebohm, Plows, p. 459,
pi. xix. ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora).

Description.— Above dark brown ; head black, with a central and two lateral
longitudinal bands of buffy white ; wings ashy blackish, spotted with bu%

TRINGA MACULATA. 183

white and barred with black ; coverts with large oval spots of clear white :
beneath, throat and breast dark brownish, with a conspicuous white neck-collar
on each side ; belly white, flanks tinged with buffy ; bill greenish, reddish at
tip ; feet flesh-colour : whole length 8-0 inches, wing 4-1, tail 2-0. Female
similar, but slightly larger and more brightly coloured.

Hab. Southern parts of South America, from Peru to Patagonia.

In the Argentine provinces this bird is called Dormilon (Sleepy-head),
in allusion to its dull habits, which are like those of a nocturnal species.
It passes the daylight hours concealed in dense reed-beds, rising only
when almost trodden on ; the flight is feeble and erratic, the rapid
wing-flutterings alternating with intervals of gliding, and after going a
short distance the bird drops again like a Rail into the rushes. From
its behaviour on the ground, also in flying, when it appears dazed with the
light, I have no doubt that it is altogether nocturnal or crepuscular in
its habits. It is solitary and resident, and may be met with in small
numbers in every marsh or stream in the Plata district, where its
favourite reed-beds afford it cover. It appears to have no cry or note
of any kind, for even when frightened from its nest and when the eggs
are on the point of hatching it utters no sound. The eggs never exceed
two in number and are placed on the wet ground, often without any
lining, among the close grass and herbage near the water. They are
oblong and bluntly pointed at the smaller end, and have a white ground-
colour, but so densely marked and blotched with black that in some
cases they appear to be almost wholly of that colour, or like black eggs
flecked with white.

399. TRINGA MACULATA, Vieill.
(PECTORAL SANDPIPER.)

Tringa maculata, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 145; iid. P. Z. S. 1873, p. 455
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 43 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 68 (Buenos Ayres); Bar*
rows, Auk, 1884, p. 314 (Entrerios) ; Saunders, YarrelVs Birds, iii. p. 368.
Actodromas maculata, Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 232.
Tringa acuminata pectoralis, Seebohm, Plovers, p. 443.

Description. — Above brown, varied with black ; superciliaries whitish ; rum])
and middle upper tail-coverts blackish, lateral tipper tail-coverts white : beneath
white ; neck and breast pale greyish streaked with blackish : whole length 8'5
inches, wing 5-1, tail 2-4, bill 1-1. Female similar.

Hab. Arctic America, migratiug south to Patagonia in winter.

The Pectoral Sandpiper is a well-known North-American species that
visits the south during migration. It breeds abundantly in Alaska, and
descends in winter through Central and South America to Chili and
Patagonia. Durnford found it abundant about the salt-lagoons of

SCOLOPACIDJS.

Chupat. Near the end of August it begins to arrive in La Plata, usually
in very small flocks or singly; and among these first-comers there are
some young birds so immature and weak in appearance that one can

Tail-feathers of PECTORAL SANDPIPER.
(Seebohm's ' Plovers,' p. 443.)

scarcely credit the fact that so soon after being hatched they have
actually performed the stupendous journey from the northern extremity
of the North- American continent to the Buenos- Ayrean pampas.

This species differs from other Sandpipers in being much more
solitary and sedentary in its ways, feeding for hours in one spot, and
in its Snipe-like habit of sitting close when approached and remaining
motionless watching the intruder ; also in its language, its low, soft,
tremulous cry when flying being utterly unlike the sharp and clicking
sounds emitted by other species. During the hot months, when water
begins to fail, they occasionally congregate in flocks, sometimes as many
as two or three hundred individuals being seen together; but at all times
it is more usual to see them in very small flocks or singly.

400. TRINGA BAIRDI (Cones).

(BAIRD'S SANDPIPER.)
Tringa dorsalis, llurm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 503 (Mendoza) ? Tringa bairdi,

Scl. et &ilv. Ntmfiiwl. p. 145; iid. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 144, et 1873, p. 455
(Buenos Ay res) ; Seebohm, Plovers, p. 444. Actodromas bairdi, Baird,
., et Ridyw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 230.

TRINGA FUSCICOLLIS. 185

Description. — Above brown varied with blackish ; rump and upper tail-
coverts blackish : beneath white, neck and sides of breast pale fulvous-brown,
with blackish shaft -stripes ; bill and feet black : whole length 6'8 inches, wing
4-5, tail 2-1. Female similar.

Tail-feathers of BAIIID'S SANDPIPER.
(Seebohm's < Plovers,' p. 444.)

Hab. Arctic America, migrating south to Patagonia in winter.

This is likewise an Arctic- American species which visits South Ame-
rica in winter. I have met with it in small flocks near Buenos Ayres in
April and May ; and it has also been procured in Chili.

401. TRINGA FUSCICOLLIS, Vieill.
(BONAPARTE'S SANDPIPER.)

Tringa fuscicollis, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 145 j Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 68
(Buenos Ayres) et p. 404 (Centr. Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 42
(Buenos Ayres) ; Sorrows, Auk, 1884, p. 314 (Entrerios) ; Saunders, TarreWs
Birds, iii. p. 373. Tringa bonapartii, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144, et
1873, p. 455 (Buenos Ayres) ; Seebohm, Plovers, p. 445. Actodromas fusci-
collis, Baird, Brew., et Bidgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 227.

Description. — Above brownish grey, varied and spotted with black ; super-
ciliaries white ; rump grey, upper tail-coverts white : beneath white ; breast
and flanks spotted and streaked with blackish : whole length 7*0 inches, wing
4-8, tail 2-1. Female similar.

Hab. Arctic America, migrating south to Patagonia in winter.
Bonaparte's Sandpiper is a third of the same category of Arctic
Tringa that range far south after the breeding-season. Durnford found

186 SCOLOPACIDJ5:

it common " in flocks " near Buenos Ayres, and again in the valley of
the Sengel river in Central Patagonia in winter. White and Hudson
also obtained specimens near Buenos Ayres, and Barrows in Entrerios
near Concepcion.

402. CALIDEIS ARENABIA (Linn.).
(SANDERLING.)

Calidris arenaria, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 145 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 404
(Tombo Point) ; Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 249 j Saunders,
YarreWs Birds, iii. p. 420. Tringa arenaria, Seebohm, Plows, p. 431 .

Description. — No hind toe. Above in summer light rufous, in winter light
greyish, spotted and striped with blackish and edg'ed with whitish : beneath white ;
bill and feet black : whole length 7*5 inches, wing 5*5, tail 2'2. Female
similar.

Hab. Arctic regions of both hemispheres, descending far south in
winter.

The Sanderling is one of the most widely spread of all the Arctic
Grallse during its winter migration. Durnford obtained examples at
Tombo Point, Central Patagonia, on the 30th December, 1877, so that
it must necessarily pass through the Argentine Republic. It is only
known to breed in the high Northern Polar lands.

403. TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS (Gm.).
(GREATER YELLOWSHANK.)

Totanus melanoleucus, Burm. La- Plata Reise, ii. p. 503; Baird, Brew., et
Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 269 ; Seebohm, Plovers, p. 363 ; Barroivs, Auk,
1884, p. 315 (Entrerios). Gambetta melanoleuca, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 145; iid. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 144 (Buenos Ayres); Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 199 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora).
Totanus chilensis, Philippi, Wiegm. Arch. 1857, pt. i. p. 264 (Chili).

Description. — Above brownish grey spotted with white ; rump nearly white :
beneath white ; throat and neck with black streaks ; bill black ; feet yellow :
whole length 14-0 inches, wing 7*5, tail 3'4. Female similar.

Hab. North and South America.

The Greater Yellowshank is best known as an Arctic American
species, descending south during migration, and arriving in La Plata at
the end of September or early in October, singly or in pairs, and some-
times in small flocks. Without ever being abundant the bird is quite
common, and one can seldom approach a pool or marsh on the pampas

TOTANUS FLAVIPES. 187

without seeing one or more individuals wading near the margin, and
hearing their powerful alarm-cry— a long clear note repeated three
times.

These summer visitors leave us in March, and then, oddly enough,
others arrive, presumably from the south, to winter on the pampas, and
remain from April to August. Thus, notwithstanding that the Yellow-
shank does not breed on the pampas, we have it with us all the year
round. Durnford's observations agree with mine, for he says that the
bird is found throughout the year near Buenos Ayres ; and Mr. Bar-
rows writes that this species " occurs every month in the year (at
Concepcion in Entrerios), but in increased numbers during August,
September, October, and November."

404. TOTANUS FLAVIPES (Om.).
(LESSER YELLOWSHANK.)

Totanus flavipes, Bvrm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 503 (Mendoza, Parana) ; Baird,
Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 273 ; See.bohm, Plovers, p. 364 ; Saun-
ders, YarreWs Birds, iii. p. 480; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 315 (Entrerios,
Azul). Gambetta flavipes, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 145 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 144 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 43 (Chupat) et p. 199
(Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 404 (Centr. Patagonia).

Description. — Above grey, spotted with white and black ; upper tail- coverts
white, slightly spotted : beneath white ; breast greyish, with black specks ; bill
black; feet yellow: whole length 10-0 inches, wing 6-0, tail 2-6. Female
similar.

Hob. Arctic America, descending south to Chili and Patagonia during
migration.

This North-American species is likewise common throughout the
year on the pampas, although not nearly so common in winter (June,
July, and August) as in summer.

Durnford also found it abundant in Central Patagonia. In habits,
language, and in general appearance, except in size, it closely resembles
the Greater Yellowshank, and the two species, attracted or deceived by
this likeness, are constantly seen associating together.

Mr. Barrows, who found it near Coucepcion in Entrerios, usually
in company with Totanus melanoleucus, did not observe it in May, June,
or July in that locality.

188 SCOLOPACID.E.

405. RHYACOPHILUS SOLITABIUS (Wils.).
(SOLITARY SANDPIPER.)

Rhyacophilus solitaxius, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 146; Durnford, Ibis, 1878,
p. 68 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 315 (Entrerios, Azul) ; Baird,
Brew., et Eidgw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 278. Totanus solitaxius, Seebohm,
Plovers, p. 367.

Description. — Middle toe nearly as long as tarsus. Above dark olivaceous grey,
•with blacker markings and slightly speckled with white; upper tail-coverts
blackish, barred with white ; tail white with blackish bars : beneath white; sides of
neck and breast streaked and barred with dusky grey ; under wing-coverts blackish,
barred with white : whole length 8'5 inches, wing 5-0, tail 2-1. Female similar.

Hab. Arctic America, descending south to Buenos Ayres during
migration.

The well-known and well-named Solitary Sandpiper arrives later than
the other birds of its family in La Plata, and differs greatly from them
in its habits, avoiding the wet plains and muddy margins of lagoons and
marshes where they mostly congregate, and making its home at the
side of a small pool well sheltered by its banks, or by trees and herbage,
and with a clear margin on which it can run freely. As long as there
is any water in its chosen pool, though it may be only a small puddle at
the bottom of a ditch, the bird will remain by it in solitary contentment.
When approached it runs rapidly along the margin, pausing at intervals
to bob its head, in which habit it resembles the Tatlers or Yellowshanks,
and emitting sharp little clicks of alarm. Finally, taking flight, it utters
its peculiar and delightful cry, a long note thrice repeated, of so clear
and penetrating a character that it seems almost too fine and bright a
sound even for so wild and aerial a creature as a bird.

The flight is exceedingly rapid and wild, the bird rising high and
darting this way and that, uttering its piercing trisyllabic cry the whole
time, and finally, dashing downwards, it suddenly drops again on to the
very spot from which it rose.

3 was once pleased and much amused to discover in a small seques-
tered pool in a wood, well sheltered from sight by trees and aquatic
plants, a Solitary Sandpiper living in company with a Blue Bittern.
The Bittern patiently watched for small fishes, and when not fishing
dozed on a low branch overhanging the water ; while its companion ran
briskly along the margin snatching up minute insects from the water.
When disturbed they rose together, the Bittern with its harsh grating
scream, the Sandpiper daintily piping its tine bright notes — a won-
derful contrast ! Every time I visited the pool afterwards I found these
two hermits, one so sedate in manner, the other so lively, living peace-
fully together.

ACTITURUS BARTRAMIUS. 189

406. ACTITURUS BARTRAMIUS (Wils.).
(BARTRAM'S SANDPIPER.)

Totanus bartramia, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 503 (Mendoza). Actiturus
bartramius, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 146 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 199
(Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 316 (Entrerios) ; Withhigton, Ibis,
1888, p. 472 (Lonias de Zamora). Bartramia longicauda, Baird, Brew.,
et Ridyiv. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 296. Totanus bartrami, Seebohm, Plovers,
p. 376.

Description. — Above blackish, feathers edged with yellowish brown ; rump
black ; wing-coverts yellowish brown, barred with black ; primaries blackish :
beneath white ; breast and flanks ochraceous, spotted and barred with black ;
under surface of wings barred with white and black ; bill yellowish, tip black ;
feet yellow : whole length 10-0 inches, wing 6-3, tail 3*1. Female similar.

Hab. North America, migrating south to Buenos Ayres.

Bartram's Sandpiper is another of those species which breed in North
America, and extend their winter-migrations far into the Southern
Hemisphere. It differs, however, from its fellow-migrants, which visit
the Argentine country, in its wide and even distribution over all that
portion of the pampas where the native coarse grasses which once
covered the country have disappeared, an area comprising not less than
50,000 square miles. It begins to arrive as early as September, coming
singly or in small parties of three or four ; and, extraordinary as the
fact may seem when we consider the long distance the bird travels, and
the monotonous nature of the level country it uses as a " feeding area,"
it is probable that every bird returns to the same spot year after year ;
for in no other way could such a distribution be maintained, and the
birds appear every summer evenly sprinkled over so immense a surface.

On the pampas the bird is called Chorlo solo, on account of its soli-
tary habit, but more commonly "Batitu," an abbreviation of the Indian
name Mbatuitui. In disposition it is shy, and prefers concealment to
flight when approached, running rapidly away through the long grass
or thistles, or concealing itself behind a tussock until the danger is
past, or often, where the herbage is short, crouching on the ground
like a Snipe. It runs swiftly and pauses frequently ; and while standing
still with head raised it jerks its long tail up and down in a slow mea-
sured manner. When driven up it springs aloft with a sudden wild
flight, uttering its loud mellow-toned cry, composed of three notes,
strongly accented on the first and last ; and sometimes, when the bird
is much alarmed, the first note is rapidly repeated several times like a
trill. After flying a very short distance it drops to the ground again,
agitating its wings in a tremulous manner as it comes down. In this
motion of the wings, also in many of its gestures on the ground, its

190 SCOLOPACID.E.

skulking habits, and reluctance to fly it is more like a Rail than a
Snipe. It also, Rail-like, frequently alights on trees and fences, a
habit I have not remarked in any other Limicoline species.

It inhabits the pampas from September until March ; but early in
February the great return-migration begins, and then for two months
the mellow cry of the Batitu is heard far up in the sky, at all hours, day
and night, as the birds wing their way north. In some seasons strag-
glers are found throughout the month of April, but before the winter
arrives not one is left.

407. TRYNGITES RUFESCENS (VieilL).
(BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER.)

Tryngites rufescens, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 146; Durnford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 200 (Buenos Ayres) ; Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water- B. N. A. i. p. 305 ;
Saunders, Yarrell's Birds, iii. p. 435. Tringa rufescens, Seebohm, Plovers,
p. 446.

Description. — Above dark brownish black, each feather widely edged with
buff; wings blackish, narrowly tipped with white, the inner half of the inner
web whitish reticulated with black ; tail blackish, the outer rectrices lighter,
each with subterminal black crescent and white terminal edge : beneath buff,
darker on the throat and breast, and edged with whitish, lighter on flanks and
belly ; under primary-coverts barred and reticulated with black, like the inner
web of the primaries, and forming a marked contrast with the rest of the under
surface of the wing, which is pure white : whole length 7*7 inches, wing 5*3,
tail 2-5. Female similar.

Hob. Arctic America, descending south to Buenos Ayres in winter.

This species is also an annual visitor to the pampas from the Arctic
regions where it breeds. It begins to arrive, usually in small bodies,
early in the month of October ; and during the summer is seldom met
with in flocks of any size on the pampas, but is usually seen on the dry
open ground associating in small numbers with the Golden Plover, the
Whim brel, and other northern species. I, however, think it probable that
it travels further south than its fellow-migrants from North America,
and has its principal feeding-grounds somewhere in the interior of
Patagonia; also that its northern journey takes place later than that of
other species. In some seasons I have observed these birds in April
and May, in flocks of two to five hundred, travelling north, the birds
flying very low, flock succeeding flock at intervals of about fifteen
minutes, and continuing to pass for several davs.

LIMOSA H^MASTICA. 191

408, LIMOSA H^BMASTICA (Linn.),
(HUDSONIAN GODWIT.)

Limosa hudsonica, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 146 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 43
(Chupat) et p. 200 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 42 (Buenos
Ayres) j Seebohm, Plovers, p. 392. Limosa haemastica, Bawd, Brew., et
Ridgiv. Water- B. N. A. i. p. 260.

Description. — (In summer.) Above dark brownish black, mixed on the head
with longitudinal streaks of whitish, on the neck with pale chestnut, and with
many of the feathers of the back spotted or edged with pale chestnut ; wings and
tail blackish, the upper half of the inner webs of the primaries and secondaries,
the basal part of the outer rectrices, and a broad band across the upper tail-
coverts pure white : beneath, cheeks and throat whitish, becoming pale chestnut
on the neck, longitudinally striped with blackish ; rest of under surface deeper
chestnut, transversely barred with blackish. (In winter.) Above uniform dull
brownish ; head, neck, and under surface dirty white or pale buff: whole length
14-3 inches, wing 8-5, tail 3-7.

Hob. Arctic America, descending south to Central Patagonia in
winter.

The Hudsonian Godwit, Mr. Seebohm tells us, " breeds on the tundras
of North America north of the forest-growth, from Alaska to Baffin's
Bay, but is rare at the western extremity of its range." In winter it
goes far south, like most of the other Grallae.

Durnford found it " common from April to September about the
lagoons and arroyos to the south of Buenos Ayres ;" and states that in
habits it much resembles the Bar-tailed Godwit of Europe (Limosa lap-
ponica). He also met with it in Chupat, and obtained two specimens
there on the 13th of November, 1876.

I have met with it in flocks during the summer of the Southern
Hemisphere, and these birds, as well as those obtained at Chupat in
November by Durnford, were undoubtedly visitors from the north ; but
invariably small flocks of half a dozen to thirty birds begin to appear
on the pampas in April, and remain there, as Durnford says, until
September, when the northern migrants are nearly due. These indi-
viduals must therefore breed near the extremity, or beyond the extre-
mity, of South America. It is very curious, to say the least of it, that
the Arctic and Antarctic regions of America should possess the same
species, and that, at opposite seasons of the year, it should winter in the
same district, so far from the breeding-place of one set of individuals,
and so near to that of the other ! Captain Abbott observed the Hud-
sonian Godwit in the Falkland Islands in flocks in the month of May
(see Ibis, 1861, p. 156). These could not have been Alaskan birds, but
were no doubt southern breeders on their way north, for that they
could winter so far south seems incredible.

192 LAKID.E.

409. NUMENIUS BOREALIS (Forst.X
(ESQUIMO WHIMBREL.)

Numenius borealis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 146 ; Durnford, lUs, 1878, p. 404
(Centr. Patagonia) ; Barroivs, Auk, 1884, p. 316 (Entrerios) ; Seebohm,
Plovers, p. 333 ; Baird, Brew., et Ridyw. Water-B. N. A. i. p. 318.

Description. — Above dark brown, each feather edged or spotted with pale buff
or dirty white, becoming most strongly marked on the rump and upper tail-
coverts ; wings uniform dusky brownish, narrowly edged with white ; tail buffy
brown, transversely barred with dusky : beneath, throat white ; rest of under
surface pale buff, with more or less Y-shaped dusky markings on the breast,
flanks, and under tail-coverts ; axillaries and under wing-coverts pale chestnut,
transversely barred with dusky : whole length 11-6 inches, wing 8' 14, tail 3*3.
Female similar.

Hob. Arctic America, extending south to Patagonia in winter.

The Esquimo Whimbrel, which, as Mr. Seebohm tells us, may be
distinguished from all its congeners by having scarcely any traces of
bars on its primaries and by the back of the tarsus being covered with
hexagonal reticulations, migrates from the tundras of North America,
where it breeds, to the southern extremity of South America.

Mr. Barrows noted its first arrival at Concepcion in Entrerios on
September 9th, 1880, " in large flocks/' After the middle of October
none were seen there.

The same excellent observer saw it almost daily on the pampas be-
tween Azul and Bahia Blanca, "in company with the Golden Plover
and Bartram's Sandpiper, until late in February."

From the 8th to the 10th of October, 1877, Durnford saw large flocks
of this Whimbrel in the Chupat Valley flying south, and obtained two
specimens. Capt. Packe and Capt. Abbott both procured examples in
the Falkland Islands.

Order XVI.

Fam. L. LARID^E, OR GULLS.

The Gulls and Terns of the Rio de la Plata require more attention,
and it is probable that several additions will have to be made to the
list. At present we can enumerate only nine species as certainly found
within our limits. The number of known Neotropical Laridse is
about thirty-three.

RHYXCHOPS MELANURA. 193

410. RHYNCHOPS MELANURA, Sw.
(BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER.)

Rhynchops nigra, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 520 (Rio Parana) ; Scl et Salv.
P. Z. S. 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres) ; iid. Nomencl p. 147 ; Durnford, Ibis,
1877, p. 203 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 628 (Buenos Ayres).
Rhynchops melanura, Saunders, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 522.

Description. — Above brownish black ; forehead and wing-band white ; tail
black : beneath white ; bill, apical half black, basal half orange ; feet red :
whole length 19*0 inches, wing 15*0, tail 5'0. Female similar.

Hab. Coasts of South America.

The Black-tailed Skimmer, which is common on the coasts of Brazil,
migrates south in spring, following the course of the Plata river in its
journey, and appearing in pairs or small flocks in the neighbourhood of
Buenos Ayres during the month of October. Its chief breeding-ground
is on the extensive mud-banks and islets at Bahia Blanca on the Atlantic
coast. The return-migration occurs in March.

Darwin met with the Scissor- bill during his excursion up the Parana
in October 1833, and speaks of it as follows (Nat. Journ. p. 161) : —

" 1 here saw a very extraordinary bird, called the Scissor-beak (Rhyn-
chops nigra) . It has short legs, web feet, extremely long-pointed wings,
and is of about the size of a Tern. The beak is flattened laterally, that
is in a plane at right angles to that of a Spoonbill or Duck. It is as
flat and elastic as an ivory paper-cutter, and the lower mandible, differ-
ently from every other bird, is an inch and a half longer than the upper.
I will here detail all I know of the habits of the Scissor-beak. It is
found both on the east and west coasts, between lat. 30° and 45°, and
frequents either salt or fresh water. The specimen now at the Zoological
Society was shot at a lake near Maldonado, from which the water had
been nearly drained, and which, in consequence, swarmed with small
fry. I there saw several of these birds, generally in small flocks, flying
backwards and forwards, close to the surface of the lake. They kept
their bills wide open, and with the lower mandible half buried in the
water. Thus skimming the surface, they ploughed it in their course;
the water was quite smooth, and it formed a most curious spectacle to
behold a flock, each bird leaving its narrow wake on the mirror-like
surface. In their flight, they frequently twist about with extreme
rapidity, and so dexterously manage, that with their projecting lower
mandible they plough up small fish, which are secured by the upper
half of their scissor-like bill. This fact I repeatedly saw, as, like
Swallows, they continued to fly backwards and forwards, close before
me. Occasionally, when leaving the surface of the water their flight

VOL. II. °

194 LARIDjE.

was wild, irregular, and rapid; they then also uttered loud, harsh cries.
When these birds are fishing, the length of the primary feathers of the
wings is seen to be quite necessary, in order to keep the latter dry.
When thus employed, their forms resemble the symbol by which many
artists represent marine birds. The tail is much used in steering their
irregular course.

" These birds are common far inland along the course of the Rio
Parana; it is said they remain during the whole year, and breed in the
marshes. During the day they rest in flocks on the grassy plains, at
some distance from the water. Being at anchor, as I have said, in one
of the deep creeks between the islands of the Parana, as the evening
drew to a close, one of these Scissor-beaks suddenly appeared. The
water was quite still, and many little fish were rising. The bird con-
tinued for a long time to skim the surface, flying in its wild and irre-
gular manner up and down the narrow canal, now dark with the growing
night and the shadows of the overhanging trees. At Monte Video I
observed that some large flocks during the day remained on the mud-
banks at the head of the harbour, in the same manner as on the grassy
plains near the Parana ; and every evening they took flight direct to
seaward. From these facts, I suspect that the Rhynchops generally
fishes by night, at which time many of the lower animals come most
abundantly to the surface. M. Lesson states that he has seen these
birds open the shells of the Mactrte, buried in the sand-banks on the
coast of Chile ; from their weak bills, with the lower mandible so much
produced, their short legs and long wings, it is very improbable that
this can be a general habit."

411. PHAETHUSA MAGNIROSTRIS (Licht.).
(GREAT-BILLED TERN.)

Sterna magnirostris, Bwm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 519 (Rio Parana) ; Sounders,
P. Z. S. 1876, p. 643 ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 316 (Entrerios). Phaethusa
magnirostris, Scl et Salv. Nomencl p. 147; iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 567;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 200 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Crown, ear-coverts, and nape black ; mantle slate-grey, passing
into white at the tips of the secondaries ; wing-coverts white ; quills black ;
tail slate-grey • lores and entire underparts glossy white ; bill yellow, with a
greenish tinge at the base of under mandible ; legs and feet olive-yellow :
whole length 14-5 inches, wing 11-5. In the young the crown is grey ; the
mantle browner grey.

Hab. Coasts and rivers of South America.

STERNA TRUDEAUII.

195

This large-billed Tern, " with a slightly forked tail, but amply deve-
loped feet/' is occasionally seen near Buenos Ayres.

Diirnford tells us that he found it common at Baradero in April in
small parties, and watched one flock for some time. These individuals
kept circling over a mill-pond, which evidently held a good supply of
small fishes ; for they constantly kept darting into the water. This
species, Durnford adds, has a note quite unlike that of any other Tern ;
it is nearly similar to the cry of the " Tero-tero" (Vanellus cayennensis) ,
for which he had often mistaken it.

412, STERNA MAXIMA, Bodd.
(GREAT TERN.)

Sterna maxima, Set. et Salv. Nomencl p. 147 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 667 ;
Sounders, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 655, et 1882, p. 521.

Head of Sterna maxima. (P. Z. S. 1871 , p. -568.)

Description. — Crown and crested nape black ; neck, lores, throat, and tmder-
parts pure white ; back pale grey ; quills darker grey, with white on most of
the inner webs ; tail pearl-white ; bill orange ; legs and feet black : whole
length 18-0 inches, wing 14'5. Young : darker on upper parts.

Hab. Coasts of America from Massachusetts to La Plata, and north-
wards to California.

This large Tern seems to occur on the Rio Parana, according to Azara.
It is certainly found in Southern Brazil, where Mr. Rogers obtained a
series of specimens now in the collections of Messrs. Salvin and Godman
and of Mr. H. Saunders.

413. STEENA TRUDEAUII, And.
(TRUDEAU'S TERN.)

Sterna trudeauii, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl p. 147 j iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 570 ; JDunt-
ford, Ibis, 1877, p. 200 (Buenos Ayres)} Saunders, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 660.
Sterna frobeenii, Phil, et Landb. Wiegm. Arch. 1863, pi, i. p. 125 (Chili).

196 LARID^E.

Description. — Above light grey ; head white, with a dark transocular line on
each side ; rump white : beneath light grey ; bill black, base and tip yellow ;
feet yellow : whole length 12-5 inches, wing 1OO. The young are pure white
below, and have darker quills.

Hab. Coasts of S.E. Brazil, Argentina, and Chili.

This beautiful Tern, peculiar for its white head in the adult dress, was
observed by Durnford on Flores Island in the Rio de la Plata, and in
other places on the coast of the Argentine Republic. One was obtained
near Punta Lara, in October 1876; and many more since by Mr. E.
Gibson, Commander MacFarlane, and others.

414. STERNA HIRUNDINACEA, Less.
(CASSIN'S TERN.)

Sterna hirundinacea, Saund. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 647; Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 404
(Centr. Patagonia). Sterna cassini, Scl, et Salv. Nomencl p. 147; iid.
P. Z. S. 1871, p. 570 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 201 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Head and nape black ; mantle and wings grey, darker on the
quills ; rump white ; tail pearl-white, darker on the outer streamers ; underparts
greyish white ; bill blood-red ; feet orange-crimson : whole length 15-0 inches,
wing 11-5. Young : streaked on the head and mottled on the upper parts with
blackish.

Hab. Patagonia, Chili, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and Falkland Islands,
up to Rio.

This is a black-headed Tern with a blood -red bill, which is found
abundantly on the coast of Patagonia, and extends up the Atlantic
coast to Rio. It was noticed by Durnford near Buenos Ayres, and
found breeding by the same excellent observer at Tombo Point, about
sixty miles to the south of Chupat, in December 1877. He tells us : —

" I was prepared when I visited this place in December to see a con-
siderable quantity of birds ; but the number that met my eyes fairly
staggered me. Their nests covered an area about 150 yards square.
Allowing three nests and five eggs for every square yard (a very mode-
rate computation, it being difficult to walk without treading on the eggs),
we arrive at the extraordinary number of 67,500 nests, 135,000 birds,
and 112,500 eggs; and, wonderful as these figures may appear, I feel
sure that I have rather understated than overstated the numbers. The
nests were mere hollows in the fine gravel or shingle, and contained one,
two, and sometimes three eggs. The latter generally have the appear-
ance of the eggs of the Sandwich Tern, though of course smaller ; and
out of many hundreds I did not see two alike/'

LARUS DOMINICANUS. 197

415. STERNA SUPERCILIARIS, Vieill.
(EYEBROWED TERN.)

Sterna superciliaris, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 147 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 671 ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 201 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 628
(Misiones) : Sounder 8, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 662. Sterna argentea, Burm. La-
Plata Iteise, ii. p. 519 (Parand).

Description. — Forehead and underparts white ; loral stripe, head, and nape
black ; back, rump, inner primaries, and inner web of tail pale slate-grey ; outer
primaries blackish ; bill yellow ; legs and feet olive-yellow : whole length 8*5
inches, wing 7*0. In the young bird the crown is grey.

Hob. The large rivers and the coast on the east side of South
America.

This is a little Tern, belonging to the same group as the European
Sterna minuta, with a uniform pale yellow bill. Durnford met with it
at Baradero, and says that it frequents shallow inland lagoons and
small streams; but is also found on the Rio de la Plata. Dr. Burmeister
obtained it on the Parana, and White at Itapua, Misiones. Saunders
shot it on the Huallaga, in Peru, 2800 miles inland.

416. LARUS DOMINICANUS, Licht.
(DOMINICAN GULL.)

Lams dominicanus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 148 j iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 576;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 45 (Chupat) et p. 201 (Buenos Ayres), et
1878, p. 405 (Chupat) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 316 (Pampas) ; Saunders,
P. Z. S. 1878, p. 180 ; Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 472 (Lomas de Zamora).
Larus vociferus, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 518 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Mantle brownish-black ; primaries black, with white tips, and
a subapical patch in old birds ; rest of plumage white ; bill yellow, orange
at angle of lower mandible ; legs and feet olive : whole length 21'0-22'0 inches,
wing 17'0-18'0. Young mottled brown.

Hob. Both coasts of South America, from Peru on the west and Rio
on the east, to Patagonia and Falkland Islands.

The Dominican Gull, which belongs to the same section of the group
as the well-known Black-backed Gulls of Europe, is common through-
out the Plata district in winter, from April to August. During the
summer months it confines itself to the Atlantic coast, and breeds in
large numbers in the neighbourhood of Bahia Blanca, on the extensive
sand-banks and mud-flats there ; and in other suitable localities further
south. Durnford found it nesting at Tombo Point, sixty miles south
of the Chupat river.

At the approach of cold weather the Dominican Gulls leave the

198

LABID^E.

sea-shore and wander inland and northward. At this season they are
exclusively flesh-eaters, with a preference for fresh meat; and when
the hide has been stripped from a dead cow or horse they begin to
appear, vulture-like, announcing their approach with their usual long
hoarse pelagic cries, and occasionally, as they circle about in the air,
joining their voices in a laughter-like chorus of rapidly-repeated notes.
Their winter movements are very irregular; in some seasons they are
rare, and in others so abundant that they crowd out the Hooded Gulls
and Carrion-Hawks from the carcass ; I have seen as many as five to
six hundred Dominicans massed round a dead cow.

417. LARUS MACULIPENNIS, Licht.
(SPOT-WINGED GULL.)

Lams maculipennis, Sol. et Salu. Nomencl p. 148 ; Dumford, Ibis, 1877, p. 202
' (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 405 (Centr. Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882,
p. 628 (Buenos Ayres) ; Sounders, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 201 ; Withington, Ibis,
1888, p. 472 (Looms de Zamora). Larus serranus, Burm. La-Plata Reise,
ii. p. 519. Larus cirrhocephalus, Scl et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146 (Buenos
Ayres) ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 4.

Three outer primaries of adult SPOT- WINGED GULL.
(P.Z. S. 1878, p. 202.)

Description. — Head and nape brownish-black (in breeding-dress) ; tail and
underparts white ; mantle pale grey ; primaries black or dark grey, tipped with
white, and with large elongated white patches on the outer portions of first to
fifth, followed by a subapical Hack bar (in L. glaucodes the lower portion is
white): under win g pale grey, bill, legs, and feet blood-red: length 16-0-17-0
inches, wing 11-5.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and La Plata.

This common Black-hooded Gull is found throughout the Argentine
country, down to Chupat in Patagonia, and is exceedingly abundant on

LARUS MACULIPENNIS. 199

the pampas of Buenos Ayres, where it is simply called Gaviota. In the
month of October they congregate in their breeding-places — extensive
inland marshes, partially overgrown with rushes. The nests are formed
of weeds and rushes, placed just above the water and near together,
several hundreds being sometimes found within an area of less than one
quarter of an acre. The eggs are four in number, large for the bird,
obtusely pointed, of a pale clay-colour, thickly spotted at the big end
and sparsely on the other parts with black.

Every morning, at break of day, the Gulls rise up from their nests
and hover in a cloud over the marsh, producing so great a noise with
their mingled cries that it can be heard distinctly at a distance of two
miles. The eggs are considered a great delicacy, resembling those of
the Plover in taste and appearance, and are consequently much sought
after, so that when the locality near which a gullery is situated becomes
inhabited the birds have no chance of rearing their young, as the boys
in the neighbourhood ride into the marsh every morning to gather the
eggs. The Gulls are, however, very tenacious of their old breeding-
places, and continue even after years of persecution to resort to them.

The young birds are of a pale grey colour, mottled with dull brown,
and have a whining querulous cry. The plumage becomes lighter
through the autumn and winter, but it is not until the ensuing summer,
when the dark brown nuptial hood is assumed, that the young birds
acquire the perfect plumage — soft grey-blue above, and the white bosom
with its lovely pink blush.

As soon as the young are able to fly the breeding-place is forsaken,
the whole concourse leaving in a body, or scattering in all directions
over the surrounding country ; and until the following summer their
movements depend entirely on food and water. If the weather is dry
the Gulls disappear altogether ; and if grasshoppers become abundant
the country people wish for rain to bring the Gulls. When it rains then
the birds quickly appear, literally from the clouds, and often in such
numbers as to free the earth from the plague of devastating insects.
It is a fine and welcome sight to see a white cloud of birds settle on the
afflicted district ; and at such times their mode of proceeding is so
regular that the flock well deserves the appellation of an army. They
sweep down with a swift graceful flight and settle on the earth with
loud joyful cries, but do not abandon the order of attack when the work
of devouring has begun. The flock often presents a front of over a
thousand feet, with a depth of sixty or seventy feet ; all along this
line of battle the excited cries of the birds produce a loud continuous
noise ; all the birds are incessantly on the move, some skimming along
the surface with expanded wings, others pursuing the fugitives through

200 LABID-33.

the air, while all the time the hindmost birds are flying over the flock
to alight in the front ranks, so that the whole body is steadily advancing,
devouring the grasshoppers as it proceeds. When they first arrive they
seem ravenously hungry, and after gorging themselves they fly to the
water, where after drinking they cast up their food and then go back to
renew the battle.

In spring these Gulls come about the farms to follow the plough, filling
the new-made furrows from end to end, hovering in a cloud over the
ploughman's head and following at his heels, a screaming, fighting crowd.
When feeding they invariably keep up a great noise. Wilson's expres-
sion in describing a northern species, that its cry " is like the excessive
laugh of a negro/' is also descriptive of the language of our bird. Its
peculiar cry is lengthened at will and inflected a thousand ways, and
interspersed with numerous short notes like excited exclamations.
After feeding they always fly to the nearest water to drink and bathe
their feathers, after which they retire to some open spot in the neigh-
bourhood where there is a carpet of short grass. They invariably sit
close together with their bills toward the wind, and the observer will
watch the flock in vain to see one bird out of this beautiful order.
They do not stand up to fly, but rise directly from a sitting posture.
Usually the wings are flapped twice or thrice before the body is raised
from the ground.

In some seasons in August and September, after a period of warm
wet weather, the larvse of the large horned beetle rise to the surface,
throwing up little mounds of earth as moles do ; often they are so
numerous as to give the plains, where the grass has been very closely
cropped, the appearance of being covered with mud. These insects
afford a rich harvest to the Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus cayennensis],
which in such seasons of plenty are to be seen all day diligently running
about, probing and dislodging them from beneath the fresh hillocks.
The Gulls, unprovided with a probing beak, avail themselves of their
superior cunning and violence to rob the Lapwings ; and I have often
watched their proceedings for hours with the greatest interest. Hun-
dreds of Lapwings are perhaps visible running busily about on all sides;
near each one a Gull is quietly stationed, watching the movements of
its intended dupe with the closest attention. The instant a great snow-
white grub is extracted the Gull makes a rush to seize it, the Lapwing
flies, and a violent chase ensues. After a hundred vain doublings the
Plover drops the prize, and slopes toward the earth with a disappointed
cry ; the pursuer checks his flight, hovers a moment watching the grub
fall, then drops down upon it, gobbles it up, and hastens after the Lap-
wing to resume his watch.

LARUS CIRRHOCEPHALUS. 201

Many of these Gulls haunt the estancias to feed on the garbage usually
found in abundance about cattle-breeding establishments. When a cow is
slaughtered they collect in large numbers and quarrel with the domestic
poultry over the offal. They are also faithful attendants at the shep-
herd's hut ; and if a dead lamb remains in the fold when the flock goes
to pasture they regale on it in company with the Chimango. The great
Saladeros, or slaughter-grounds, which were formerly close to Buenos
Ayres, are also frequented by hosts of these neat and beautiful scavengers.
Here numbers may be seen hovering overhead, and mingling their
excited screams with the bellowing of half-wild cattle and the shouts of
the slaughterers at their rough work ; and at intervals, wherever a little
space is allowed them, dropping themselves on to the ground, which
reeks with blood and offal, and greedily snatching up whatever morsels
they can on the instant, and yet getting no stain or speck on their
delicate dress of lily-white and ethereal blue.

On the open pampas their curiosity and anger seems greatly excited
at the appearance of a person on foot ; no sooner has the Gull spied
him than it sweeps toward him with a rapid flight, uttering loud indig-
nant screams that never fail to attract all of its fellows within hearing
distance. These all pass and repass, hovering over the pedestrian's
head, screaming all the time as if highly incensed, and finally retire,
joining their voices in a kind of chorus and waving their wings upwards
in a slow curious manner ; but often enough, when they are almost out
of sight, they suddenly wheel about and hurry back screaming, with
fresh zeal, to go through the whole pretty but annoying performance

418. LARUS CIRRHOCEPHALUS, Vieill.
(GREY-CAPPED GULL.)

Larus cirrhocephalus, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 148 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 578 ;
Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 201 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 316
(Entrerios) ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 204. Larus maculipennis, £urm.
La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 518 (Parana).

Description. — Head (in breeding-plumage) grey, deepening in colour on the
nape and throat ; tail and underparts white ; mantle grey (darker than in
L. maculipennis) ; primaries black, with small subapical white patches on first
and second, and longer ones on the outer webs of third to fifth near the base ;
under wing slate-grey ; bill, legs, and feet crimson to orange-red : length 16-0 to
17'0 inches, wing 12-25.

Hob. South Brazil, Uruguay, and La Plata, also coast of Peru.
The Grey-capped Gull is found on the Rio de la Plata, and as far

202 PODICIPEDID^E.

north as Concepcion on the Uruguay in winter, where Mr. Barrows
observed it in immense flocks frequenting the " Saladeros."

Durnford gives us the subjoined account of this species : — " I have
not observed this bird to the south of Buenos Ayres, but have con-
stantly seen it from March to July to the north of the city. Unlike
Larus maculipennis, it never wanders inland, but frequents the shallow
shores of the La Plata, feeding on dead fish or offal, and flocking round
the fishermen when they are hauling their nets to get a share of the
spoil. As a rule, this species does not mix with Larus maculipennis,
though now and then they are seen together; but all the flocks or
parties I have observed when flying from one spot to another have
always been composed of birds of its own kind. Adults, after once
attaining their pearl-grey hood, never lose it, though in winter it becomes
rather lighter, and those with white heads are immature birds, which
do not attain their full plumage till after their second moult. I have
seen many birds throughout May and June of the present year with
well-defined dark grey hoods. Some specimens, when first killed, have
a delicate faint pink tinge on their underparts, also observed in
L. maculipennis, which, however, quickly fades after death. The colour
of the iris varies a good deal in different examples, being pale grey,
grey with a tinge of yellow, and grey with a tinge of light wood-brown.
This is probably attributable to age. The narrow rim of naked skin
round the eye is dark coral-red ; legs and feet the same, but of a duller
shade ; beak rather darker than the legs."

Order XVII. PYGOPODES.

Fam. LI. PODICIPEDIMl, OR GREBES.

The Grebes, although perhaps more especially a development of the
Arctic lands, are sparingly represented all through the tropics, and
reappear in augmented numbers south of the Antarctic circle. Within
the Neotropical Region nine to eleven species are met with, of which
five are found inside our limits. Three of these are peculiar Patagonian
species, the other two are widely spread over America.

419. JECHMOPHORUS MAJOR (Bodd.).
(GREAT GREBE.)

Podiceps bicornis, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 520 (Rio Parana), .ffichmo-
phorus major, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 150 j Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 203

jECHMOPHORUS MAJOR. 203

(Buenos Ay res), et 1878, p. 405 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884,
p. 316 (Entrerios) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 433 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withingtm,
Ibis, 1888, p. 473 (Lomas de Zamora). Podiceps chilensis, Darwin,
Zool. 'Beagle,' iii. p. 137 (Buenos Ayres). Podiceps major, Scl. et Salv. Ex.
Oni. p. 190 j Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 164 (Buenos Ayres).

Description. — Above blackish ; occipital crest divided, bronzy black ; wide bar
across the wing white : beneath white ; chin dark ashy ; neck, breast, and sides
of belly (in adult) more or less red ; bill yellowish ; feet dark : whole length 21-0
inches, wing 8-0, tail 1-5.

Hab. South America.

This fine Grebe is said by Buffon to be from Cayenne, but we have
never seen specimens from anywhere so far north. It was not obtained
in Brazil by Natterer or Burmeister, but Azara met with it in Paraguay.

This Grebe is called in the vernacular Macds cornudo — the first word
being the Indian generic name for the Grebes, while cornudo signifies
horned, from the bird's habit of erecting, when excited, the feathers of
the nape in the form of a horn. The species is found throughout
Eastern Argentina, from its northern limits to Central Patagonia, where
Durnford found it common and resident. On the Rio Negro I found
it abundant, and it was formerly just as common along the Plata river,
but owing to its large size and the great beauty of its lustrous under
plumage it is very much sought after and is becoming rare.

It is impossible to make this Grebe leave the water, and when dis-
covered in a small pool it may be pursued until exhausted and caught
with the hand ; yet it must occasionally perform long journeys on the
wing when passing from one isolated lake to another. Probably its
journeys are performed by night.

There is little diversity in the habits of Grebes, and only once have I
seen one of these birds acting in a manner which seemed very unusual.
This Grebe was swimming about and disporting itself in a deep narrow
pool, and showed no alarm at my presence, though I sat on the margin
within twenty-five yards of it. I saw it dive and come up with a small
fish about three inches long in its beak ; after sitting motionless for a
little while, it tossed the fish away to a considerable distance with a
sudden jerk of its beak, and then at the instant the fish touched the
water it dived again. Presently it emerged with the same fish, but only
to fling it away and dive as before ; and in this way it released and
recaptured it about fifteen times, and then, tired of play, dropped it and
let it escape.

Mr. Gibson has the following note on the breeding-habits of the
Great Grebe, as observed at Ajo, near the mouth of Rio de La Plata : —
" P. major breeds about the end of August, placing its nest in the

204 PODICIPEDID^E.

thickest rushes of the swamp. The nest, built of wet water-weeds, is
raised just above the level of the water ; and I have twice seen the
sitting bird hastily draw some weeds over the eggs before leaving them,
on ray approach. The clutch consists of three; and these are of the
usual Grebe colour, generally much soiled and stained. They average
2^ff x IJ-Q, the length sometimes presenting a variation of •£$, even in
eggs of the same nest."

420. PODICEPS CALIPARJEUS, Less.
(BRIGHT-CHEEKED GREBE.)

Podiceps caliparaeus, Darwin, ZooL Voy. 'Beagle,' iii. p. 136; ScL et Salv.
Nomencl p. 150 ; iid. Ex. Orn. p. 190 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 45 (Chupat),
et 1878, p. 405 (Centr. Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 43 (Cordova).

Description. — Above dark greyish ; front of head and neck behind pale cine-
reous ; back of head and upper part of neck black ; ear-coverts considerably
elongated, golden brown : beneath, throat grey, paler than front of head ; rest
of under surface shining white; primaries greyish brown, the innermost tipped
with white ; secondaries more or less pure white, or dusky on outer webs :
whole length 11'5 inches, wing 4*7. Female similar.

Hab. Antarctic America, north to Cordova.

Darwin obtained examples of this beautiful Grebe at Bahia Blanca,
where, he says, ef it lives in small flocks in the salt-water channels
extending between the great marshes at the head of the harbour."
Durnford procured specimens on both visits to Chupat, where he found
it common in the lagoons in all the valleys. It is also found, though
not so abundantly, in the northern provinces of the Argentine Republic.
White obtained a single example at Cosquin, near Cordova, in Sep-
tember 1882.

421. PODICEPS EOLLANDI, Quoy et Gaim.
(ROLLAND'S GREBE.)

Podiceps rollandi, ScL et Salv. Nomencl. p. 150 ; iid. Ex. Orn. p. 190 ; iid.
P. Z. S. 1868, p. 146 ; ScL P. Z. S. 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford,
Ibis, 1877, p. 45 (Chupat) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 164 (Buenos Ayres) ; White,
P. Z. S. 1883, p. 43 (Cordova) j Narrows, Auk, 1884, p. 317 (Bahia Blanca).

Desertion. — (Summer plumage.) Above brownish black, with dark green
reflexions ; all the feathers below the neck narrowly margined with rufous ; ear-
coverts elongated, white at base with black tips, and more or less covering the
downy white feathers of the sides of the head ; outer half of primaries brownish
grey, darker at tip ; inner half and secondaries more or less pure white, some of

TACHYBAPTES DOMIN1CUS. 205

the outer webs brownish or buff : beneath, neck and throat blackish brown,
shading into chestnut, barred with dusky on the lower breast and rest of under
surface. (Winter plumage.} Above not so dark: beneath, throat white, neck
dusky rufous ; rest of under surface shining whitish buff, becoming dusky
towards the vent. Whole length 11*8 inches, wing 5-4.

Hab. Antarctic America, north to Cordova.

Holland's Grebe is said by Durnford to be " common in almost every
pool and ditch " in Chupat. It is also common throughout Buenos
Ayres, where the native name for it is Macasito.

Mr. Gibson gives the following details as to its nesting-habits : —
" Podiceps rollandi nests during the latter half of September and
beginning of October. The nest is a slight construction of water- weeds,
floating on the surface of the water, and only kept stationary by the
surrounding rushes. Like P. major, it covers the eggs before leaving
them. Five is the largest clutch of eggs I have taken ; they are origi-
nally of a bluish- white colour, but after some time become covered with
a brown incrustation of a chalky nature. The average measurement is
Ifo x Ifo '> but there is a variation of J J in length and ^0- in breadth
between my largest and smallest specimens."

Specimens of this Grebe were obtained near Cordova by White in
1882.

422. TACHYBAPTES DOMINICUS (Linn.).
(AMERICAN DABCHICK,)

Podiceps dominions, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 521 (Pampas) ; Baird, Brew.,
et Ridgiv. Water-B. N. A. ii. p. 438. Tachybaptes dominions, Scl et Salv.
Nomencl p. 150 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 203 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 405
(Centr. Patagonia) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 629 (Buenos Ayres) ; With-
inyton, Ibis, 1888, p. 473 (Lomas de Zamora). Sylbeocyclus dominions,
Scl. et Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 190.

Description. — Above dark brown, with blackish mottlings ; wings grey, inner
secondaries and under wing-coverts white : beneath pale whitish cinereous, chin
and throat pure white ; neck in front brownish ; bill plumbeous, at base yel-
lowish ; feet black : whole length 10*0 inches, wing 4*0, tail I'O. Female
similar, but not so bright.

Hab. Central and South America.

This representative of the well-known " Dabchick " of Europe is
found throughout South and Central America. In the Argentine
Republic, near Buenos Ayres, it is " resident and common in the
lagoons and arroycs " (Durnford, /. s. c.), and likewise in the Territory
of Chupat.

206 APTENODYTIDJE.

423. PODILYMBUS PODICEPS (Linn.).
(THICK-BILLED GREBE.)

Podilymbus podiceps, Baird, Brew., et Rldgw. Water-B. N. A. ii. p. 440 ;

Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 473.

Description. — Above dirty brown, varied with blackish ; wings cinereous with
white tips to some of the secondaries : beneath white, sprinkled with greyish on
the breast and sides ; chin and throat black ; bill short, compressed, plumbeous,
crossed by a black band ; feet black : whole length 12-0 inches, wing 5'0,
tail 1-0. Female similar.

Hab. North and South America.

The Thick-billed Grebe extends all through America, from Canada
down to Patagonia and Chili. It does not seem to have been noticed
in the Argentine Republic except by Mr. Withington, who sends us a
single specimen from the Lomas de Zamora, near Buenos Ayres.

A second and larger species of this genus (P. antarcticus) occurs on
the western side of America from Guatemala to Chili.

Order XVIII. IMPENNES.

Fam. LIT. APTENODYTIMl, OR PENGUINS.

The Penguins are a peculiar group of oceanic birds which differ
essentially from all other birds in the construction of their wings and
feet, and should certainly form an Order apart. They are denizens of
the Antarctic sea-shores and islands, but in the Pacific go as far north
as the Galapagos. On the shores and islands of South America nine
species occur, one of which has been met with within our limits.

424. SPHENISCUS MAGELLANICUS (Forst.).
(JACKASS PENGUIN.)

Spheniscus magellanicus, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 151 ; Scl. Zool Cliall. Exp.
pt. viii. (Birds), p. 125, pi. xxviii. Aptenodytes demersa, Abbott, Ibis,
1860, p. 336.

Description. — Above bluish black; broad superciliary stripe descending on
each side of the neck white : beneath white ; throat and sides of neck, and two
breast-bands, the lower narrower and produced down the sides of the belly,
black ; bill and feet plumbeous : whole length 16-0 inches, wing r5, tail 2-0.

Hab. Coasts of Antarctic. America and Falkland Islands.

TINAMID^E. 207

At the mouth of the Rio Negro Hudson once picked up a specimen
of a Penguin, believed to have been of this species, which had
apparently just met its death by some accident. The range of this
bird, moreover, appears to extend much further north, as it is well
known to the Gauchos along the coast, who call it '' Pajaro Niilo " (bird
boy), from its fancied resemblance to a small human being when it
stands erect on the shore.

Darwin (Nat. Voy. chap, iii.) speaks of having seen numerous Pen-
guins in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, when approaching Monte
Video in the ( Beagle/ in July 1832; and Graf v. Berlepsch tells me he
has an imperfect specimen of Spheniscus magellanicus from the coast of
Rio Grande do Sul, where it was picked up dead.

The " Jackass Penguin " is a well-known species in the Falkland
Islands, to which it resorts in thousands for the purpose of breeding.
Capt. Abbott tells us it arrives at the latter end of September and
commences laying in its breeding-holes, almost to a day, on October 17.
Some of these birds, however, are found on the shores of the Falkland
Islands throughout the year.

Order XIX. CKYPTUEI.

Fam. LIIL TINAMID^E, OR TINAMOUS.

The Tinamous constitute one of the most singular and characteristic
types of the Neotropical avifauna. Until late years they were usually
associated with the Gallinse or Game Birds, but differ very widely from
them in the conformation of the skull and in other essential points of
structure, and are now generally regarded as forming an Order of their
own, to be placed at the base of the series of Carinatae. About forty
species of Tinamous are known, of which eight occur within our limits.

425. CRYPTURUS OBSOLETUS, Temm.
(BROWN TINAMOU.)

Crypturus cinereus, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 629 (Salta) (P). Ynaxnbu
azulado, Azara, Apunt. iii. p. 52 (Paraguay). Crypturus obsoletus,
Scl. et Salv. Nomend. p. 152.

Description. — Above reddish brown ; head blackish ; sides of head pale cine-
reous : beneath chestnut-brown ; chin pale cinereous ; lower half of abdomen
pale ochraceous, distinctly barred with undulating black bands ; bill brown,
yellowish at the base ; feet dark flesh-colour : whole length 12-0 inches,
wing 6-2, tail 1-8.

208 TINAMID^E.

Hab. Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

White refers a Tinamou which he shot at Oran in November 1880
to Cry p turns cinereus. There can be little doubt, however, that the
specimen in question really belonged to the allied species C. obsoletus,
which is known to occur in Paraguay. The true C. cinereus is from a
much more northern locality, and is not likely to be found in Argentina.

426. CRYPTURUS TATAUPA (Temm.).
(TATAUPA TINAMOU.)

Crypturus tataupa, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 152 ; Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 364
(Salta) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 629 (Oran). Ynambu tataupa, Azara,
Apunt. iii. p. 48.

Description. — Above chestnut-brown ; head and neck dark cinereous : beneath
cinereous ; throat white ; middle of belly white ; flanks and crissum varied with
undulating bars of black and white; bill yellowish; feet dark ashy: whole
length 10-0 inches, wing 5*2, tail 1*8. Female similar.

Hab. South Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

The Tataupa Tinamou was first described by Azara as an inhabitant
of Paraguay, whence it extends into the northern provinces of the
Argentine Republic. White obtained specimens among the under-
growth in the dense forests of Campo Colorado, near Oran, and Durn-
ford also met with it near Salta.

To Azara' s interesting account of the Tataupa' s habits nothing has
been recently added. He says that this species inhabits woods and
thickets, and also approaches houses where it finds cover — hence the
Guarani name, which means a bird of the house. It lays four eggs of
a fine purple colour ; and when driven from the nest flutters along the
ground, feigning lameness. It sings all the year round, and for power
and brilliance of voice is preeminent among this class of birds. After
the first note of its curious song there is an interval of eight seconds of
silence ; then the note is repeated with shorter and shorter intervals,
until, becoming hurried, they run into a trill, followed by a sound
which may be written chororo, repeated three or four times. When
sitting close it tips forward, pressing its breast on its legs, so that the
rump is raised higher than the back, and opening the terminal feathers
of the body, it spreads them in a semicircle over the back as if to
conceal itself beneath them, and when looked at from behind nothing
is visible except this fan of feathers. The feathers are concave with
points inclining upward, and when thus disposed have a strange and
beautiful appearance.

RHYNCHOTUS RUFESCENS. 209

427. RHYNCHOTUS RUFESCENS (Temm.).
(GREAT TINAMOU.)

Rhynchotus rufescens, Burin. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 498 (Parana, Rosario,
Tucuman) ; Scl et Sulv. Nomencl p. 153 ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 546
(Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 203 (Buenos Ayres) : Barrows,
Auk, 1884, p. 317 (Entrerios) j Withington, Ibis, 1888, p. 473 (Lomas de
Zamora).

Description. — Above cinereous ; head, wings, and back crossed by black bars
with pale ochraceous edgings ; neck reddish ; primaries chestnut : beneath pale
cinereous, strongly tinged with rufous on the neck and breast ; chin white ;
bill ashy, beneath at base yellowish ; feet dark flesh-colour : whole length
14-0 inches, wing 9'5, tail 3*0. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. South Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

This large Tinamou, known to the Argentines as the Perdiz grande,
or f< Great Partridge," is found on the pampas wherever long grasses
abound, and extends as far south as the Colorado river, its place being
taken in Patagonia by Calodromas elegans. It is never met with in
woods or thickets, and requires no shelter but the giant grasses,
through which it pushes like a Rail. Wherever the country becomes
settled and the coarse indigenous grasses are replaced by those of
Europe, it quickly disappears, so that it is already extinct over a
great portion of the Buenos Ayrean pampas.

This species is solitary in its habits, conceals itself very closely in the
grass, and flies with the greatest reluctance. I doubt if there is any-
where a bird with such a sounding flight as the Tinamou ; the whir of
its wings can only be compared to the rattling of a vehicle driven at
great speed over a stony road. From the moment it rises until it
alights again there is no cessation in the rapid vibration of the wings ;
but, like a ball thrown by the hand, the bird flies straight away with
extraordinary violence until the impelling force is spent, when it slopes
gradually towards the earth, the distance it is able to accomplish at a
flight being from 800 to 1500 yards. This flight it can repeat when
driven up again as many as three times, after which the bird can rise
no more.

The call of the Large Partridge is heard, in fine weather, at all
seasons of the year, especially near sunset, and is uttered while the
bird sits concealed in the grass, many individuals answering each other;
for although I call it a solitary bird, it being a rare thing to see even
two together, many birds are usually found living near each other.
The song or call is composed of five or six notes of various length, with
a mellow flute -like sound, and so expressive that it is, perhaps, the
sweetest bird-music heard on the pampas,

VOL. H. F

210 TINAMIDjE.

The eggs are usually five in number, nearly round, highly polished,
and of a dark-reddish-purple or wine colour; but this beautiful tint
in a short time changes to a dull leaden hue. The nest is a mere
scrape, insufficiently lined with a few grass-leaves. The young birds
appear to leave the mother (or father, for it is probable that the male
hatches the eggs) at a very early period. When still very small they
are found living, like the adults, a solitary life, with their faculties,
including those of flight and the melodious voice, in a high state of
perfection.

428. NOTHOPRQCTA PENTLANDI (Gray).
(PENTLAND'S TINAMOU.)

Rhynchotus pentlandii, G. E. Gray, List of Gall B. M. p. 103 (1867).

Rhynchotus punctulatus, G. R. Gray, ibid. (jr.). Nothoprocta

doeringi, Cab. J. /. O. 1878, p. 198 (Cordova) ; White, P. Z 8. 1883,
p. 432 (Cordova).

Description. — Above cinereous ; head and back banded with black bars, which
are bordered with ochraceous; back also varied with longitudinal whitish
streaks ; wings cinereous, with pale ochraceous cross bars on the outer webs :
beneath pale cinereous ; throat whitish ; breast and sides of belly with rounded
whitish spots ; middle of belly creamy white ; bill and feet reddish : whole
length 8-0 inches, wing 5-5, tail 2-0.

Hob. Andes of Bolivia and Northern Argentina.

We have been able to compare a typical specimen of Nothoprocta
doeringi, received from Dr. Doering of Cordova, with the series of
specimens of this group in the British Museum, and find that
Dr. Cabanis^s name must give way to G. R. Gray's prior designation.
Dr. Doeriug's specimens of this species were obtained in the Sierra de
Cordova. The original example of Nothoprocta pentlandi was procured
by Pentland, the well-known scientific traveller (after whom it is called),
in the Andes of Bolivia.

429. NOTHOPROCTA CINERASCENS (Burm.).
(CINEREOUS TINAMOU.)

Nothura cinerascens, Burm. La-Plata Rdse, ii. p. 498 (Cordova, Tucuman) ;
Sakin, Ibis, 1880, p. 364 (Tucuman) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 43 (Cordova).
Nothoprocta cinerascens, Cab. J.f. O. 1878, p. 198 (Cordova).

Description.— Above cinereous ; head and whole back banded with black and
pale brown and streaked with fulvous white : beneath pale ashy white ; breast

NOTHURA MACULOSA. 211

and flanks banded and freckled with blackish and cinereous ; under wing-coverts
with black and fulvous cross bands ; wings blackish, outer webs spotted with
fulvous; bill horn-colour, lower mandible and feet yellowish: whole length
12-0 inches, wing 6-8, tail 2-6.

Hob. Northern Argentina.

This fine and distinct species was first obtained by Dr. Burmeister
in Cordova and in Tucuman, where Durnford also obtained specimens
of it during his last journey. It is larger than N. pentlandi, and has
the breast thickly covered by somewhat rounded light spots upon a
cinereous ground; these are mixed with black points and slight
striations.

430. NOTHURA MACULOSA (Temm.).
(SPOTTED TINAMOU.)

Nothura maculosa, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 499 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl.
p. 153 j- wtf. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 547 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 203 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson,
Ibis, 1880, p. 16S (Buenos Ayres); White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 629 (Misiones) ;
Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 317 (Entrerios, Bahia Blanca) ; Withington, Ibis,
1888, p. 473 (Loraas de Zamora). Nothura major, Darwin, Zool. ' Beagle}
iii. p. 119.

Description. — Above pale yellowish brown, barred with black and brown and
streaked with fulvous white ; wing-feathers ashy black, crossed on both webs
by fulvous bands: beneath rich yellowish brown; throat white; breast and
flanks spotted and banded with brownish black ; bill and feet yellowish brown :
whole length 11-0 inches, wing 5'5, tail 1-6. Female similar, but larger.

Hab. Argentine Republic.

The Perdiz comun or Common Partridge of the pampas, as it is
always called — the naturalist's name of Tinamou being utterly unknown
in the southern part of South America — is much smaller than the
" Perdiz grande/' but in its form, slender curved beak, bare legs, and
in the yellowish mottled plumage generally resembles it. It also
inhabits the same kind of open grassy, country, and is abundant every-
where on the pampas and as far south as the valley of the Rio Negro
in Patagonia. It is solitary ; but a number of individuals are usually
found in proximity ; and in lonely places on the pampas, where they
are excessively abundant, I have seen three or four meet together and
play in the manner of kittens, darting out from a place of concealment
at each other, the pursued bird always escaping by turning off at right
angles or by suddenly crouching down and allowing the pursuer to
spring over it.

It is very tame in disposition, and flies so reluctantly that it is not

212 TTOAMID.E.

necessary to shoot them where they are very abundant, as any number
can be killed with a long whip or stick. It moves on the ground in a
leisurely manner, uttering as it walks or runs a succession of low
whistling notes. It has two distinct songs or calls, pleasing to the ear
and heard all the year round ; but with greater frequency in spring,
and, where the birds are scarce and much persecuted, in spring only.
One is a succession of twenty or thirty short impressive whistling notes
of great compass, followed by half a dozen rapidly uttered notes,
beginning loud and sinking lower till they cease : the other call is a
soft continuous trill, which appears to swell mysteriously on the air,
for the listener cannot tell whence it proceeds ; it lasts several seconds,
and then seems to die away in the distance.

It is an exceedingly rare thing to see this bird rise except when
compelled. I believe the power of flight is used chiefly, if not exclu-
sively, as a means of escape from danger. The bird rises up when
almost trodden upon, rushing into the air with a noise and violence
that fill one with astonishment. It continues to rise at a decreasing
angle for fifty or sixty yards, then gradually nears the earth, till, when
it has got to a distance of two or three hundred yards, the violent
action of the wing ceases, and the bird glides along close to the earth
for some distance, and either drops down or renews its flight. I
suppose many birds fly in much the same way; only this Tinamou
starts forward with such amazing energy that, until this is expended
and the moment of gliding comes, the flight is just as ungovernable
to the bird as the motion of a brakeless engine, rushing along at full
speed, would be to the driver. The bird knows the danger to which
this peculiar character of its flight exposes it so well, that it is careful
to fly only to that side where it sees a clear course. It is sometimes,
however, compelled to take wing suddenly, without considering the
obstacles in its path ; it also often miscalculates the height of an
obstacle, so that for Tinamous to meet witl^ accidents when flying is
very common. In the course of a short ride of two miles, during
which several birds sprang up before me, I have seen three of these
Tinamous dash themselves to death against a fence close to the path,
the height of which they had evidently misjudged. I have also seen a
bird fly blindly against the wall of a house, killing itself instantly. A
brother of mine told me of a very curious thing he once witnessed.
He was galloping over the pampas, with a very violent wind blowing in
his face, when a Tinamou started up before his horse. The bird flew
up into the air vertically, and, beating its wings violently, and with
a swiftness far exceeding that of its ordinary flight, continued to
ascend until it reached a vast height, then came down again, whirling

J1TY
of

ARG. ORN. PL. XX

NOTHURA DARWINI

NOTHURA DARWINI. 213

round and round, striking the earth a very few yards from the spot
where it rose, and crushing itself to a pulp with the tremendous force
of the fall. It is very easy to guess the cause of such an accident :
while the Tinamou struggled blindly to go forward, the violent wind,
catching the under surface of the wings, forced it upwards, until the
poor bird, becoming hopelessly confused, fell back to earth. I have
often seen a swallow, gull, or hawk, soaring about in a high wind,
suddenly turn the under surface of its wings to the wind and instantly
shoot straight up, apparently without an effort, to a vast height, then
recover itself, and start off in a fresh direction. The Tinamou, when
once launched on the atmosphere, is at the mercy of chance; neverthe-
less, had this incident been related to me by a stranger, I should not
have recorded it.

This Tinamou is frequently run down and caught by well-mounted
Gaucho boys ; the bird frequently escapes into a kennel in the earth, but
when it sees no refuge before it and is hotly pursued, it sometimes
drops dead. When caught in the hand they {( feign death " or swoon,
but on being released quickly recover their faculties.

The nest is a slight hollow scratched in the ground under a thistle or
in the grass, and lined with a few dry leaves. The number of eggs laid
varies from five to eight. These are elliptical, with polished shells, and
as a rule are of a wine-purple colour ; but the hue varies somewhat,
some eggs having a reddish tinge and others a deep liver-colour.

431. NOTHURA DARWINI, Gray.

(DARWIN'S TINAMOU.)

[PLATE XX.]

Nothura minor, Darwin, Zool. Toy. ' Beagk? iii. p. 119 (Bahia Blanca).
Nothura darwini, Gray, List of Gall. B. M. p. 104 (1867) ; Scl P. Z. S.
1872, p. 547. Nothura maculosa, Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 45 (Chupat).
Nothura perdicaria, Durnford, Ibis, 1878, p. 405 (Centr. Patagonia).

Description. — Above cinereous ; feathers of head and back marked with
narrow black and fulvous cross bands and margined with bright ashy-white
edgings ; wings ashy black, crossed on both webs by fulvous bands, except in
the two outer primaries : beneath pale fulvous, throat white ; breast more
cinereous, and densely covered with indistinct black and brown cross bars and
whitish-grey streaks ; flanks and lower belly with irregular black cross bars ;
bill horn-colour; lower mandible and feet yellowish: whole length 8'5 inches,
wing 5'4, tall 2*4.

Hub. Northern Patagonia.

T1NAMHXE.

This species, called Perdiz chico by the natives, is somewhat smaller
and paler in colouring than the common Tinamou of the pampas, but
very closely resembles the young of that species. It inhabits Patagonia,
and is nowhere very numerous, but appears to be thinly and equally
distributed on the dry sterile plains of that region, preferring places
abounding in thin scrub. In disposition it is extremely shy, and when
approached springs up at a distance ahead and runs away with the
greatest speed and apparently much terrified. Sometimes when thus
running it utters short whistled notes like the allied species. It rises
more readily and with less noise than the pampas bird, and has a much
higher flight. It has one call-note, heard only in the love-season— a
succession of short whistling notes, like those of the N. maculosa, but
without the rapidly uttered conclusion.

The nest is made under a small scrubby bush, and contains from five
to seven eggs, in form and colour like those of N. maculosa, except that
the reddish-purple tint is paler.

The figure (Plate XX.) is taken from one of my specimens from the
Rio Negro, now in the British Museum.

432. CALODROMAS ELEGANS (d'Orb. et Geoff.).
(MARTINETA TINAMOU.)

Eudromia elegans, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 498 (San Luis, Mendoza) ;
Scl P.Z.S. 1872, p. 545 (Rio Negro). Calodromas elegans, Scl. et
Salv. Xomencl. p. 153 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 45 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 406
(Centr. Patagonia) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 318 (Bahia Blanca).

Description. — Above densely banded and spotted with black and pale fulvous;
head cinereous, with black striations ; a long recurved vertical crest of black
feathers, partly edged with cinereous ; two lateral stripes on the he£d above
and beneath the eye and throat cinnamomeous white : beneath pale cinna-
momeous, breast with numerous black cross bars and black shaft-spots ; belly,
flanks, and under tail-coverts with broad black cross bands ; wings ashy black,
with numerous cross bands of pale cinnamomeous ; bill blackish : feet bluish
grey : whole length 14-5 inches, wing 8'3, tail 3'0. Female similar.

Hab. Northern Patagonia and Western Argentina.

This fine game bird in its size and mottled plumage resembles the
Rhynchotus rufescens of the pampas, which it represents in the Pata-
gonian district south of the Rio Colorado. It differs externally in the
more earthy hue of its plumage, which is protective and harmonizes
admirably with the colour of its sterile surroundings ; also in having a
shorter beak, and in being adorned with a long slender black crest,
which, when excited, the bird carries directed forwards like a horn.
There is, however, an anatomical difference, which seems to show that

CALODROMAS ELEGANS. 215

the two species are not very near relations. The structure of the
intestinal canal in the Martineta is most peculiar, and unlike that of
any other bird I have ever dissected : the canal divides near the
stomach into a pair of great ducts which widen towards the middle and
extend almost the entire length of the abdominal cavity, and are thickly
set with rows of large membranous claw-shaped protuberances.

The Martineta inhabits the elevated tablelands, and is found chiefly
where patches of scattered dwarf scrub occur among the thorny thickets.
Apparently they do not require water, as they are met with in the
driest situations where water never collects. They are extremely fond
of dusting themselves, and form circular, nest-like hollows in the
ground for that purpose ; these hollows are deep and neatly made, and
are visited every day by the same birds throughout the year. They
live in coveys of from half a dozen to twenty or thirty birds, and when
disturbed do not as a rule take to flight at once, but jump up one
after another and run away with amazing swiftness, uttering as they
run shrill, squealing cries, as if in the greatest terror. Their flight,
although violent, is not so sounding as that of the Pampas Tinamou
(Rhynchotus) , and differs remarkably in another respect. Every twenty
or thirty yards the wings cease beating and remain motionless for a
second, when the bird renews the effort ; thus the flight is a series of
rushes rather than a continuous rush like that of the Rhynchotus. It
is also accompanied with a soft wailing note, which appears to die away
and swell again as the flapping of the wings is renewed.

The call-note of the Martineta is never heard in winter; but in
the month of September they begin to utter in the evening a long,
plaintive, slightly modulated whistle, the birds sitting concealed and
answering each other from bush to bush. As the season advances the
coveys break up, and their call is then heard on every side, and often
all day long, from dawn until after dark. The call varies greatly in
different birds, from a single whistle to a performance of five or six
notes, resembling that of Rhynchotus, but inferior in compass and
sweetness. They begin to breed in October, making the nest in the
midst of a small isolated bush. The eggs vary in number from twelve
to sixteen ; they are elliptical in form, of a beautiful deep green in
colour, and have highly polished shells.

It is probable, I think, that this species possesses some curious
procreant habits, and that more than one female lays in each nest;
but owing to the excessive wariness of the bird in a state of nature it
is next to impossible to find out anything about it. No doubt the day
will come when naturalists will find the advantage of domesticating the
birds the life-histories of which they wish to learn : may it come before
all the most interesting species on the globe are extinct !

216 RHEID^E.

Order XXI. STRTTTHIONES.

Fam. L1V. RHEID.E, OR KHEAS.

The Order of Struthious Birds or Ostriches is represented in South
America by the Nandu or Rhea, which is at once distinguished from
the African Ostrich (Struthio) by having three toes instead of two, as
also by many other important points of structure.

Both the known species of Rhea are found within our limits.

433. RHEA AMERICANA, Lath.
(COMMON RHEA.)

Rhea americana, Darwin, Zool. Voy. t BeagleJ iii. p. 120 ; Burm. La-Plata Reise,
ii. p. 500 ; Scl. et Sale. Nomencl. p. 154 ; Sclater, Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. p. 355,
pi. Ixviii. j Gadow, P. Z. S. 1885, p. 308.

Description. — Above, head blackish; neck whitish, becoming black at the
base of the neck and between the shoulders ; rest slaty grey : beneath, throat
and upper neck whitish, becoming black at the base of the neck, whence arise
two black lateral crescents, one on either side of the upper breast ; rest of under
surface whitish ; front of tarsus throughout covered with broad transverse scutes :
whole length about 52'0 inches, tarsus 12*0 ; tarsus bare.

Hab. Pampas of S. America north of Rio Negro.

Head of Rhea americana.
(P. Z. S. 1860, p. 208.)

The Common Rhea (called "Nandu" in the Guarani language,
" Chueke" by the pampas Indians, and "Ostrich" by Europeans) is

RHEA AMERICANA. 217

found throughout the Argentine Republic down to the Rio Negro in
Patagonia, and, in decreasing numbers, and associating with Darwin's
Rhea, to a considerable distance south of that river. Until within very
recent times it was very abundant on the pampas, and I can remember
the time when it was common within forty miles of Buenos Ay res city.
But it is now becoming rare, and those who wish to have a hand in its
extermination must go to a distance of three or four hundred miles
from the Argentine capital before they can get a sight of it.

The Rhea is peculiarly well adapted, in its size, colour, faculties, and
habits, to the conditions of the level woodless country it inhabits ; its
lofty stature, which greatly exceeded that of any of its enemies before the
appearance of the European mounted hunter, enables it to see far ; its
dim grey plumage, the colour of the haze, made it almost invisible to
the eye at a distance, the long neck being so slender and the bulky body
so nearly on a level with the tall grasses ; while its speed exceeded that
of all other animals inhabiting the same country. When watching the
chase of Ostriches in the desert pampas, abounding in giant grasses, it
struck me forcibly that this manner of hunting the bird on horseback
had brought to light a fault in the Rhea — a point in which the corre-
spondence between the animal and its environment is net perfect. The
Rhea runs smoothly on the surface, and where the tall grass-tussocks
are bound together, as is often the case, with slender twining plants, its
legs occasionally get entangled, and the bird falls prostrate, and before
it can struggle up again the hunter is close at hand and able to throw
the bolas — the thong and balls, which, striking the bird with great force,
wind about its neck, wings, and legs, and prevent its escape. When I
questioned Ostrich-hunters as to this point they said that it was true
that the Rhea often falls when running hotly pursued through long
grass, and that the deer ( Cervus campestris) never falls because it leaps
over the large tussocks and all such obstructions. This small infirmity
of the Rhea would not, however, have told very much against it if some
moderation had been observed in hunting it, or if the Argentine Govern-
ment had thought fit to protect it ; but in La Plata, as in North Ame-
rica and South Africa, the licence to kill, which every one possesses, has
been exercised with such zeal and fury that in a very few more years
this noblest Avian type of the great bird-continent will be as unknown
on the earth as the Moa and the ^Epyornis.

The Rhea lives in bands of from three or four to twenty or thirty
individuals. Where they are not persecuted they show no fear of man,
and come about the houses, and are as familiar and tame as domestic
animals. Sometimes they become too familiar. At one estancia I
remember an old cock-bird that constantly came alone to feed near the
gate, and that had so great an animosity against the human figure in

218 RHEID.E.

petticoats, that the women of the house could not go out on foot or
horseback without a man to defend them from its attacks. When the
young are taken from the parent bird they become, as Azara truly says,
" domestic from the first day/' and will follow their owner about like a
dog. It is this natural tameness, together with the majesty and quaint
grace of its antique form, which makes the destruction of the Rhea so
painful to think of.

When persecuted, Rheas soon acquire a wary habit, and escape by
running almost before the enemy has caught a sight of them ; or else
crouch down to conceal themselves in the long grass ; and it then be-
comes difficult to find them, as they lie close, and will not rise until
almost trodden on. Their speed and endurance are so great that, with a
fair start, it is almost impossible for the hunter to overtake them,
however well mounted. When running, the wings hang down like those
of a wounded bird, but usually one wing is raised and held up like a
great sail, for what reason it is impossible to say. When hard pressed,
the Rhea doubles frequently and rapidly at right angles to its course ;
and if the pursuer's horse is not well trained to follow the bird in all its
sudden turns without losing ground he is quickly left far behind.

In the month of July the love-season begins, and it is then that the
curious ventriloquial bellowing, booming, and wind-like sounds are
emitted by the male. The young males in the flock are attacked and
driven off by the old cock-bird ; and when there are two old males they
fight for the hens. Their battles are conducted in a rather curious
manner, the combatants twisting their long necks together like a couple
of serpents, and then viciously biting at each other's heads with their
beaks ; meanwhile, they turn round and round in a circle, pounding the
earth with their feet, so that where the soil is wet or soft they make a
circular trench where they tread. The females of a flock all lay together
in a natural depression in the ground, with nothing to shelter it from
sight, each hen laying a dozen or more eggs. It is common to find from
thirty to sixty eggs in a nest, but sometimes a larger number, and I
have heard of a nest being found containing one hundred and twenty
eggs. If the f empales are many the cock usually becomes broody before
they finish laying, and he then drives them with great fury away and
begins to incubate. The hens then drop their eggs about on the plains ;
and from the large number of wasted eggs found it seems probable that
more are dropped out of than in the nest. The egg when fresh is of a
fine golden yellow, but this colour grows paler from day to day, and
finally fades to a parchment-white.

After hatching, the young are assiduously tended and watched over
by the cock, and it is then dangerous to approach the Rhea on horse-
back, as the bird with neck stretched out horizontally and outspread

RHEA DARWINI. 219

wings charges suddenly, making So huge and grotesque a figure that
the tamest horse becomes ungovernable with terror.

Eagles and the large Polyborus are the enemies the Rhea most fears
when the young are still small, and at the sight of one flying overhead
he crouches down and utters a loud snorting cry, whereupon the scat-
tered young birds run in the greatest terror to shelter themselves under
his wings.

434. RHEA DARWINI, Gould.
(DARWIN'S RHEA.)

Rhea darwini, Darwin, Zool. Voy. ' Beagle] iii. p. 123, pi. xlvii.; Hudson,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 534 ; Sdater, Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. p. 357, pi. Ixx. ; Gadow,

P. Z. S. 1885, p. 308. Pterocnemis darwini, Scl. et Sale. Nomencl. p. 154.

Description. — Above red or buff-brown, most of the feathers of the back with

white shaft-stripes and wide white margins : beneath, throat and neck buft-

brown ; rest of under surface whitish ; front of tarsus covered on the upper part

by small reticulate scutes, on the lower part by transverse scutes : whole

length about 36'0 inches, tarsus ll'O ; tarsus partly feathered.

Hab. Patagonia south of the Rio Negro.

Head of RJiea darwini.
(P. Z. 8. 1860, p. 209.)

Darwin's Rhea inhabits Patagonia from the Straits of Magellan to
the Rio Negro, and is also met with occasionally north of that river.
The Indians call it "Molu Chueke "—short or dwarf Chucke* ; its
Spanish name is " Avestruz petizo" They were formerly very abundant
along the Rio Negro; unhappily, some years ago their feathers com-
manded a very high price; Gauchos and Indians found that hunting
the Ostrich was their most lucrative employment ; consequently these

220 RHEID^E.

noble birds were slaughtered in such numbers that they have been
almost exterminated wherever the nature of the country admits of their
being chased. When on the Rio Negro in 1871 I was so anxious to
obtain specimens of this Rhea that I engaged several Indians by the offer
of a liberal reward to hunt for me, but they failed to capture a single
adult bird. I can only set down here the most interesting facts I was
able to collect concerning its habits, which are very imperfectly known.

When pursued it frequently attempts to elude the sight by suddenly
squatting down amongst the bushes, which have a grey foliage, to which
the colour of its plumage closely assimilates. When hard pressed it
possesses the same habit as the Common Rhea of raising the wings
alternately and holding them up vertically ; and also doubles suddenly
like that species. Its speed is greater than that of the Common Rhea, but
it is sooner exhausted. In running it carries its neck stretched forward
almost horizontally, which makes it seem lower in stature than the allied
species, — hence the vernacular name of " short Ostrich." It is found
in flocks of from three or four to thirty or more individuals. It begins
to lay at the end of July, that is a month before the Rhea americana.
Several females lay in one nest, which is merely a slight depression
lined with a little dry rubbish ; as many as fifty eggs are sometimes
found in one nest. A great many wasted or huacho eggs, as they are
called, are also found at a distance from the nest. I examined a number
of eggs brought in by the hunters, and found them vary greatly in
shape, size, and colour. The average size of the eggs was the same as
those of the Common Rhea; in shape they were more or less elliptical,
scarcely any two being precisely alike. The shell has a fine polish, and
when newly laid the colour is deep rich green. They soon fade, how-
ever, and the side exposed to the sun first assumes a dull mottled
green ; then this colour fades to yellowish, and again to pale stone-blue,
becoming at last almost white. The comparative age of each egg in the
nest may be known by the colour of the shell. The male incubates and
rears the young ; and the procreant habits seem altogether like those of
Rhea americana.

The young are hatched with the legs feathered to the toes ; these leg-
feathers are not shed, but are gradually worn off as the bird grows old
by continual friction against the stiff scrubby vegetation. In adults
usually a few scattered feathers remain, often worn down to mere
stumps ; but the hunters told me that old birds are sometimes taken
with the legs entirely feathered, and that these birds frequent plains
where there is very little scrub. The plumage of the young is dusky
grey, without white and black feathers. When a year old they acquire
by moulting the mottled plumage of the adults, but do not attain their
full size until the third year.

APPENDIX.

I. List of the principal Authorities upon the Ornithology of the
Argentine Republic referred to in the present Work.

AZARA, DON FELIX DE.

Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los paxaros del Paraguay y Rio de
la Plata. 3 vols. Madrid, 1802.

Although this celebrated work relates mainly to the neighbouring
State of Paraguay, so many birds are common to Paraguay and La
Plata that it has of course a most important bearing on the Ornithology
of the latter country. Azara, unfortunately, gave only Spanish names
to his birds, so that the Latin titles of them are mostly those of Vieillot,
who translated Azara's remarks and gave scientific names to his birds in
different volumes of the 'Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle '
(Paris, 1816-19). A most useful Index to Azara's ' Apuntamientos '
was published in 1847 by Dr. G. Hartlaub of Bremen*. A more
modern resume of the Birds of Paraguay, in which much information is
contained, has been recently written by Hans, Graf v. Berlepsch f.

BARROWS, WALTER B.

Birds of the Lower "Uruguay. Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,
vol. viii. pp. 82, 128, 198; and The Auk, 1884, pp. 20, 109, 270,
and 313.

This excellent observer was resident at Concepcion del Uruguay in
1879 and 1880, and afterwards made an excursion from Buenos Ayres
southwards to the Sierra de la Ventana. His notes, many of which are
incorporated in the present work, relate to about 200 species.

BURMEISTER, Dr. HERMANN.

(1) Eeise durch die La Plata-Staaten, mit besonderer Riicksicht auf die phy-
sische Beschaffenheit und den Culturzustand der Argentinischen Republik.
Ausgefuhrt in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859, und 1860. 2 vols. Halle,
1861.

In a work on Argentine Ornithology it is hardly necessary to explain

* Systematischer Index zu Don Felix de Azara's Apuntamientos para la historia
natural de los paxaros del Paraguay y Rio de la Plata. Bremen, 1847.
t Journ. f. Orn. 1887, p. 1.

222 APPENDIX.

who Dr. Burmeister is. The Director of the Museo Publico is as well
known in Europe as he is in Buenos Ayres. It should, however, be
here mentioned that in the second volume of ' Reise durch die La Plata-
Staaten ' Dr. Burmeister has given an excellent systematic synopsis of
the Vertebrate Animals of the Argentine Republic. Of the class of
Birds 263 species are enumerated as having been met with within the
limits of the Republic up to that date, and references,, native names, and
general observations as to habits and localities are attached to each
species. This is in fact up to the present time the best, or, we might
say, the only authority on the Birds of the Argentine Republic.

Besides this, Dr. Burmeister has published several other contributions
towards our knowledge of Argentine Ornithology, namely : —

(2) Sobre los Picaflores descriptos por D. Felix de Azara. Por Dr. German

Burmeister. An. d. Hus. Publ. d. Buenos Aires, tomo i. p. 67 (1804).

[An essay on the eleven species of Trochilidse described by Azara,
which appear reducible to six.]

(3) Extract from a letter addressed to Mr. Sclater on the Tyrannidce found

near Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 2.

[Contains a list of 10 species of this family.]

(4) Contributions to the Ornithology of the Argentine Republic and adjacent

lands.— Part I. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 633.

[Notes on 13 species additional to those given in his Synopsis.
Pachyrhamphus albinucha and Synallaxis sulphurifera are described
as new.]

(5) Letter from, containing remarks on the Cracidce in the Museum of

Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 701.

[Contains remarks on three Argentine species.]

(6) Synopsis of the Lamellirostres of the Argentine Republic. P. Z. S. 1872,

p. 364.

[Contains notices of 24 species, including 2 Elamingoes (Phoenico-
pterus ignipalliatus and P. andinus] .]

(7) Notes on Conurus hilaris and other Parrots of the Argentine Republic.

P. Z. S. 1878, p. 75.

[Describes C. hilaris at full length from specimens received from

APPENDIX. 223

Tucuman, and gives critical notes on other species mentioned by
Finsch.]

CABANIS, Dr. JEAN.

The well-known Ornithologist of Berlin has made several important
contributions to the Ornithology of the Argentine Republic, namely :

(1) Ueber eine Sammlung von Yogeln der Argentiniscben Ilepublik. Journ.

f. Orn. 1878, pp. 194-199.

[Gives an account of 29 species, examples of which are in a collection
made by Dr. A. Doering, of Cordova, in the Sierra of Cordova. Fur-
narius tricolor, Synallaocis sclateri, and Nothoprocta doeringi are de-
st-ribed as new.]

(2) Ueber nene Arten von Herrn Fritz Scbulz im nordlichen Argentinien

entdeckt. Journ. f. Orn. 1883.

[The reports of the meetings of the Deutsche Ornitholo^ische Gesell-
schaft, published in the ' Journal fiir Ornithologie ' for 1883, contain
descriptions by Dr. Cabanis of the following 19 species discovered by
Herr Schulz in Tucuman and in other parts of Northern Argentina : —
Colaptes longirostris (t. c. p. 97), Cinclus schulzi (t. c, p. 102), Phl&oto-
mus schulzi (t. c. p. 102), C/iloronerpes tucumanus (t. c. p. 103), Troglo-
dytes (Uropsila) auricularis (t. c. p. 105), Rcytalopus superciliaris (t. c.
p. 105), Orospina pratensis (t. c. p. 108), Phrygilus dorsalis (t. c. p. 109),
Buarremon (Atlapetes) citrinellus (t. c. p. 109), Phacellodomus sincipitalis
(t. c. p. 109), P. maculipectus (t. c. p. 109), Chhronerpes (Campias)
front alis (t. c. p. 110), Synallaxis superciliosa (t. c. .p. 110), Contopus
brachyrhynchus (t. c. p. 214), Myiarchus ferocior (t. c. p. 214), M. atri-
ceps (t. c. p. 215), Elainea strepera (t. c. p. 215), E. grata (t. c. p. 216),
Cyanocorax tucumanus (t. c. p. 216).

It is, however, much to be regretted that no complete list of Schulz's
collections has been published ]

CASSIN, JOHN.

Capt. T. J. Page, U.S.N., made an exploration of the River La Plata
and its tributaries in 1859 and 1860, under the orders of the U.S.
Government. In the Appendix to his published narrative of this
expedition (fLa Plata the Argentine Confederation, and Paraguay/
New York, 1873, 1 vol., 8vo) will be found (p. 599) a short report on
the birds collected during the expedition by the late John Cassin. A
certain number of species are named, but no exact localities are given.

224 APPENDIX.

DAI.GLEISH, JOHN J.

Notes on a Collection of Birds and Eggs from Central Uruguay. Proc. Roy.
Phys. Soc. Edinburgh, vi. p. 232, and viii. p. 77.

[The collections described by Mr. Dalgleish were formed by a corre-
spondent in the district of San Jorge, in the province of Durazno,
Uruguay. The specimens sent along with the eggs were determined by
Messrs. Sclater and Salvin.]

DARWIN, CHARLES.

Zoology of the Voyage of the ' Beagle ' during the years 1832-6. Part III.
Birds. By John Gould, Esq., F.L.S. London, 1841.

Darwin, when Naturalist to the ' Beagle,* during her voyage round
the world in 1832-6, made good collections of birds on the Rio de
la Plata and along the shores of Patagonia. Most of his specimens,
originally deposited in the Zoological Society's Museum, are now in the
British Museum, but some of them unfortunately are in a very imper-
fect condition. His valuable notes were published in the work of which
the title is above given. They relate to about 80 species of Argentine
Birds. The specimens were determined and the new species described
by Gould; but Gould's MS. was afterwards revised for publication by
G. R. Gray, on account of Gould's absence in Australia.

Darwin's ' Naturalist's Voyage,' originally published as a volume of
the Narrative of the ' Voyage of the Beagle/ also contains many ex-
cellent notes on the life and habits of Argentine Birds.

DOERING, ADOLF.

Informe Oficial de la Comision Cientifica agregada al estado mayor general
de la Expedicion al Rio Negro (Patagonia). Realizada en los meses de
Abril, Mayo y Junio de 1879, bajo las ordenes del General D. Julio A.
Roca. Entrega I. Zoologia. Buenos Aires, 1881.

Dr. Adolf Doering, of the Argentine University of Cordoba, has
been a zealous collector and observer of the birds of the Republic (see
under Cabanis and Sclater). The zoological portion of his report upon
the Rio Negro expedition of 1879 gives a list of the birds, which con-
tains 110 species, most of them well-known Patagonian forms.

DURNFORD, HENRY.

Henry Durnford,, a member of the British Ornithologists' Union,
whose early decease was a severe loss to ornithological science, was a
constant worker on birds from the time of his arrival in Buenos Ayres
in 1875 until his death in 1878. The birds collected by Durnford are
now mostly in the British Museum. His published papers on this

APPENDIX. 225

subject are the following (see also biographical notice in ' Ibis ' 1879
p. 121):-

(1) Ornithological Notes from the Neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres. Ibis,

1876, p. 157.

[Notes made during his first five mouths' residence at Belgrano, five
miles north-west of Buenos Ayres. About 70 species are mentioned.]

(2) Notes on the Birds of the Province of Buenos Ayres. Ibis, 1877, p. 166,

and 1878, p. 58.

[Notes made principally at Baradero, 90 miles W.N.W. of Buenos
Ayres. In the first paper 144 species are mentioned and Porzana
spiloptera is described and figured as new. In the second 47 species,
mostly additional, are noticed.]

(3) Notes on some Birds observed in the Chupat Valley, Patagonia, and in

the Neighbouring District. Ibis, 1877, p. 27.

[Durnford first visited Chupat, on the river of the same name, in
Eastern Patagonia (43° 20' S. lat.), in October 1876; 62 species of
birds are noted and commented upon.]

(4) Notes on the Birds of Central Patagonia. Ibis, 1878, p. 389.
[Durnford's second visit to Chupat extended from September 1877

to April 1878. The list of birds is now extended to 89, and it is not
believed that many more will be found to occur in the district.]

(5) Last Expedition to Tucuman and Salta. Ibis, 1880, p. 411, pi. xii.
[This is an almost verbatim copy of Durnford's journal in 1878,

during his expedition to Tucuman and Salta. Many notes on birds are
inserted. Durnford died at Campo Santo, in the province of Salta, on
July 13th, 1878. The collection made on this occasion was worked out
by Mr. Salvin (Ibis, 1880, p. 351, see below).]

GIBSON, ERNEST.

Mr. Ernest Gibson, who has been resident in the Argentine Republic
since about 1873, is an excellent observer in the field, and has written
two very interesting papers on our subject, from which we have quoted
largely in this work.

(1) Ornithological Notes from the Neighbourhood of Cape San Antonio,
Buenos Ayres. Ibis, 1879, p. 405; 1880, pp. 1, 153.

Mr. Gibson's notes, which relate to 61 species, are in most cases very
full and contain particulars of the breeding-habits, eggs, and nests.
Cape San Antonio is on the Atlantic coast, south of Buenos Ayres
(36° 2<y S. lat.).

TOL. II. Q

226 APPENDIX.

(2) Notes on the Birds of Paisandu, Republic of Uruguay. (Communicated
by J. J. Dalgleish.) Ibis, 1885, p. 275.

Field-notes on 52 species from this locality, which Mr. Gibson visited
in 1883. The specimens were sent to Mr. J. J. Dalgleish and named
by P. L. S.

GIEBEL, Prof. C. (of Halle, Germany).
Einige neue und wenig bekannte argentinische Vogel. Zeitschr. f. d. ges.

Naturwiss. xxxi. p. 11 (1868).

In this paper the author described two new Bolivian species and two
Argentine species (Troglodytes fasdolatus and Geobamon rufipennis),
from specimens in the Halle Museum received from Dr. Burmeister.

GOULD, JOHN.

Gould determined the species in the collection made by Darwin
during the voyage of the ' Beagle/ and drew up the scientific portion of
the report on the birds, which forms vol. iii. of the " Zoology " of the
voyage. Owing to his departure for Australia the MS. was subsequently
completed and edited by G. R. Gray (see DARWIN, C.).

HOLMBERG, Dr. E. L.

Resultados cientificos, especialmente zoologicos y botanicos, de los tres viajes
llevados a cabo por el Dr. Holmberg, en 1881, 1882, y 1883 a la Sierra
del Tandil. Aves. Act. Ac. Nac. de Ciencias en Cordoba, v. pp. 73-92.

[Seventy -nine species of birds are given as occurring in the Sierra
of Tandil, south of Buenos Ayres, and slight field-notes are added.]

HUDSON, WILLIAM HENRY, C.M.Z.S.

My fellow-author of the present work, though English in name and
origin and now resident in London, is an Argentine citizen by birth.
From his early childhood he was an observer of bird-life in the province
of Buenos Ayres, and continued his investigations until he left the
country for England a few years ago. Besides the pampas he explored the
woods and marshes along the Plata, and the range of the Sierras from
Cape Corrientes on the Atlantic to the Azul and Tapalquen, and made
an expedition to the Rio Negro in 1871.

The following is a list of his scientific papers on this subject, which
are mostly incorporated in the present work : —

(1) Letters on the Ornithology of Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 432 ;
1870, pp. 87, 112, 158, 332, 545, 671, 748, 798; 1871, pp. 4, 258, 326.

APPENDIX. 227

(2) On the Birds of the Rio Negro of Patagonia. With Notes by P. L. Sclater,

M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 534.

(3) On the Habits of the Swallows of the Genus Progne met with in the

Argentine Republic. With Notes by P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.,
&c. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 605.

(4) Further Observations on the Swallows of Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1872,

p. 844.

(5) Notes on the Habits of the Churinche (Pyrocephalus rubineus). P. Z. S.

1872, p. 808.

(6) Notes on the Habits of the Pipit of the Argentine Republic. P. Z. S.

1873, p. 771.

(7) Notes on the Procreant Instincts of the three Species of Molothrus found

in Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 153.

(8) On the Habits of the Burrowing-Owl (Pholeoptynx cunicularid). P. Z. S.

1874, p. 308.

(9) On the Herons of the Argentine Republic, with a Notice of a curious

Instinct of Ardetta involucris. P. Z. S. 1875, p. 623.

(10) Note on the Spoonbill of the Argentine Republic. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 15.

(11) Notes on the Rails of the Argentine Republic. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 102.

(12) Notes on the Birds of the Genus ffomorus observed in the Argentine
Republic. Ibis, 1885, p. 283.

LEE, WILLIAM BLACKSTONE.

Ornithological Notes from the Argentine Republic. Ibis, 1873, p. 129.

This article gives field-notes on seven species, of which examples were
obtained near Frayle Muerto, in the province of Cordova, and 33 species
from near Gualeguaychu in Entrerios. The specimens were determined
by myself and Salvin.

LEYBOLD, Dr. FRIEDRICH.

Dr. Leybold was resident in Santiago, Chili, for some years, and sent
bird-skins and other objects of natural history to Munich for sale in
Europe. He published two papers on supposed new birds obtained by
his collectors during their excursions from Chili to Mendoza.

(1) Beschreibung von vier neuen Yogelarten aus der Argentinischen Provinz
Mendoza. Journ. f. Orn. 1865, pp. 401-406.

[Describes as new Synallaxis crassirostris, Myiarchas fasciatus, Spnro-
phila rufirostris, and Phrygilus ornatus, from Mendoza. These species,
are all referred to in our work.]

228 APPENDIX.

(2) Beschreibungen einiger Thiere und Pflanzen aus den Anden Chile's und
der Argentinisclien Provinzen. Leopoldina, viii. p. 52 (1873).

[This paper contains descriptions of Conurus glaucifrons, from San
Luis (= Conurus acuticaudatus) , Coloptes leucofrenatus (= Chrysoptilus
cristatus], and Columbina aurisquamata ( = Metriopelia ay mar a), all
from Mendoza.]

ORBIGNY, ALCIDE tf.

Voyage dans I'Amerique Meridionale (le Bresil, la Republique Orientale, de
rUrtiguay, la Republique Argentine, la Patagonie, la Republique du
CBili, la Republique de Bolivia, la Republique du Pe'rou), execute
pendant les Annees 1826-33. Yol.IV. Oiseaux. Paris, 1835-44. 4to,
396 pp., 66 pi.

After Azara's ' Apuntamientos ' this is the most important of the older
publications relating to Argentine ornithology. The celebrated French
traveller and naturalist d'Orbigny made extensive collections of birds
in several parts of the Argentine Republic, especially in Corrientes, on
the Parana, near Buenos Ayres, and on the Rio Negro. The birds were
worked out by himself after his return home, with the assistance of the
well-known French ornithologist the Baron F. de la Fresnaye. The
list of them, with the descriptions of the new species, was first published
in two consecutive volumes of the ' Magasin de Zoologie ' (for 1837 and
1838), with a separate title* and separately paged. It was unfortu-
nately never completed, and contains only the Accipitres, Passeres, and
Picarise. The valuable notes and remarks of d'Orbigny were subse-
quently published in the fourth volume of his ' Voyage/ of which the
title is given above. This work also, as is much to be regretted, was
brought to a sudden termination when only half finished.

D'Orbigny's types are now mostly in the French National Collection
at Paris, though a few of them, which cannot be found there, are sup-
posed to have been retained in the De la Fresnaye Collection, and if so
are now in the museum of the Boston Society of Natural History.

PAGE, Capt. T. J.
See CASSIN, supra, p. 223.

SALVIN, OSBERT.

A List of Birds collected by the late Henry Durnford during his last Expe-
dition to Tucuman and Salta. Ibis, 1880, p. 351.

The collection consisted of 84 specimens belonging to 54 species,

* Synopsis avium ab Alcide d'Orbigny in ejus per Americam meridionalem itinere
collectarum et ab ipso viatore necnon A. de la Fresnaye.

APPENDIX. 229

obtained in June 1878 at Tucuman or near Salta. Nine were new to
Dr. Burmeister's list. See also DURNFORD, supra, p. 224.

SCHULZ, FRITZ.

Herr Fritz Schulz, an assistant in the museum of the University of
Cordoba, brought a fine collection of birds to Europe in 1883, which he
had made in Tucuman and other northern provinces of the Republic.
The new species were described by Dr. Cabanis (see above, p. 223),
except a single species described by Schulz himself.

Ueber eine neue Cnipolegus-Art. Journ. f. Orn. 1882, p. 462.

[Describes Cnipolegus cabanisi from Tucuman.]

SCLATER, P. L.

(1) Exhibition of Specimens of Heliomaster angelce, and Notes thereupon by

Prof. Burmeister. P. Z. S. 1865, p. 466.

[The specimens were obtained near Buenos Ayres, where it is " not
uncommon." Dr. Burmeister also refers to Chlorostilbon phaethon.]

(2) On some new or little-known Birds from the Rio Parana. P. Z. S.

1870, p. 57.

[Some of the specimens procured during Capt. Page's expedition
(see CASSIN, suprh, p. 223) are remarked on. Of these Coryphistora
alaudina is figured and Cnipolegus cinereus is described as new.]

(3) Exhibition of a Skin of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

from Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 496.

[The specimen was shot by Hudson in the district of Quilmes, in
April 1870.]

(4) Notice of a small Collection of Birds forwarded "by Dr. Adolf Boring,

Professor of Chemistry in the University of Cordova. P. Z. S. 1879,
pp. 460-461.

[The collection contained examples of nine species from the vicinity
of Cordova.]

(5) On two new Species of Birds discovered by Mr. E. W. White in the

Argentine Republic. Ibis, 1881, p. 599, pi. xvii.

[Describes and figures Poospiza erythrophrys from Catamarca, and
Synallaxis whitii from Oran.]

SCLATER, P. L., and SALVIN, O.
(1) List of Birds collected at Conchitas, Argentine Republic, by Mr. William

H. Hudson. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 137.

[This article gives a list of 98 species, determined from specimens
sent to the Smithsonian Institution by Hudson.]

230 APPENDIX.

(2) Second List of Birds collected at Conchitas, Arg. Rep., by Mr. W. H.

Hudson ; together with some Notes upon another Collection from the
same locality. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 158.

[This article contains the results of an examination of a second
collection from the same locality, likewise belonging to the Smithsonian
Institution, and adds 14 species to the former list. It also gives an
account of a collection made by Mr. Haslehurst near Buenos Ayres,
which contains examples of 10 species not up to that date transmitted
by Hudson.]

(3) Third List of Birds collected at Conchitas, Arg. Eep., by Mr. W. H.

Hudson. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 631.

[Hudson's third collection sent to the Smithsonian Institution
contained examples of 92 species, of which 33 were additional to those
contained in the two former lists. Thus the total number of species
of the district of Quilmes is raised to 143.]

WEISSHAUPT, ALBERT.

Herr Weisshaupt was a German collector at Santiago, Chili, who
came several times to London with fine collections of living animals
(see P. Z. S. 1870, p. 664, and 1871, p. 700). He made one or more
excursions to Mendoza from Santiago, and collected bird-skins in the
vicinity of that city. Many of these skins were acquired by Messrs.
Salvin and Godman and myself respectively and are in our collections.

WHITE, ERNEST WILLIAM.

Ernest William White was another active worker in Argentine orni-
thology, whose untimely death we have lately had occasion to deplore *.
During five years' journey ings in the northern provinces of the Republic
White made very extensive collections and accumulated a mass of
excellent notes, which are published in the following papers : —

(1) Notes on Birds collected in the Argentine Republic. With Notes by

P. L. Sclater, M.A., PhJX, F.R.S. P. Z. S. 1882, p. 591.

[This article contains field-notes on 201 species from various
provinces of Argentina, including Misiones and Oran. The species
were mostly determined by me, and I added some remarks.]

(2) Supplementary Notes on the Birds of the Argentine Republic. With

Remarks by P. L. Sclater. P. Z. S. 1883, p. 37.

[Contains remarks on 33 additional species, mostly from Cosquin,
* For biographical notice of this naturalist see Ibis, 1885, p. 335.

APPENDIX. 231

near Cordova. I added some notes, and described Poospiza whitii as
new.]

(3) Further Notes on the Birds of the Argentine Republic. P. Z. S. 1883,
p. 432.

[Gives the names of and notes upon 19 additional species, determined
by comparison of specimens with those in my collection and that of
Messrs. Salvin and Godman.]

Mr. White's ' Cameos from the Silverland ' (2 vols., London, 1881
-82) should likewise be carefully studied by those who wish to become
acquainted with the natural history of the Argentine Republic.

WITHINGTON, FRANK.

On the Birds of the Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic.
By Frank Withington. With Notes by P. L. Sclater. Ibis, 1888, p. 461.

[Mr. Withington, for some years resident in Buenos Ayres, and an
ardent collector and observer of its birds, has lately sent me a collection
which contained examples of 92 species. His interesting field-notes
are given in this paper.]

II. List of some of the principal Localities where Collections have been
made, mentioned in this Work.

ANDALGALA (FUERTE DE). A town in the Province of Catamarca, near

its eastern boundary.

AZUL. A town and district ; Pampas of Buenos Ayres : lat. 30°.
BAH i A BLANCA. Bay and town on the Atlantic ; Province of Buenos

Ayres.

BARADERO. Town on the Rio de la Plata, north of Buenos Ayres city.
CAMPO COLORADO. Near Oran, Province of Salta.
CAMPO SANTO. Province of Salta.
CAPELLAN. Province of Catamarca.
CARHUE. Pampas of Buenos Ayres : lat. 33°.
CERRO VAYO. Province of Tucuman.
CHUPAT (or CHUBUT) . River in Patagonia, in the Territory of the same

name.

CONCEPCION (or CONCEPCION DEL URUGUAY). A town on the Lower
Uruguay, in the Province of Entrerios.

23.2 APPENDIX.

CONCHITAS. A small stream in the district of Quilmes, near Buenos
Ayres city. This locality was attached by some error to the
specimens sent by Hudson to the Smithsonian Institution.

COSQUIN. A village in the Sierras, west of Cordova City.

CURUMALAN. In the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, 75 miles north of Bahia
Blanca.

GUALEGUAYCHU. A town on the Lower Uruguay, Province of Entrerios.

ITAPUA. Territory of Misiones.

MERCEDES. A town and district west of Buenos Ayres city.

ORAN. A town in the Province of Salta, 50 miles south of the Bolivian
border.

PARANA. A city on the Parana River, Province of Entrerios.

PIGUE. In the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, 75 miles north of Bahia
Blanca.

PUNTA LARA. A point on the Rio de la Plata, near La Plata city.

QUILMES. A town and district near Buenos Ayres city.

RINCON DE LUNA. A village in the Province of Corrientes.

Rio COLORADO. Pampas of Buenos Ayres.

Rio QUINTO. Province of Cordova.

Rio SAUCE. A stream west of Bahia Blanca.

Rio VERMEJO. Province of Salta.

SAN ANTONIO (CAPE OF). South of Buenos Ayres city : S. lat. 36° 207.

SAN XAVIER. Territory of Misiones.

SENGEL. A tributary of the Chupat River.

SENGUELEN. A tributary of the Chupat River.

SIERRA DE LA VENTANA. In the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, near Bahia
Blanca.

TAFI (VALLEY OF). Near the city of Tucuman.

TOMBO POINT. On the coast near the mouth of Chupat River.

TOTORAL (SIERRES DE). Province of Catamarca.

INDEX.

Acahe, i. 110.

Acanthylis collaris, ii. 1 1 k

Actiturus bartramius, ii. 189*

Actodromas bairdi, ii. 184.

fuscicollis, ii. 185.

maculata, ii. 183.

jEchmophorus major, ii. 202.

^Egialitis cantiana, ii. 174.

— — collaris, ii. 173.

falklandica, ii. 172.

Afeytado, ii. 114.

Agachona, ii. 181.

Agelaeus flavus, i. 98.

ruficapillus, i. 99.

— * — thilius, i. 97.

Agriornis leucurus, i. 112.

maritima, i. 112.

striata, i. 111.

Aiaiai, ii. 106.

Ajaja rosea, ii. 114, 115, 116.
Alas-amarillas, ii. 163.
Alectrurus psalurus, i. 123.

risorius, i. 1234

tricolor, i. 122.

Allied Saltator, i. 41.

Woodpecker, ii. 20.

Alma do gato, ii. 37.
Alonzito, i. 167.
Alonzo Garsia, i. 167.
Aluco flammeus, ii. 48.
Amazon, Blue-fronted, ii. 47.

, Vinaceous, ii. 46.

Amazonian Kingfisher, ii. 27.
Amblycercus solitarius, i. 72.
Amblypterus anomalus, ii. 16.
TOL. ii.

Amblyrhamphus holosericeus, i. 101,

ruber, i. 101.

American Dabchick^ ii. 205.

Golden Plover, ii. 170.

Oyster catcher, ii. 176.

Waterhen, ii. 156.

Anabates gutturalis, i, 197.

unirufuB, i. 195.

Anabazenops, Oily-green, i. 198.
oleaginous, i. 198.

rufo-superciliatus, i. 198.

Anseretes flavirostris, i. 142,

parulus, i. 141.

Anas bahamensis, ii. 135»

brasiliensis, ii. 1 33.

chiloensis, ii. 135.

cyanoptera, ii. 130.

flavirostris, ii. 131.

maculirostris, ii. 131.

melanocepbala, ii. 130.

oxyura, ii. 134.

peposaca, ii. 137.

platalea, ii. 136.

spinicauda, ii. 134.

Andean Flamingo, ii. 119.

Goose, ii. 122.

Angela Humming-bird, ii. 5.

Angelito de las Animas, i. 118.

Ani, Black, ii. 31.

Antarctic Rail, ii. 148.

Antenor unicinctus, ii. 63.

Anthus correndera, i. 17, 19, 54, 80.

furcatus, i. 19.

pratensis, i. 17.

rufus, i. 17.

234

INDEX.

Antrostomus longirostris, ii. 14.

. parvulus, ii. 14.

Anumbe roxo, i. 195.
Anumbi, i. 189, 190, 191.
Anumbius acutieaudatus, i. 31, 67,
88, 06, 133, 187, 189.

striaticollis, i. 194.

Aphobus chopi, i. 108.
Aptenodytes demersa, ii. 206.
Aramides gigas, ii. 150.

nigricans, ii. 150.

rhytirhynchus, ii. 149.

ypecaha, ii. 150.

Aramus scolopaceus, ii. 159.
Ardea cserulea, ii. 99.

candidissima, ii. 98, 99.

cocoi, ii. 93, 94.

egretta, ii. 98, 99, 105.

gardeni, ii. 105.

leuce, ii. 98.

marmorata, ii. 104.

nivea, ii. 99.

sibilatrix, ii. 100.

Ardetta involucris, ii. 93, 101 , 227.
Argentine Blackbird, i. 4.

Cow-bird, i. 72.

Flamingo, ii. 117.

Arremon orbignii, i. 41.
Arundinicola flaviventris, i. 137.

leucocephala, i. 122.

Ashy Tyrant, i. 121.

Ashy-blade Tyrant, i. 126.

Ashy-headed Goose, ii. 124.

Asio accipitrinus, ii. 49.

brachyotus, ii. 49.

Asturina pucherani, ii. 58.

rutilans, ii. 63.

unicincta, ii. 63.

Athene cunicularia, ii. 52.

Atticora cyanoleuca, i. 33, 166.

fucata, i. 35.

Aulanax latirostris, i. 121.

Avestruz petizo, ii. 219.

Aymara Dove, ii. 142.

Parralceet, ii. 46.

Azara's Sand-Plover, ii. 173.

Tanager, i. 40.

Trogon, ii. 29.

Azure Jay, i. 110.

Bahama Duck, ii. 135.

Pintail, ii. 135.

Bailarin, ii. 71.

Baird's Sandpiper, ii. 184, 165.

Banduna, ii. 112.
Bank Parrot, ii. 41.

Sivallow, i. 33.

Barn-Owl, Common, ii. 48.
Barred Upland Goose, ii. 123.
Bartramia longicauda, ii. 189.
Bartram's Sandpiper, ii. 189.
Basileuterus auricapillus, i. 21.

vermivorus, i. 21.

Batitu, ii. 189.
Bay-winged Cow-bird, i. 95.
Becard, White-winged, i. 162.
Bernicla antarctica, ii. 123.

dispar, ii. 123.

magellanica, ii. 123.

melanoptera, ii. 122.

poliocephala, ii. 124.

Bienteveo Tyrant, i. 147.
Bittern, Marbled Tiger., ii. 104.
Black Ani, ii. 31.

Duck, ii. 137.

Rail, ii. 149.

Vulture, ii. 89.

Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch,

i. 49.

Black-and-yellow Thickbill, i. 43.
Black-andr-yellow -crested Tyrant, i.

157.

Black-billed Cuckoo, ii. 38.
Blackbird, Argentine, i. 4.
Black-crowned Tyrant, i. 115.
Black-faced Ibis, ii. 110.
Black-headed Duck, ii. 130.

Finch, i. 45.

— — Reed- Wren, i. 13.

Siskin, i. 64.

Thrush, i. 4.

Tyrant, i. 157.

Black-necked Tanager, i. 37.
Black-tailed Skimmer, ii. 193.
Black-winged Dove, ii. 142.
Blackish Finch, i. 54.

Tyrant, i. 141.

Blue Heron, ii. 99.

-, Little, ii. 101.

Tanager, i. 39.

Blue-and -yellow Tanager, i. 39.
Blue-billed Tyrant, i. 127.
Blue-fronted Amazon, ii. 47.
Blue-winged Teal, ii. 130.
Boat-tail, Chopi, i. 108.
Boie's Woodpecker, ii. 17.
Bolborhynchus aymara, ii. 46.
monachus, ii. 43.

INDEX.

235

Bolborhynchus rubrirostris, ii. 46.
Bonaparte" s Sandpiper, ii. 185.
Boyero, i. 101, 116.
Brazilian Cormorant, ii. 91.

Lochmias, i. 174.

Stilt, ii. 179.

Teal, ii. 133.

Bridgets Wood-hewer, i. 199.
Bright-cheeked Grebe, ii. 204.
Broad-billed Tyrant, i. 136.
Brown Buzzard, ii. 63.

Cinclodes, i. 172.

Cuckoo, ii. 35.

Gallito, i. 207.

House-Wren, i. 13.

Martin, i. 35.

Pintail, ii. 134.

Tinamou, ii. 207.

Brown-camped Wood-singer, i. 21.
Brown-crested Spine-tail, i. 177.
Brown-fronted Spine-tail, i. 178.
Brown-headed Wood-bird, i. 23.
Brush-loving Fly-snapper, i. 12.
Buarremon citrinellus, i. 41.

— (Atlapetes) citrinellus, ii. 223.
Bubo crassirostiis, ii. 50.

magellanicus, ii. 50, 51.

virginianus, ii. 50.

Bucco chacuru, ii. 30.

maculatus, ii. 30.

striatipectus, ii. 30.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, ii. 190.
Burmeister's Cariama, ii. 162.

Humming-bird, ii. 2.

Burrito, ii. 150.
Burrowing Owl, ii. 52.

Parrot, ii. 41.

Bush-bird, Larger, i. 203.

, Leach's, i. 202.

, Red-capped, i. 204.

, Slaty-blue, i. 204.

Buteo albicaudatus, ii. 59, 61, 62.
— erythronotus, ii. 62.

fuliginosus, ii. 60.

macropterus, ii. 58.

melanoleucus, ii. 64.

obsoletus, ii. 59.

oxypterus, ii. 59.

pterocles, ii. 61.

swainsoni, ii. 59, 60.

tricolor, ii. 62.

unicolor, ii. 60.

Butorides cyarmrus. ii. 101.
etriata, ii. 101.

Buzzard, Brown, ii. 63.

, One-banded, ii. 63.

, Red-backed, ii. 62.

, Swainson's, ii. 59.

, White-tailed, ii. 61.

Cabanis's Tyrant, i. 128.
Cabeza amarilla, i. 98.
Caburt, ii. 52.
Cachalote, i. 195.

— , White-throated, i. 197.
Cachila, i. 18.

Pipit, i. 17.

Cactus Woodpecker, ii. 19.
Cairina moschata, ii. 129.
Calandria, i. 5.
blanca, i. 9.

de las tres colas, i. 9.

Mocking-bird, i. 5.

Calidris arenaria, ii. 186.
Calliperidia angelae, ii. 5.

furcifera, ii. 1, 5, 8.

Calodromas elegans, ii. 209, 214.
Caminante, i. 166.
Campephilus boi«i, ii. 17, 18.
pileatus, ii. 18.

schulzi, ii. 18.

Campestre, ii. 24.
Campias froutalis, ii. 20.
Campylopterus inornatus, ii. 6, 6.
Capito maculatus, ii. 30.
Caprimulgus europams, ii. 14.

parvulus, ii. 14.

Caracara, ii. 82.
Carancho, ii. 74, 82.

Carrion-Hawk, ii. 81.

Carau, ii. 160, 161.
Cardinal Finch, i. 47.

, Lesser, i. 48.

, Yellow, i. 55.

Carduelis atrata, i. 65.
Cariama burmeisteri, ii. 162.

, Burmeister's, ii. 162.

, Crested, ii. 161.

cristata, ii. 161.

Carpintero, ii. 24.
Carrion-Hawk, Carancho, ii. 81.

, Chimango, ii. 74.

Casera, i. 167.

Caserita, i. 166.
Casiornis rubra, i. 163.
Cassicus solitarius, i. 72.
Cassins Tern, ii. 196.
Cassiqite, Solitary, i. 72.

236

INDEX.

Catamenia analis, i. 57.

inornata, i. 57.

Catharista atrata, ii. 89.
Cathartes atratus, ii. 89.

aura, ii. 89.

foetans, ii. 89.

Catita, ii. 44.

de las sierras, ii. 46.

Cayenne Lapwing, ii. 165, 166.
Centrites niger, i. 134.
Cerchneis cinnamomina, ii. 70.
Ceryle amazona, ii. 26, 27, 28.

americana, ii. 27.

stellata, ii. 26.

torquata, ii. 26, 27.

Chacuru, ii. 30.
Chgetocercus bombus, ii. 2.

burmeisteri, ii. 2.

Chajd, ii. 120.

Chamsepelia talpacoti, ii. 144.

Charadrius azarae, ii. 173.

collaris, ii. 173.

dominions, ii. 170.

falklandicus, ii. 172.

fulvus americanus, ii. 170.

modestus, ii. 171.

totanirostris, ii. 174.

virginianus, ii. 170.

virginicus, ii. 170.

Chat-like Tyrant, i. 120.
Chauna chavaria, ii. 119.

derbiana, ii. 119.

Cheese-bird, Rufous, i. 163.
Chestnut Cuckoo, ii. 36.

Wood-heiver, i. 201.

Chestnut-shouldered Hang -nest, \. 107.
Chicli, i. 179.

Chilian Eagle, ii. 64.
Chiloe Wigeon, ii. 135.
Chimango, ii. 74.

Carrion- Hawk, ii. 74.

Chingolo, i. 58.

grande, i. 164.

(Song-Sparrow, i. 58.

Chin-spotted Tyrant, i. 133.
Chipiu pardo y canela, i. 45.
Chirivi, ii. 136.
Chiroxiphia caudata, i. 161.
Chisel-bill, i. 101.
Chivi Greenlet, i. 22.
Chloephaga dispar, ii. 123.
magellanica, ii. 123.

— mclanoptera, ii. 122.

— poliocepbala, ii. 124.

Chloroceryle amazona, ii. 27.

americana, ii. 27.

Chloronerpes affinis, ii. 20.

aurulentus, ii. 21.

frontalis, ii. 20.

maculifrons, ii. 20.

rubiginosus, ii. 21.

tucumanus, ii. 21, 223.

(Campias) frontalis, ii. 223.

Chlorostilbon aureiventris, ii. 9.

phaethon, ii. 9, 229.

— — splendidus, ii. 1, 6, 9.
Chochi, ii. 35.
Chocolate Dove, ii. 144.

Tyrant^ i. 112.

Chocoyno, i. 4.
Choliba, ii. 51.

Owl, ii. 51.

Chopi, i. 108.

Boat-tail, i. 108.

Chordeiles virginianus, ii. 13.
Chorlito de invierno, ii. 172.
Chorlo, i. 113, 170.

canela, ii. 174.

solo, ii. 189.

Chrysomitris atrata, i. 65.

barbata, i. 64.

icterica, i. 64.

magellanica, i. 64.

Chrysomus frontalis, i. 99.
Chrysoptilus chlorozostus, ii. 21.

cristatus, ii. 21, 228.

melanochlorus, ii. 21.

Chrysotis sestiva, ii. 47.

amazonica, ii. 47.

vinacea, ii. 46.

Chrysuronia chrysura, ii. 8.

ruficollis, ii. 8.

Chueke, ii. 216.

Chunga burmeisteri, ii. 162.

Chunia, ii. 162.

Churinche, i. 152.

Ciconia maguari, ii. 99, 106.

Cinclodes bifasciatus, i. 173.

, Brown, i. 172.

ftiscus, i. 172.

— vulgaris, i. 172.

, White-winged, i. 173.

Cinclus schulzi, i. 11, ii. 223.
Cinereous Cuckoo, ii. 38.

Harrier, ii. 57.

Plover, ii. 173.

Tinamou, ii. 210.

Tyrant, i. 128.

INDEX.

237

Cinnamomeous Kestrel, ii. 69.
Circus cinereus, ii. 57.

macropterus, ii. 58.

maculosus, ii. 58.

megaspilus, ii. 58.

Cistothorus fasciolatus, i. 16,

platensis, i. 15.

Cnipolegus anthracinus, i. 126, 127.

aterrirnus, i. 126.

cabanisi, i. 128 ; ii. 229,

cinereus, i. 128 ; ii. 229,

cyanirostris, i. 127.

- hudsoni, i. 126, 131.
Coccoborus glaucocaeruleus, i. 44.
Coccyzus americanus, ii. 37.

cinereus, ii. 38.

melanocorypbus, i. 81 ; ii. 38.

pumilus, ii. 39.

seniculus, ii. 38.

Cock, Little, i. 206.
Cck-tailed Tyrant, i. 122.
Cocoi Heron, ii. 93.
Cola estrana, i. 123.
Colaptes agricola, ii. 22, 24.

australis, ii. 24.

campestris, i. 82 ; ii. 24.

leucofrenatus, ii. 21, 228.

longirostris, ii. 23, 223.

pitius, ii. 24.

pura, ii. 24.

rupicola, ii. 23.

Colegial, i. 131.
Columba livia, i. 83.

maculosa, ii. 140.

picazuro, ii. 139, 140.

Columbina aurisquamata, ii. 142,

228.

Columbula picui, ii. 39, 143.
Come-palo, ii. 19.
Cometes sparganurus, ii. 3.
Common Barn-Owl, ii. 48.

Jacana, ii. 163.

Miner, i. 165.

Rhea, ii. 216.

Seed-Snipe, ii. 176.

Condor, Great, ii. 90.

Contopus brachyrhynchus, i. 155 ; ii.

223.

brachytarsus, i. 156.

Contramaestre gaviero, i. 22.

pardo verdoso, corona amarilla,

i. 146.

Conurus acuticaudatus, ii. 42, 228.
aymara, ii. 46.

Conurus brunniceps, ii. 46.

fugax, ii. 42.

glaucifrons, ii. 42, 228.

bilaris, ii. 43, 222.

mitratus, ii. 43.

molina), ii. 43.

murinus, ii. 43.

patacbonicus, i. 25; ii. 41,

patagonus, ii. 41.

rubrirostris, ii. 46.

Coot, Red-fronted, ii. 157.

, Red-gartered, ii. 157.

, Yellow-billed, ii. 158.

Corethrura leucopyrrha, ii. 154.
Cormorant, Brazilian, ii. 91.
Correndera, La, i. 17.
Coryphistera alaudina, i. 188 • ii
229.

, Lark-like, i. 188.

Corypbospingus cristatus, i. 48.

— pusillus, i. 48.
Coscoroba Candida, ii. 126.

Swan, ii. 126.

Cotile ruficollis, i. 36.
Cotorra, ii. 44.
Coturniculus manimbe, i. 60.

peruanus, i. 60.

Cotyle fucata, i. 35.

leucorrhoa, i. 31.

pyrrhonota, i. 30.

tapera, i. 26.

Coucou, ii. 38.

Courlan, Southern, ii. 159.

Cow-bird, Argentine, i. 72.

, Bay-winged, i. 95.

, Screaming, i. 86.

Crake, Marked, ii. 155.

, Red-and-ivhite, ii. 154.

, Spot-winged, ii. 155.

Crane-Hawk, Grey, ii. 67.
Crax alector, ii. 145, 146.

sclateri, ii. 145.

Creeper, Patagonian Earth-, i. 170.

, Red-tailed Earth-, i. 171.

, Warbling Earth-, i. 171.

Creole Duck, ii. 129.
Crested Cariama, ii. 161.

Duck, ii. 128.

Oven-bird, i. 170.

Screamer, ii. 119.

Crispin, i. 4 ; ii. 35.
Crotophaga ani, ii. 31, 34.
Crowned Harpy, ii. 66.
Crypturus cinereus, ii. 207, 208.

238

INDEX.

Crypturus obsoletus, ii. 207, 208.

tataupa, ii. 208.

Cuckoo, Slack-billed, ii. 38.

Brown, ii. 35.

Chestnut, ii. 36.

Cinereous, ii. 38.

Dwarf, ii. 39.

Guira, ii. 32.

Yellow-billed, ii. 37.

Cuervo, ii. 90.

Culicivora boliviana, i. 12.

dumicola, i. 12.

stenura, i. 139.

Curahi-remimbi, ii. 100.
Curassow, Sclater's, ii. 145.
Curved-bill Rush-bird, i. 191.
Cyanocorax azureus, i. 110.
caeruleus, i. 110.

chrysops, i. 110.

pileatus, i. 110.

tucumanus, i. 110 ; ii. 223.

Cyanotis azarse, i. 142, 144, 175.
Cybernetes yetapa, i. 124.
Cyclorhis altirostris, i. 24.

oehrocephala, i. 23.

viridis, i. 23, 24.

Cygnus coseoroba, ii. 126.
- nigricollis, ii. 124, 126.

Dabchick, American, ii. 205.
Dafila bahamensis, ii. 135.

spinicauda, ii. 134.

Dark-lacked Tanager, i. 37.
Dark-crested Finch, i. 48.
Dark Guan, ii. 146.

Night-Heron, ii. 105.

Dark-tailed Henicornis., i. 173.
Darwin's Rhea, ii. 219.

Tinamou, ii. 213.

Deep-billed Greenlet-Shrike, i. 24.
De Filippi's Marsh-Starling, i. 105.
Degollado, i. 106.
Dendrobates cactorum, ii. 19.

Dendrocolaptes picunmus, i. 199.

Dendrocygna fulva, ii. 126, 128.

major, ii. 127.

viduata, ii. 128.

Dicholophus burmeisteri, ii. 162,

cristatus, ii. 161.

Diplopterus galeritus, ii. 35.

nsevius, ii. 35.

Dipper, Schulz's, i. 11.

Diuca Finch, i. 55.

, Lesser, i. 56.

Diuca grisea. i, 55.

minor, i. 56.

vera, i. 55.

Domestic Martin, i. 25.
Dominican Gull, ii. 197.

Tyrant, i. 117.

Donacobius atrieapillua, i. 13.

brasiliensis, i. 13.

Donaeospiza albifrons, i. 49.
D'Orbigny's Seed-Snipe, ii. 178.

Spine-tail, i. 183.

Tanager, i. 41.

Dormilon, i'i. 12, 183.
Dove, Ay mar a, ii. 142.

, Slack-winged, ii. 142.

, Chocolate, ii. 144.

, Little Turtle-, ii. 143.

, Picui, ii. 143.

, Spotted, ii. 141.

, Talpacoti, ii. 144.

Drymornis bridgesi, i. 199.
Dryocopus atriventris, ii. 18.

erythrops, ii. 18.

lineatus, ii. 18.

Duck, Bahama, ii. 135.

, Black, ii. 137.

, Black-headed, ii. 130.

, Creole, ii. 129.

, Crested, ii. 128.

, Fulvous Tree-, ii. 126.

, Muscovy, ii. 129.

, Red, ii.' 137.

, Rosy-billed, ii. 137.

, Rusty Lake-, ii. 138.

-, White-faced Tree-, ii. 128.

, White-winged Lake-, ii. 138.

, Whistling, ii. 127.

Duerme-duerme, ii. 12.
Dusky Thrush, i. 1.
Dwarf Cuckoo, ii. 39.

Eagle, Chilian, ii. 64.

— , Grey, ii. 64.
Eared Wren, i. 15.
Earth-creeper, Patagonian, i. 170.

— , Red-tailed, i. 171.

, , Warbling, i. 171,

Egret, Snowy, ii. 99.

, White, ii. 98.

Elainea albiceps, i. 145.
— — grata, i. 146 ; ii. 223.

modesta, i. 145.

— — strepera, i. 145 ; ii. 223.
viridicafca, i. 146.

INDEX.

239

Elanus leucurus, ii. 71, 72.
El Campestre, ii. 24.

Chocolate, i. 113.

Mitu, ii. 145.

- Yaciifm, ii. 146.
Emberiza hypochondria, i. 60.

— luctuosa, i. 54.
Emberizoides macrurus, i. 63.

— sphenurus, i. 63.
Embernagra raacrura, i. 63.

olivascens, i. 63.

platensis, i. 62, 63 ; ii. 50.

Empidagra suiriri, i. 146.
Empidochanes argentinus, i. 155.
Empidonax bimaculatus, i. 155.

brunneus, i. 155.

Empidonomus aurantio-atrocristatus,

i. 157.

Engyptila chalcauchenia, ii. 144.
Erismatura dominica, ii. 138.

— ferruginea, ii. 138.
Erythrocnema unicincta, ii. 63.
Espatula, ii. 137.

Espinero, i. 189.
Esquimo Whimbrel, ii. 192.
Eudromia elegans, ii. 214.
Eudromias modest a, ii. 171.
Euphonia aureata, i. 37.

chlorotica, i. 37.

nigricollis, i. 37.

Euscarthmus gularis, i. 136.

margaritaceiventris, i. 136.

Euxenura maguari, ii. 106, 107.
Eye-browed Spine-tail, i. 178.
Tern, ii. 197.

Ealcinellus guarauna, ii. 109.

igneus, ii. 109.

Falco circuracinctus, ii. 73.

communis, ii. 67,

femoralis, ii. 69.

fusco-caerulescens, ii. 69, 70.

peregrinus, ii. 67.

punctipennis, ii. 73.

sparverius, ii. 99.

Falcon, Peregrine, ii. 67.

, Spot-winged, ii. 73.

Fierce Tyrant, i. 156.
Finch, Black-and- Chestnut Warbling,
i. 49.

, Black-headed, i. 45.

— , Blackish, i. 54.

, Cardinal, i. 47.

, Dark-crested, i. 48,

Finch, Ditica, i. 55.

, Gay'*, i. 52.

, Glaucous, i. 44.

, Grey-headed, i. 53.

, Indigo, i. 43.

, Lesser Cardinal, i. 48.

, Diuca, i. 56.

— , Long -tailed Reed-, i. 49.

, Many-coloured Ground-, i.

61.
, Marsh-, i. 45.

— , Meadow Seed-, i. 71.

, Misto Seed-, i. 69.

, Mourning, i. 54.

, Olive Ground-, i. 63.

, Plain-coloured, i. 57.

, Pretty Warbling, i. 51.

, Prince Max's, i. 44.

, Red-backed, i. 53.

, Red-billed Ground-, i. 62.

, Red-browed Warbling, i. 50.

, Red-crested, i. 48.

, Red-flanked Warbling, i. 51.

, Red-stained, i. 57.

, Ringed Warbling, i. 51.

, Screaming, i. 46.

, Slaty, i. 53.

, Wedge-tailed Ground-, i. 63.

, White-and-grey Warbling, i.

52.

, White's Ground-, i. 64.

, White's Warbling, i. 50.

, Yellow Seed-, i. 69.

Firewood Gatherer, i. 189.
Flamingo, Andean, ii. 119.

, Argentine, ii. 117.

Flat-billed Wood-hewer, i. 199.
Flauta del Sol, ii. 100.
Florida caerulea, ii. 99.
Fluvicola albiventris, i. 121.
Fly-snapper, Brush-loving, i. 12.
Forked-tail Pipit, i. 19.
Fork-tailed Goatsucker, ii. 15.
Four-coloured Tanager, i. 40.
Fulica armillata, ii. 157.

leucoptera, ii. 158.

leucopyga, ii. 157.

Fulvous Tree-Duck, ii. 126.
Furnarius figulus, i. 170.

rufus, i. 27, 119, 167; ii. 80.

tricolor, i. 170 ; ii. 223.

Gallina ciega, ii, 12,
Gallinago paraguaia?, ii. 178.

240

INDEX,

Gallinazo, ii. 90.
Gallineta, ii. 151.
Gallinula galeata, ii. 156.
Gallito, i. 206.

, Brown, i. 207.

Gambetta flavipes, ii. 187.

melanoleuca, ii. 186.

Ganso, ii. 126.
Garza jaspeada, ii. 104.
Garzetta candidissima, ii. 99.
Gaviota, ii. 199.
Gay's Finch, i. 52.
Geobamon rufipennis, ii. 166, 226.
Geositta cunicularia, i. 33, 68, 165,
171.

tenuirostris, i. 165.

Geothlypis velata, i. 20.
Geranoaetus melanoleucus, ii. 64.
Geranospiza eaerulescens, ii. 67.
Geranospizias cserulescens, ii. 67.
Geronticus inelanopis, ii. 110.
Giant Humming-bird, ii. 4.
Glaucidium naiium, ii. 56.
Glaucous Finch, i. 44.
Glittering Humming-bird, ii. 9.
Glyphorhynchus cuneatus, i. 199.
Goatsucker, Fork-tailed, ii. 15.

, Little, ii. 14.

, Nacunda, ii. 12.

— — , Short-winged, ii. 16.

, White-banded, ii. 14.

Godwit, Hudsonian, ii. 191.
Gold-backed Woodpecker, ii. 21.
Golden- crowned Wood-singer, i. 21.
Golden Plover, American, ii. 1 70.
Golden-tailed Humming-bird, ii. 8.
Golondrina domestica, i. 26.
Goose, Andean, ii. 122.

, Ashy-headed, ii. 124.

, Barred Upland, ii. 123.

Great Condor, ii. 90.

Grebe, ii. 202.

Tern, ii. 195.

Tinamou, ii. 209.

Great-billed Tern, ii. 194.
Greater Yellowshank, ii. 186.
Grebe, Bright-cheeked, ii. 204.

, Great, ii. 202.

, Holland's, ii. 204.

— , Thick-billed, ii. 206.
Green Parrakeet, ii. 43.
Greenish Tyrant, i. 146.
Greenlet, Chivi, i. 22.
Green1et-/S7irike, Deep-billed, i. 24.

Greenlet, Ochre-headed, i. 23,
Grey-capped Gull, ii. 201.
Grey Crane-Hawk, ii. 67.

Eagle, ii. 64.

Teal, ii. 131.

Grey-eyed Tyrant, i. 147.
Grey-headed Finch, i. 53.
Greyish Saltator, i. 42.
Ground-Finch, Many -coloured, i. 61.

, Olive, i. 63.

, Red-billed, i. 62.

, Wedge-tailed, i. 63.

, White's, i. 64.

Guan, Dark, ii. 146.

, Hoary-necked, ii. 147.

, White-headed, ii. 146.

Gubernatrix cristatella, i. 55.
Guira Cuckoo, ii. 32.

piririgua, ii. 32.

Guira-pitd, i. 153.
Guira-yetapd, i. 123.
Guiraca cyanea, i. 43.
argentina, i. 43.

glaucocaBrulea, i. 44.

Gull, Dominican, ii. 197.

, Grey-capped, ii. 201.

, /Spot-winged, ii. 198.

Habia de banado, i. 62.

verde, i. 24.

Habrura minima, i. 138.

pectoralis, i. 138.

Haematopus ater, ii. 176.

paJIiatus, ii. 176.

Hsemophila whitii, i. 64.
Half-black Siskin, i. 65.
Haliaetus melanoleueus, ii. 64.
Haliseus brasilianus, ii. 91.
Hang-nest, Chestnut-shouldered, i.

107.

Hapalocercus flaviventris, i. 80, 137.
Harpiprion caerulescens, ii. 112.
Harpy, Crowned, ii. 66.
Harpyhaliaetus coronatus, ii. 6f>.
Harrier, Cinereous, ii. 57.

, Long-winged, ii. 58.

Hawk, Carancho Carrion-, ii. 81.

, Chimango Carrion-, ii. 74.

- — — , Grey Crane-, ii. 67.

, Pucheran's, ii. 58.

• , Sociable Marsh-, ii. 72.

Holeofchreptus anomalus, ii. 16.
Heliomaster angelae, ii. 5, 229.
furcifer, ii. 5.

INDEX.

241

Hemiierax circumcinctus, ii. 73.
Hemiprocne zonaris, ii. 11.
Henicornis, Dark-tailed, i. 173.

phcenicurus, i. 1 73.

Hcrodias egretta, ii. 98.
Heron, Blue, ii. 99.
— , Cocoi, ii. 93.

, Dark Night-, ii. 105.

, Little Blue, ii. 101.

— , Variegated, ii. 101.

, Whistling, i. 100.

Heteronetta melanocephala, ii. 130.
Heterospizias meridionalis, ii. 63.
Himantopus brasiKensis, ii. 178, 171

nigricollis, ii. 179.

Hirundinea bellicosa, i. 151.
Hirundo leucorrhoa, i. 30.
Hoary-necked Guan, ii. 147.
Hobby, Orange-chested, ii. 69.
Homorus gutturalis, i. 197.

lophotes, i. 195.

unirufus, i. 195.

Hornero, i. 167.
House-Sparrow, Yellow, i. 66.
House-Wren, Brown, i. 13.
Hudsonian Godwit, ii. 191.
Hudson's Black Tyrant, i. 126.

Spine-tail, i. 186.

Humming-bird, Angela, ii. 5.

BurmeisUr's, ii. 2.

Giant, ii. 4.

Glittering, ii. 9.

Golden-tailed, ii. 8.

Red-throated, ii. 8.

Sappho, ii. 3.

Violet-eared, ii. 3.

White-breasted, ii. 7.

White-sided, ii. 1.

White-throated, ii. 7.

Hydropsalis furcifera, ii. 15.

psalurus, ii. 15.

torquata, ii. 15.

Hylocharis bicolor, ii. 9.

sapphirina, ii. 1, 6, 8.

Hylophilus pcecilotis, i. 23.
Hypotriorchis femoralis, ii. 69.

Ibis albicollis, ii. 110.

, Black-faced, ii. 110.

cserulescens, ii. 112.

chalcoptera, ii. 109.

falcinellus, ii. 109.

infuscata, ii. 113.

plumbca, ii. 112.

Ibis, Plumbeous, ii. 112.

, Whispering, ii. 113.

, White-faced, ii. ] 09.

, Wood-, ii. 108.

Ibycter chimango, ii. 74.
Icterus pyrrhopterus, i. 73, 107.
Indigo Finch, i. 43.

Jabiru, ii. 106.
Jacana, Common, ii. 163.
Jackass Penguin, ii. 206.
Jassana) ii. 163.
Jay, Azure, i. 110.
, Urraca, i. 110.

Keanche, ii. 82.

Kestrel, Cinnamomeous, ii. 69.

Kingfisher, Amazonian, ii. 27.

, Little, ii. 27.

, Ringed, ii. 26.

Kite, White-tailed, ii. 71.

Lake- Duck, Rusty, ii. 138.

, White-winged, ii. 138.

Lanius ludovicianus excubitoroides,

ii. 60.

Lapwing, Cayenne, ii. 165, 166.
Larger Bush-bird, i. 203.
Lark-like Coryphistera, i. 188.
Larus cirrhocephalus, ii. 198, 201.

dominicanus, ii. 197.

glaucodes, ii. 198.

maculipennis, ii. 198, 201,

202.

serranus, ii. 198.

vociferus, ii. 197.

La Saria, ii. 161.
Leach's Bush-bird, i. 202.
Leaf -scraper, Spiny, i. 174.
Lechuzon, ii. 49.
Leistes anticus, i. 102.

superciliaris, i. 100.

Lenatero, i. 31, 189.
Lepidocolaptes atripes, i. 201.
Leptasthenura aegithaloides, i. 177;

ii. 19.

fuliginiceps, i. 177.

Leptopogon tristis, i. 144.
Leptoptila chalcauchenia, ii. 144.

megalura, ii. 144.

Lesser Cardinal Finch, i. 48.

Diuca Finch, i. 56.

Yellowshank, ii. 187.

Leucippus chionogaster, ii. 7.

242

INDEX.

Leucochloris albicollis, ii. 7.
Leuconerpes candidus, ii. 23.
Lichenops erythropterus, i. 129.

perspicillatus, i. 124, 126, 127,

129.

Limnornis curvirostris, i. 185, 191.
Limosa hsomastica, ii. 191.

hudsonica, ii. 191.

lapponica, ii. 191.

Lindo, i. 38.

azul y oro cabeza celeste, i. 37.

Little Blue Heron, ii. 101.
Brown Tyrant, i. 151.

Cock, i. 206.

Goatsucker, ii. 14.

Kingfisher, ii. 27.

Turtle-Dove, ii. 143.

Waterhen, ii. 156.

Lochmias, Brazilian, i. 174.

nematura, i. 174.

Long-billed Woodpecker, ii. 23.
Long-tailed Manikin, i. 161.

Reed-Finch, i. 49.

Tyrant, i. 139.

Long-winged Harrier, ii. 58.
Lophospingus pusillus, i. 48.
Lophospiza pusilla, i. 48.

Macds cornudo, ii. 203.
Macasito, ii. 205.

Machetornis rixosa, i. 84, 85, 131.
Magellanic Thrush, i. 3.
Maguari Stork, ii. 106.
Manduria, ii. 112.
Mandurria 6 curucdu, ii. 111.
Manea-cola, i. 166.
Manikin, Long-tailed, i. 161.
Many-coloured Ground-Finch, i. 61.

Tyrant, i. 142.

Marbled Tiger-Bittern, ii. 104.
Mareca chiloensis, ii. 135.

sibilatrix, ii. 135.

Marked Crake, ii. 155.
Marsh-bird, Red-breasted, i. 100.

Red-headed, i. 99.

Scarlet-headed, i. 101.

Yellow-breasted, i. 102.

Yellow-headed, i. 98.

Yellow-shouldered, i. 97.

Marsh-Finch, i. 45.
Marsh-Hawk, Sociable, ii. 72.
Marsh-Starling, De Filippi's, i. 105.

, Patagonian, i. 104.

Marsh-Wren, Platan, i. 15.

Martin, Brown, i. 35.

, Domestic, i. 25.

, Purple, i. 24.

, Red-backed Rock-, i. 30.

, Tree-, i. 26.

Martineta Tinamou, ii. 214.
Maximilian's Parrot, Prince, ii. 47.
Max's Finch, Prince, i. 44.
Meadow Seed-Finch, i. 71.
Megaceryle torquata, ii. 26.
Melancholy Tyrant, i. 158.
Merlo, i. 4.
Merula fuscatra, i. 4.
Metopiana peposaca, ii. 137.
Hetriopelia aymara, ii. 142, 228.

melanoptera, ii. 142.

Milvago chimango, i. 81 ; ii. 57, 74,

82.

pezoporus, ii. 74.

Milvulus tyrannus, i. 160 ; ii. 77.

violentus, i. 75.

Mimus calandria, i. 5, 9.

modulator, i. 5, 7.

patagonicus, i. 7, 79.

thenca, i. 1, 7.

triurus, i. 2, 8.

Miner, Common, i. 165.

, Red-winged, i. 166.

Minera, i. 33, 166.
Minto Seed-Finch, i. 69.
Mitu, El, ii. 145.
Mocking-bird, Calandria, i. 5.

, Patagonian, i. 7,

, White-banded, i. 8.

Modest Spine-tail, i. 183.

Molina's Parrot, ii. 43.

Molothrus badius, i. 84, 86, 87, 88,

93,92,93,95,104.
bonariensis, i. 18, 72, 74, 75,

78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,

86, 88, 91, 92, 93, 154.

pecoris, i. 72, 74, 86.

rufoaxillaris, i. 86, 91, 92, 93,

95, 104.

sericeus, i. 72.

Molu Chueke, ii. 219.
Molybdophanes caeralescens, ii. 112.
Mourning Finch, i. 54.
Mouse-brown Tyrant, i. 119.
Museicapara viridicata, i. 146.
Muscisaxicola macloviana, i. 133.

maculirostris, i. 134.

mentalis, i. 133, 134.

rufivertex, i. 134.

INDEX.

243

Muscovy Dusk, ii. 120.
Hycteria americana, ii. 106.
Myiarchus atriceps, i. 157 ; ii. 223.

- erythrocercus, i. 156.

- fasciatus, i. 126 ; ii. 227.

- ferocior, i. 156 ; ii. 223.

- ferox, i. 156, 157.

- tyrannulus, i. 156, 157.
Myiobius naevius, i. 151.
Myiodynastes solitarius, i. 150.
Myiotheretes rufiventris, i. 82, 112,

114, 117; ii.76.

Nacundd, ii. 12.
— - Goatsucker, ii. 12.
Nacurutu, ii. 51.
Nandu, ii. 216.

Narrow-billed Wood-hewer, i. 201.
Narrow-tailed Tyrant, i. 139.
Nasica gracilirostris, i. 199.
Night-Heron, Dark, ii. 105.
Noctua cunicularia, ii. 52.
Noisy Tyrant, i. 145.
Nomonyx dominicus, ii. 138.
Nothoprocta cinerascens, ii. 210.

- doeringi, ii. 210, 223.

- pentlandi, ii. 210, 211.
Nothura cinerascens, ii. 210.

- darwini, ii. 213.

- maculosa, ii. 211, 213, 214.

- major, ii. 211.

- minor, ii. 213.

- perdicaria, ii. 213.
Numenius borealis, ii. 192.
Nycticorax gardeni, ii. 105.

- obscurus, ii. 98, 99, 105.

Ochetorhynchus dumetorius, i. 170.

- luscinia, i. 171.

- ruficauda, i. 171.
Ochre-headed Greenlet-SJirike, i. 23.
Ochthoeca leucophrys, i. 121.
(Enops aura, ii. 89.

Oily-green Anabazenops, i. 198.
Olive Ground-Finch, i. 63.
One-landed Buzzard, ii. 63.
Orange-chested Hobby, ii. 69.
Oreophilus ruficollis, ii. 174.

- totanirostris, ii. 174.
Oreotrochilus leucopleurus, ii. 1.
Ornismya angelae, ii. 5.

- aureoventris, ii. 9.
Orospina pratensis, i. 71 ; ii. 223.

Ortalida canicollis, ii. 147.

— guttata, ii. 147.
Ortalis canicollis, ii. 147.
Ortygometra melanops, ii. 156.
Oryzoborus maximiliani, i. 44.
Ostrich, ii. 216.
Otus brachyotus, ii. 49.

palustris, ii. 49.

Oven-bird, Crested, i. 170

, lied, i. 167.

Owl, Burrowing, ii. 52.

Choliba, ii. 51.

Common Barn-, ii. 48.

Pygmy, ii. 56.

Short-eared, ii. 49.

Virginian, ii. 50.
Oyster-catcher, American, ii. 176.

Pachyrhamphus albescens, i. 146.

albinucha, ii. 222.

minimus, i. 138.

pol} chropterus, i. 162.

Painted Snipe, ii. 182.
Pajaro ardilla, ii. 37.

Negro, i. 72.

Nino, ii. 207.

Palamedea chavaria, ii. 119.
Pampas Woodpecker, ii. 24.
Paraguay Snipe, ii. 181.
Paroaria' capitata, i. 48.

cucullata, i. 47.

Parra jacana, ii. 163.
Parrakeet, Aymara, ii. 46.

, Green, ii. 43.

, Red-billed, ii. 46.

Parrot, Bank, ii. 41.

•, Burrowing, ii. 41.

, Molina's, ii. 43.

, Patagonian, ii. 41.

, Prince Maximilian's, ii. 47.

, Bedr-headed, ii. 43.

, Sharp-tailed, ii. 42.

Parula pitiayumi, i. 20.
Patagicenas maculosa, ii. 139.
Patagona gigas, ii. 1, 4, 5.
Patagonian Earth-Creeper, i. 170.

Marsh- Starling, i. 104.

Mocking-bird, i. 7.

Parrot, ii. 41.

Sand-Plover, ii. 172.

Song-Sparrow, i. 59.

Spine-tail, i. 186.

Pato ceja blanca, ii. 132.
collar negro, ii. 132.

244

INDEX.

Pato creotto, ii. 129.

ovcro, ii. 136.

. picaso, ii. 136.

Portugues^ ii. 133.

real, ii. 129.

silvon, ii. 127.

Pavo del Monte, ii. 146.
Pearly-bellied Tyrant, i. 136.
Pecho-amarillo, i. 102.

Colorado, i. 106.

Pectoral Sandpiper, ii. 183, 184.
Penelope boliviana, ii. 146.

canicollis, ii. 147.

obscura, ii. 146.

pileata, ii. 146.

pipile, ii. 146.

Penguin, Jackass, ii. 206.
Pentland's Tinamou, ii. 210.
Pepoazd, i. 114.

Tyrant, i. 114.

Perdiz chico, ii. 214.

comun, ii. 211.

gmnde, ii. 209.

Peregrine Falcon, ii. 67.
Peristera frontalis, ii. 144.
Petasophora crispa, ii. 3.

serrirostris, ii. 3, 8.

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, i. 26, 30.
Phacellodomus frontalis, i. 192.

maculipectus, i. 194 ; ii. 223.

ruber, i. 184, 194, 195.

sib^atrix, i. 192, 195.

sincipitalis, i. 192, 193 ; ii.

223.

striaticollis, i. 194.

Phaethusa magnirostris, ii. 194.
Phalacrocorax albiventris, ii. 92.

brasilianus, ii. 91.

imperialis, ii. 92.

Phalarope, Wilson's, ii. 180, 181.
Phalaropus wilsoni, ii. 180.
Pheucticus aureiventris, i. 43.
Philomachus cay anus, ii. 165.
Phimosus infuscatus, ii. 113.
Phloeocryptes melanops, i. 174.
Phloeotomus schulzi, ii. 18, 223.
Phcenicopterus andinus, ii. 117, 119,

222.

ignipalliatus, ii. 117, 119, 222.

jamesi, ii. 117.

Pholeoptynx cunicularia, ii. 48, 52,

227.

Phrygilus caniceps, i. 53.
carbon arius, i. 54.

Phrygilus dorsalis, i. 53 ; ii. 223.

fruticeti, i. 54, 55 ; ii. 142.

gayi, i. 52.

ornatus, i. 51 ; ii. 227.

rusticus, i. 53.

unicolor, i. 53.

Phylloscartes flavo-cinereus, i. 139.

ventralis, i. 137.

Phytotoma rutila, i. 164.

Piaya cayana, ii. 36.

Pica de punza azul y canela, i. 37.

Picaflor cola de topacio, ii. 8.

Picazuro Pigeon, ii. 139.

Pico de Plata, i. 129.

Picolaptes angustirostris, i. 201.

Picui Dove, ii. 143.

Picus cactorum, ii. 19, 20.

mixtus, ii. 19.

Pigeon, Picazuro, ii. 139.

, Solitary, ii. 144.

, Spot-winged, ii. 140.

Pintail, Bahama, ii. 135.

, Brown, ii. 134.

Pionus maximiliani, ii. 47.
Pipile cumanensis, ii. 146.
Pipit, Cachila, i. 17.

— , Forked-tail, i. 19.
Pipridea melanonota, i. 37.
Piririgua, ii. 32.
Pitangus bellicosus, i. 82, 147, 154.

bolivianus, i. 147.

Pitiayume, i. 20.
Pitiayumi Wood-singer, i. 20.
Piuquen, ii. 123.
Plain-coloured Finch, i. 57.
Plant-cutter, Red-breasted, i. 164.
Platalea ajaja, ii. 114, 115, 117.
Platan Marsh-Wren, i. 15.
Platyrhynchus mystaceus, i. 136.
Plegadis falcinellus, ii. 109.

guarauna, ii. 109.

Plover, American Golden, ii. 170.

, Azara's Sand-, ii. 173.

, Cinereous, ii. 173.

, Patagonian Sand-, ii. 172.

, Slender-billed, ii. 174, 175.

, Winter, ii. 171, 172.

Plumbeous Ibis, ii. 112.

Hail, ii. 150.

Podager nacunda, ii. 12.
Podiceps bicornis, ii. 202.

caliparaeus, ii. 204.

chilensis, ii. 203.

dominions, ii. 205.

INDEX.

245

Podiceps major, ii. 203, 205.

rollandi, ii. 204, 205.

Podilymbus antarcticus, ii. 206.

— podiceps, ii. 206.
Polioptila dumicola, i. 12.
Polyborus brasiliensis, ii. 81.

- thams, ii. 65, 74, 81.

— vulgaris, ii. 81.
Poospiza albifrons, i. 49.
assimilis, i. 51.

- erythrophrys, i. 50 ; ii. 229.
lateralis, i. 51.

melanoleuca, i. 52.

nigrorufa, i. 49,

ornata, i. 51.

thoracica, i. 51.

— torquata, i. 51.

— whitii, i. 50.

Porphyriops melanops, ii. 156.
Porzana leucopyrrha, ii. 154.
notata, ii. 155.

saHnasi, ii. 155.

spilonota, ii. 155.

spiloptera, ii. 155, 225.

Pretty-throated Spine-tail, i. 181*

Warbling Finch, i. 51.

Prince Maximilian's Parrot, ii. 47.

- Max's Finch, i. 44.
Progne chalybea, i. 25.

domestica, i. 25.

furcata, i. 24, 25.

purpurea, i. 24.

— tapera, i. 26, 85.
Psarocolius unicolor, i. 108.
Pseudoleistes virescens, i. 76, 97,

102.

Psittacus amazonicus, ii. 47.
Pterocnemis darwini, ii. 219.
Pterocyanea cyanoptera, ii. 130.
Pteropfcoehus albicollis, i. 207»
Ptiloleptis guira, ii. 32.
Ptyonura maculirostris, i. 134.
Pucherans HawTc, ii. 58.
Puff-bird, Spotted, ii. 30.
Purple Martin, i. 24.
Purple-and- Yellow Tanager, i. 37.
Purple-breasted Trogon, ii. 29.
Pygmy Owl, ii. 56.
Pyranga azarre, i. 40.
coccinea, i. 40.

— saira, i. 40.

Pyrocephalus parvirostris, i. 152.
rubescens, i. 138.

rubineus, i. Ill, 152; ii. 227.

Quarhi-rahi, i. 153.
Queltregue, ii. 166.
Querquedula brasiliensis, ii. 45, 133.

cyanoptera, ii. 130.

flavirostris, ii. 131.

maculirostris, ii. 131.

torquata, ii. 132.

versicolor, ii. 131.

Rail, Antarctic, ii. 148.

, Black^ ii. 149.

, Plumbeous, ii. 150.

, Spotted, ii. 148.

— , Ypecaha, ii. 150.
Eallus antarcticus, ii. 148,

maculatus, ii. 148.

nigricans, ii. 149, 160.

- rhytirhynchus, ii. 149, 150.
salinasi, ii. 155.

Red Duck, ii. 137.

- Oven-bird, i. 167.

Shoveller, ii. 136»

Thorn-bird, i. 194.

Red-and-White Crake, ii. 154.
Red-backed Buzzard, ii. 62.
Finch, i. 53.

Rock-Martin, i. 30.

Tyrant, i. 134.

Red-bellied Thrush, i. 3.
Red-billed Ground-Finch, i. 62.

Parrakeet, ii. 46.

Red-breasted Marsh-bird, i. 100.

- Plant-cutter, i. 164.
Red-browed Warbling Finch, i. 50.
Red-capped Bush-bird, i. 204.

Tanager, i. 40.

Red-crested Finch, i. 48.

Woodpecker, ii. 21.

Red-faced Woodpecker, ii. 18.
Red-Jlanked Song-Sparrow, i. 60.

Warbling Finch, i. 51.

Red-fronted Coot, ii. 157.
Thorn-bird, i. 192.

Woodpecker, ii. 20.

Red-gartered Coot, ii. 157.
Red-headed Marsh-bird, i. 99.

Parrot, ii. 43.

Red-necked Swallow, i. 36.
Red-stained finch, i. 57.
Red-tailed Earth-Creeper, i. 171.
Red-throated Humming-bird, ii. 8.
Tyrant, i. 136.

Red- topped Tyrant, i. 134.
Red-wwged Miner, i. 166.

246

INDEX.

Red-winged Thorn-bird, i. 194.
Heed-Finch, Long-tailed, i. 49.
Meed-Tyrant, i. 137.
Reed- Wren, Black-headed, i. 13.
Rey de los Pajaros, ii. 73.
Rhamphastos toco, ii. 40.
Rhea americana, ii. 216, 220.

, Common, ii. 216.

darwini, ii. 219.

, Darwin's, ii. 219.

Rhinocrypta fusca, i. 207.

lanceolata, i. 206.

Rhinogryphus aura, ii. 89.
Rhyacophilus solitarius, ii. 188.
Rhynchaea hilarii, ii. 182.

semicollaris, ii. 179, 182.

Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens, i. 147,
Rhynchops melanura, ii. 193.

nigra, ii. 193.

Rhynchotus pentlandii, ii. 210.

punctulatus, ii. 210.

rufescens, ii. 50, 209, 214.

Ringed Kingfisher, ii. 26.

Spine-tailed Swift, ii. 11.

Warbling Finch, i. 51.

Ring-necked Teal, ii. 132.
Robin-like Wood-hewer, i. 198.

Rock-Martin, Red-backed, i. 30.

Rolland's Grebe, ii. 204.

Roseate Spoonbill, ii. 114.

Rostrhamus hamatus, ii. 72.

leucopygus, ii. 72.

sociabilis, ii. 72.

Rosy-billed Duck, ii. 137.

Rufous Cheese-bird, i. 163.

Ruisinor luscinia, i. 172.

Rush-bird, Curved-bill, i. 191.

Rush-loving Spine-tail, i. 174.

Rusty Lake-Duck, ii. 138.

Rusty-tailed Tyrant, i. 156.

Saltator, Allied, i. 41.

aurantiirostris, i. 42.

cserulescens, i. 42.

, Greyish, i. 42.

similis, i. 41.

superciliaris, i. 41.

, Yellow-billed, i. 42.

Saltatricula multicolor, i. 61.

Sanderling, ii. 186.

Sandpiper, Bawd's, ii. 184, 185.

, Bartram's, ii. 189.

, Bonaparte's, ii. 185.

, Buff-breasted, ii. 190.

Sandpiper, Pectoral, ii. 183, 184.

, Solitary, ii. 188.

Sand-Plover, Azara's, ii. 173.

, Patagonian, ii. 172.

Sangre de Toro, i. 152.

Para, i. 152.

Sappho Humming-bird, ii. 3.

sparganura, ii. 3.

Sarcidiornis carunculata, ii. 128.

regia, ii. 128.

Sarcorhamphus gryphus, ii. 90.
Saria, La, ii. 161.
Saurophagus sulphuratus, i. 147.
Sayornis cineracea, i. 121.
Scarlet Tyrant, i. 152.
Scarlet-headed Marsh-bird, i. 101.
Schutes Dipper, i. 11.

Woodpecker, ii. 18.

Scissor-bill, ii. 193.
Scissor-tail Tyrant, i. 160.
Sclater's Curassow, ii. 145.
Sclerurus caudacutus, i. 174.
umbretta, i. 174.

Scolopax frenata, ii. 181.

magellanica, ii. 181.

Scops brasilianus, ii. 51.

Screamer, Crested, ii. 119.

Screaming Cow-bird, i. 86.

Finch, i. 46.

Scytalopus indigoticus, i. 205.

superciliaris, i. 205 ; ii. 223.

, White-eyebrowed, i. 205.

Seed-Finch, Meadow, i. 71.

, Misto, i. 69.

-, Yellow, i. 69.

Seed-Snipe, Common, ii. 176.

, D'Orbigny's, ii. 178.

Seriema, ii. 161.

Serpophaga nigricans, i. 141.

subcristata, i. 140, 141, 142.

Setophaga brunneiceps, i. 21.

Sharp-tailed Parrot, ii. 42.

Short-billed Tyrant, i. 155.

Short-eared Owl, ii. 49.

Short- footed Tyrant, i. 156.

Short-winged Goatsucker, ii. 16.

Tyrant, i. 131.

Shoveller, Red, ii. 136.

Shrike, Deep-billed Greenlet-^, i. 24.

, Ochre-headed Greenlet-, i.

23.

Silver-bill Tyrant, i. 129.

Siskin, Black-headed, i. 64.

, Half-black, i. 65.

INDEX.

247

Sisopygis icterophrys, i. 76, 125.
Sittosomus erithacus, i. 198.

olivaceus, i. 198.

Skimmer, Black- tailed, ii. 193.
Slaty Finch, i. 53.
Slaty-blue Bush-bird, i. 204.
Slender-billed Plover, ii. 174, 175.
Small-crested Tyrant, i. 140.
Snipe, Common Seed-, ii. 176.

, D'Orbigny's Seed-, ii. 178.

, Painted, ii. 182.

, Paraguay, ii. 181.

Snowy Egret, ii. 99.
Sociable Marsh-Hawk, ii. 72.
Solitary Cassique, i. 72.

Pigeon, ii. 144.

Sandpiper, ii. 188.

Tyrant, i. 150.

Song-Sparrow, Chingolo, i. 58.

, Patagonian, i. 59.

, Red-flanked, i. 60.

, Stripe-headed, i. 60.

, Yellow-shouldered, i. 60.

Sordid Spine-tail, i. 184.
Sorry Tyrant, i. 144.

Southern Courlan, ii. 159.

Sparganura sappho, ii. 3.

Sparrow, Common Song-, i. 58.

, Patagonian Song-, i. 59.

, Red-flanked Song-, i. 60.

, Stripe-headed Song-, i. 60.

, Yellow House-, i. 66.

, Yelloiv-shouldered Song-, i.

60.

Spatula platalea, ii. 136.

Speotyto cuuicularia, ii. 52.

Spermophila analis, i. 57.

caerulescens, i. 46, 79.

inornata, i. 57.

melanocephala, i. 45.

palustris, i. 45.

rufirostris, i. 57.

Spheniscus magellanicus, ii. 206,
207.

Spine-tail, Brown-crested, i. 177.
— , Brown-fronted, i. 178.

, D'OrUgny's, i. 183.

, Eyebrowed, i. 178.

, Hudson's, i. 186.

, Modest, i. 183.

, Patagonian, i. 186.

, Pretty-throated, i. 181.

, Rush-loving, i. 174.

, Sordid, i. 184.

Spine-tail, Spix's, i. 179.

Striped, i. 182.

Tit-like, i. 177.

White's, i. 181.

White-throated, i. 179.

Wren-like, i. 188.

Yellow-marked, i. 185.

Spine-tailed Swift, Ringed, ii. 11.
Spiny Leaf-scraper, i. 174.
Spiv's Spine-tail, i. 179.
Spiziapteryx circumcinctus, ii. 73.
Spoonbill, Roseate, ii. 114.
Sporophila ornata, i. 46.
- rufirostris, ii. 227.
Spot-billed Tyrant, i. 134.
Spot-winged Crake, ii. 155.

Falcon, ii. 73.

Gull, ii. 198.

Pigeon, ii. 140.

Spotted Dove, ii. 141.

Puff-bird, ii. 30.

Rail, ii. 148.

Tinamou, ii. 211.

Starling, De Filippi's, i. 105.

, Patagonian Marsh-, i. 104.

Steganopus wilsoni, ii. 180.
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, i. 36.
Stenopsis bifasciata, ii. 14.
Stephanophorus caeruleus, i. 38.

leucocephalus, i. 38.

Sterna argentea, ii. 197.

cassini, ii. 196.

frobeenii, ii. 195.

hirundiuacea, ii. 196.

magnirostris, ii. 194.

maxima, ii. 195.

minuta, ii. 197.

superciliaris, ii. 197.

trudeauii, ii. 195.

Stigmatura budytoides, i. 139.

flavo-cinerea, i. 10, 139.

Stilt, Brazilian, ii. 179.
Stork, Maguari, ii. 106.
Strange-tailed Tyrant, i. 123.
Stripe-headed Song-Sparrow, i.

60.
Striped Spine-tail, i. 182.

Tyrant, i. 111.

Strix flammea, ii. 48,

perlata, ii. 48.

Sturnella defilippii, i. 105.

militaris, i. 104.

Sublegatus griseocularis, i. 147.
Suiriri chorreado, i. 129.

248

INDEX.

Suiriri pardo y roxo, i. 156.

roxo, i. 163.

Tyrant, i. 146.

Sulphury Tyrant, i. 147.
Surucud, ii. 29.
Swainson's Buzzard, ii. 59.
Swallow, Bank, i. 33.

, Red-necked, i. 36.

, White-rumped, i. 30.

Swan, Coscoroba, ii. 126.

Swift, Ringed Spine-tailed, ii. 11.

Sycalis chloropis, i. 69.

lutea, i. 69.

luteiventris, i. 69.

luteola, i. 69.

pelzelni, i. 66, 85.

uropygialis, i. 69.

Sylbeocyclus dominicus, ii. 205.
Sylvia chivi, i. 22.

yiridicata, i. 146.

Sylvicola venusta, i. 20.
Synallaxis segitholoides, i. 84, 177.

albescens, i. 179, 180, 182,

192.

crassirostris, i. 183 ; ii. 227.

flavigularis, i. 183.

frontalis, i. 178.

fuliginiceps, i. 177.

hudsoni, i. 81, 186 ; ii. 79.

humicola, i. 183, 187.

maluroides, i. 188.

- melanops, i. 174.

modesta, i. 183, 184.

orbignii, i. 183.

patagonica, i. 186.

phryganophila, i. 181.

ruficapilla, i. 178, 179, 186.

sclateri, i. 186 ; ii. 223.

scutata, i. 181.

sordida, i. 177, 184.

spixi, i. 79, 179, 180, 192.

striaticeps, i. 182.

sulphurifera, i. 185 : ii. 222.

superciliosa, i. 178 ; ii. 223.

whitii, i. 181 ; ii. 229, 231.

Sysopygis icterophrys, i. 125.

Tachybaptes dominions, ii. 205.
Tachycineta leucorrhoa, i. 30, 32.
Tachyeres cinereus, ii. 137.
Tachytriorchis albicaudatus, ii. 61.
Taenioptera coronata, i. 115, 118,

119.
dominicana, i. 117, 119.

Taenioptera icterophrys, i. 125.

irupero, i. 115, 118.

moasta, i. 118.

murina, i. 119.

nengeta, i. 114.

rubetra, i. 114, 120.

suiriri, i, 146.

variegata, i. 113.

Talpacoti Dove, ii. 144.
Tanager, Azara's, i. 40.

, Black-necked, i. 37.

, Blue, i. 39.

, Blue-and- Yellow, i. 39.

, Dark-lacked, i. 37.

, D'Orbigny's, i. 41.

, Four-coloured, i. 40.

, Purple -and- Yellow, i. 37.

, Red-capped, i. 40.

, White-capped, i. 38.

, Yellow -striped, i. 41.

Tanagra bonariensis, i. 39.

cyanoptera, i. 39.

sayaca, i. 39.

striata, i. 39.

Tantalus loculator, ii. 108.
Tapacola, White-necked, i. 207.
Tataupa Tinamou, ii. 208.
Teal, Blue-winged, ii. 130.

, Brazilian, ii. 133.

, Grey, ii. 131.

, Ring-necked, ii. 132.

, Yellow-billed, ii. 131.

Tern, Cassin's, ii. 196.

, Eyebrowed, ii. 197.

, Great, ii. 1 95.

, Great-billed, ii. 194.

, Trudeau's, ii. 195.

Tero-tero, ii. 195.
Teru-real, ii. 179.
Teru-reru, ii. 80.

del campo, ii. 79.

Teru-teru, ii. 166.
Thamnophilus argentinus, i. 204.

cserulescens, i. 204.

leachi, i. 202.

major, i. 203.

runcapillus, i. 204.

stagurus, i. 203.

Thaumatias albicollis, ii. 7.
Tberisticus caudatus, ii. 110.

melanops, ii. 110.

Thickbill, Black-and- Yellow, i. 43.
Thick-billed Grebe, ii. 206.
Thinocorus orbignyanus, ii. 178.

INDEX.

249

Thinocorus rumicivorus, ii. 176.
Thin-tailed Tyrant, i. 138.
Thlypopsis ruticeps, i. 40.
Thorn-bird, Red, i. 194.

, Red-fronted, i. 192.

, Red-winged, i. 194.

— , Whistling, i. 102.
Thrush, Black-headed, i. 4.

, Dusky, i. 1.

, Magellanic, i. 3.

, Red-bellied, i. 3.

Tiger- Bittern, Marbled, ii. 104.
Tigrisoma brasiliense, ii. 104, 105.

fasciatum, ii. 104, 105.

marmoratum, ii. 104.

Tijereta, i. 160.
Tinamou, Brown, ii. 207.

, Cinereous, ii. 210.

, Darwin's, ii. 213.

, Great, ii. 209.

, Martineta, ii. 214.

, Pentland's, ii. 210.

, Spotted, ii. 211.

, Tataupa, ii. 208.

Tmnunculus cinnamominus, ii. 69,
70, 77.

sparverius, ii. 69.

Tiru-riru, i. 189.

del campo, i. 187.

Tit-like Spine-tail, i. 177.

Tyrant, i. 141.

Tit-Tyrant, Yellow-billed, i. 142.

Toco Toucan, ii. 40.

Todirostrum margaritaceiventer, i.

136.

Torcasa, ii. 141.
Tordo, i. 72.

Comun, i. 72.

negro cabeza roxa, i. 101.

pardo roxiso, i. 96.

Tortola, ii. 141.
Tortolita, ii. 143.
Totanus bartramia, ii. 189.

chilensis, ii. 186.

flavipes, ii. 187.

melanoleucus, ii. 25, 186, 187.

solitarius. ii. 188.

Toucan, Toco, ii. 40.

Trarii, ii. 82.

Tree-Duck, Fulvous, ii. 1264

, White-faced, ii. 128.

Tree-Martin, 'i. 26.
Trepador comun, i. 202.
Triccus margaritiventris, i. 136.

VOL. II.

Trichothraupis quadricolor, i. 40.
Tringa acumiuata pectorulis, ii. 183.

arena riii, ii. 186.

bairdi, ii. 184.

bonapartii, ii. 185.

- dorsalis, ii. 184.

fuscicollis, ii. 185.

maculata, ii. 183.

rufescens, ii. 190.

rufus, i. 82.

Trochilus colubris, ii. 6.
Troglodytes auricularis, i. 15.

fasciolatus, ii. 226.

furvus, i. 13, 16, 85.

musculus, i. 13.

platensis, i. 13.

(Uropsila) auricularis, i. 15;

ii. 223.
Trogon, Azara's, ii. 29.

, Purple-breasted, ii. 29.

surucura, ii. 29.

variegatus, ii. 29.

Trudeaus Tern, ii. 195.
Trupialis defilippii, i. 105.

guianensis, i. 100.

lojca, i. 104.

militaris, i. 104, 105.

Tryngites rufescens, ii. 190.
Tucuman Woodpecker, ii. 21.
Turdus crotopezus, i. 1.

falklandicus, i. 3.

fuscater, i. 4.

leucomelas, i. 1.

magellanicus, i. 3.

nigriceps, i. 4.

rufiventer, i. 3.

rufiventris, i. 2, 3, 4.

Turkey- Vulture, ii. 89.
Turtle-Dove, Little, ii. 143.
Tyrannus aurantio-atrocristatus, i.
157.

melancholicus, i. Ill, 158.

verticalis, ii. 60.

violentus, i. 160.

Tyrant, Ashy, i. 121.

, Ashy-black, i. 126.

, Bienteveo, i. 147.

, Black-and-yellow-crcsted, i.157.

, Black-crowned, i. 115.

, Black-headed, i. 157,

, Blackish, i. 141.

, Blue-billed, i. 127.

, Broad-billed, i. 136.

, Cabanis's, i. 128.

250

INDEX.

Tyrant, Chat-like, i. 120.

, Chin-spotted, i. 133.

, Chocolate, i. 112.

, Cinereous, i. 128.

, Cock-tailed, i. 122.

, Dominican, i. 117.

, Fierce, i. 156.

, Greenish, i. 146.

, Grey-eyed, i. 147.

, Hudson's Black, i. 126.

, Little Brown, i. 151.

, Long-tailed, i. 139.

, Many-coloured, i. 142.

, Melancholy, i. 158.

, Mouse-brown, i. 119.

, Narrow-tailed, i. 139.

, Noisy, i. 145.

, Pearly-bellied, i. 136.

, Pepoaza, i. 114.

, Red-backed, i. 134.

, Red-throated, i. 136.

, Red-topped, i. 134.

, Reed, i. 137.

, Rusty-tailed, i. 156.

, Scarlet, i. 152.

, Scissor-tail, i. 160.

, Short-billed, i. 155.

, Short-footed, i. 156.

, Short-winged, i. 131.

, Silver-bill, i. 1 29.

, Small-crested, i. 140.

, Solitary, i. 150.

, Sorry, i. 144.

, Spot-billed, i. 134.

, Strange-tailed, i. 123.

, Striped, i. 111.

, Suiriri, i. 146.

, Sulphury, i. 147.

, Thin-tailed, i. 138.

, Tit-like, i. 141.

, Wagtail, i. 139.

, Warlike, i. 151.

, White-bellied, i. 121.

, WJiite-browed, i. 121.

, White-crested, i. 145.

, White-headed, i. 122.

, White-tailed, i. 112.

, Widow, i. 118.

, Wing-banded, i. 155.

, Yellow-bellied, i. 137.

— , Yellow-billed Tit-, i. 142.

, Yellow-browed, i. 125.

, Yetapa, i. 124.

lTpland Goose, Barred, ii. 123.
Upucerthia clumetoria, i. 170.

luscinia, i. 171.

ruficauda, i. 171.

Urraca, ii. 32.

Jay, i. 110.

Urubitinga meridionalis, ii. 63.
unicincta, ii. 63.

Vanduria aplomado, ii. 112.

barroso, ii. 112.

de Invierno, ii. 111.

de las lagunas, ii. 112.

Yanellus cayennensis, ii. 165, 195,
200.

modestus, ii. 171.

Varied Woodpecker, ii. 19.
Variegated Heron, ii. 101.
Veiled Wood-singer, i. 20.
Vigua, ii. 92.
Vinaceous Amazon, ii. 46.
Violet-eared Humming-bird, ii. 3.
Yireo chivi, i. 22.

olivaceus, i. 22, 204.

Vireosylvia chivi, i. 22.
Virginian Owl, ii. 50.
Viudita, i. 118.
Vulture, Black, ii. 89,
, Turkey, ii. 89.

Wagtail Tyrant, i. 139.
Warbling Earth- Creeper, i. 171.
Warbling Finch,, Black-and-Chcsttuit,

i. 49.

-, Pretty, i. 51.

, Red-browed, i. 50.

•-, Red-flanked, i. 51.

, Ringedt i. 51.

, White-and-Grey, i. 52.

, White's, i. 50.

Warlike Tyrant, i. 151.
Waterhen, American, ii. 156.

, Little, ii. 156.

Wedge-billed Wood-hewer, i. 199.
Wedge-tailed Ground- Finch, i. 63.
WJiimbrel, Esquimo, ii. 192.
Whip-poor-Will, ii. 13.
Whispering Ibis, ii. 113.
Whistling Duck, ii. 127.

Heron, ii. 100.

Thorn-bird, i. 192.

White Egret, ii. 98.
White-and-Grey Warbling Finch, i.

52.

INDEX.

251

White-banded Goatsucker, ii. 14.

Mocking-bird, i. 8.

White-bellied Tyrant, i. 121.

Woodpecker, ii. 23.

White-breasted Humming-bird, ii. 7.
White-browed Tyrant, i. 121.
White-capped Tanager, i. 38.
White-crested Tyrant, i. 145.

W hit e-eyebr owed Scytalopus, i. 205.
White-faced Ibis, ii. 109.
— — Tree-Duck, ii. 128.
White-headed Guan, ii. 146.

Tyrant, i. 122.

Trfa'te-n«vW Tapacola, i. 207.
White -rumped Swallow, i. 30.
White-sided Humming-bird, ii. 1.
White-tailed Buzzard, ii. 61.
Xt'te, ii. 71.

Tyrant, i. 112.

White-throated Cachalote, i. 197.

Humming-bird, ii. 7.

Spine-tail, i. 179.

TFoocZ-to<?r, i. 200.

White-winged Becard, i. 162.

C'mclodes, i. 17o.

Lake-Duck, ii. 138.

TF7nte's Ground-Finch, i. 64.

— Spine-tail, i. 181.

Warbling Finch, i. 50.

TFzWow; Tnm* i. 118.

Wigeon, Chiloe, ii. 135.
Wilson's Phalarope, ii. 180, 181.
Wing-banded Tyrant, i. 155.
Plover, ii. 171, 172.

Brown-headed, i. 23.
•, Bridge's, i. 199.
-, Chestnut, i. 201.
-, Flat-billed,].. 199.
-, Narrow-billed, i. 201.
-, Robin-like, i. 198.
-, Wedge-billed, i. 199.
-, White-throated, i. 200.
ii. 108.

Woodpecker, Allied, ii. 20.

— , Boie's, ii. 17.

, Cactus, ii. 19.

, Gold-backed, ii. 21.

, Long-billed, ii. 23.

— , Pampas, ii. 24.

, lied -crested, ii. 21.

, Red-faced, ii. 18.

, Red-fronted, ii. 20.

, Schulz's, ii. 18.

• , Tucuman, ii. 21.

Wood-

, Varied, ii. 19.
White-bellied, ii. 23.
singer, Brown-capped, i. 21.
Golden-crowned, i. 21.
Pitiayumi, i. 20.
F<>i7ed, i. 20.

Blade-headed Reed-, i. 13.
Brown House-, i. 13.
Eared, i. 15.
Platan Marsh-, i. 15.

Spine-tail, i. 188.

Xanthornus pyrrhopterus, i. 107.
Xanthosomus flavus, i. 98.

- ruficapillus, i. 99.
Xiphocolaptes albicollis, i. 200.

- major, i. 201.
Xolmis variegata, i. 116.

Yabint, ii. 106.
Yacu caraguata, ii. 147.
Yacuhu, El, ii. 146.
Yellow Cardinal, i. 55.

- House-Sparrow, i. 66.

- Seed-Finch, i. 69.
Yellow-bellied Tyrant, i. 137.
Yellow -billed Coot, ii. 158.

- Cuckoo, ii. 37.

- Saltator, i. 42.

- Teal, ii. 131.

- Tit-Tyrant, i. 142.
Yellow-breasted Marsh-bird, i. 102.
Yellow-browed Tyrant, i. 125.
Yellow-headed Marsh-bird, i. 98.
Yellow -marked Spine-tail, i. 185.
Yellow -shouldered Marsh-birdt i. 97.

- Song-Sparroiv, i. 60.
Yellow-striped Tanager, i. 41.
Yellowshank, Greater, ii. 106.

- , Lesser, ii. 187.
ritfrtpa Tyrant, i. 124.
Ynambu azulado, ii. 207.

- tatdupd, ii. 208.
Ypecalia Rail, ii. 150.

Zancudo, ii. 179.
Zapornia notata, ii. 155.
Zenaida maculata, ii. 141.
Zonotrichia canicapilla, i. 55, 59.

- hypochondria, i. 60.
-- matutina, i. 58.

— pileata, i. 58, 59.

- strigiceps, i. 60, 64.
Zorsal, i. 4.

PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND VRANCtS,
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

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