THIS EDITION IS LIMITED TO 75O COPIES

FOR SALE IN ENGLAND, IOO FOR SALE

IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
AND 35 PRESENTATION COPIES
 THE
COLLECTED WORKS
of
W. H. HUDSON

IN TWENTY-FOUR
VOLUMES

BIRDS OF LA PLATA
 BIRDS
OF LA PLATA
BY

W. H. HUDSON

WITH A NOTE BY
R. B. CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM

MCMXXIII
LONDON y TORONTO
J. M. DENT & SONS LTD.
NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON G? CO.
 Alí righls rcserved

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

 W. H. HUDSON
How many epoch-making works have gone into the pulping vat,
since El Ombú appeared?
There is no new way to pay oíd debts in spite of Massinger.
From the beginning of the world good taste has governed all
the arts.
The greatest artists have been eminently sane. The so-called
artistic temperament does not seem to have existed for them.
They all went about, carefully carrying on the ordinary business
of life, paying their debts (when they were able), and bearing
their life’s burden patiently, knowing the end would set them free.
Genius digs the foundation of the edifice it rears, not knowing
consciously that it is building for eternity, and works so un-
obtrusively that the passer-by seldom perceives a Parthenon
is being built.
Hudson neither broke into the mystery of our yeasty sea,
heralded with paragraphs, or blare of rattling tin-trumpets, ñor
was he, as was Paul of Tarsus, born free, but gained his freedom
at great price, paying for it with neglect and poverty.
He has emerged at last and takes his place in the first rank
of English writers. Perhaps he is a class alone, for who that
writes to-day, has his strange, searching charm, his great sim-
plicity, his love of animáis; not as a man, being a god to them
and knowing all things: but humble as themselves, humble
because his genius shows him that in the scheme of nature
one thing certifies the other, and the parís glorify the whole.
Versed, in his youth, more in the use of the lazo and the
boleadoras than the pen, I think his love of nature set him on
vii
viii W. H. HUDSON
to write instinctively, just as a gaucho child, putting its little
naked toe upon the horse’s knee, climbs up and rides because
he is compelled to ride or to remain a maimed and crippled
animal, travelling the plains on foot.
So does a Magellanic owl, when once full-feathered, launch
itself into the air and float off noiselessly.

R. B. CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM
 INTRODUCTION
The matter contained in this work is taken from the two volumes
of the Argentine Ornithology, published in 1888-9, an<^ was mY
first book on the subject of bird life. The late Philip Lutley
Sclater, who was at that time the chief authority in this country
on South American Ornithology, collaborated with me in the
work to the extent of arranging the material in accordance
with the most popular System of classification, and also adding
descriptions, synonymy, etc., of the species unknown to me.
All this matter which he contributed in order to make the work
a complete list, I have thrown out, along with the synonymy of
the species described by me. And there was good reason for this
simplification, seeing that we cannot have a complete list owing
to the fací that fresh species are continually being added to it by
the collectors; these species, new to the list, being mostly
intruders or visitors found on the sub-tropical northern limits of
the country. The original work (Argentine Ornithology} was thus
out of date as soon as published, and the only interest it still
retains for the reader is in the account of the birds’ habits con­
tributed by me. The work thus being no longer what it was,
or was intended to be, a different title had to be found, and I
cannot think of a more suitable one than The Birds of La Plata,
which indicates that the species treated here are of the Plata
country—a district of Argentina. Furthermore, it gives the
book its proper place as a companion work to The Naturalist
in La Plata. That book, also now oíd in years, has won a
permanent place in the Natural History libraries, and treats of
all forms of life observed by me; but as it was written after
Argentine Ornithology, I kept bird subjects out of it as
far as possible, so that the two works should not overlap.
I may add that Argentine Ornithology was issued in a limited
edition, and that copies are not now obtainable.
ix
 INTRODUCTION
One would imagine that during the long thirty years which
have elapsed since these little bird biographies were first issued,
other books on the same subject would have seen the light.
For since my time many workers in this same field have
appeared, Natural History Societies have been formed, and
one among them, exclusively a bird-lovers’ association, issues
a periodical founded on the Ibis pattern, and entitled El
Hornero—The Oven-Bird.
That, at all events, is what I supposed. But I hear that it
has not been so: naturalists out there have been saying that
my book of 1889 and that of Azara, composed a century earlier
—The Birds of Paraguay and the River Píate—are the only
works yet published which treat of the life habits of the birds
in that región.
This, I take it, is a good and sufficient reason for the re-issue
of so oíd a work. The lives of birds is a subject of perennial
interest to a large and an ever-increasing number of readers—
to all those, in fact, who love a bird, that is to say, the living bird,
not the dead stuffed specimen in a cabinet. It was well and wisely
said by Professor Mivart in his great anatomical work that
* ‘there is no such thing as a dead bird.” For the body is but
the case, the habit, and when the life and soul have gone out of
it, what is left is nothing but dust.
To return for a few moments to the writer on birds who carne
so long before me. Don Félix de Azara, a Spanish gentleman,
a person of importance in his time, a traveller and author of
several works, was yet able to find his chief pleasure in “con-
versing with wild animáis in desert places in a remóte land.”
The bird life of those then little-known countries had a special
attraction for him, and he was a most excellent observer and
described them carefully. His brief notes on their habits are
all the better to read on account of his simple natural diction,
so rare to find in the Spanish language, the beauty and
sonority of which perpetually tempts the writer to prolixity
and a florid style.
Azara had one great advantage over me. He had his friend
Noseda, a village priest in Paraguay, who shared his interest
in the bird life of the district, and made copious notes of his
 INTRODUCTION xi
observations, and these Azara could draw upon. Noseda was,
indeed, a sort of Gilbert White (his contemporary), and had his
“parish of Selborne” in a barbarous country rich in bird life.
I had no Noseda to compare notes with, ñor in all the years of
my life in the pampas did I ever have the happiness to meet
with anyone to share my interest in the wild bird life of the
country I was born in.
So far the book and its history. It remains to add something
concerning its subject—the character of the bird life of the
district where my observations were made. It is like that of
South America generally, but differs in the almost total absence
of tropical forms, such as Trogons, Toucans, Puff-birds, Motmots,
Todies, Jacamars, and Barbéis.
The bird world has been divided by ornithologists into
several geographical regions, and undoubtedly birds differ in
widely-separated portions of the earth and, like the races of
men, have the stamp of their country or continent on them.
But the bird is a volatile being, and vast numbers refuse to belong
to any particular región. Some are migratory, and travel to
distant lands outside of the región assigned to them, the return
journey in many cases covering a distance of 12,000 miles. That
a bird should have its breeding and feeding, or summer and
winter areas, 6,000 miles apart, seems almost incredible. Thus,
in South America, which is called the Neotropical Región, there
are numerous species that come from the adjoining región of
North America, and among these are several species which breed
in the arctic regions as high as latitude eighty to eighty-three or
four degrees, yet after breeding fly south as far as the Southern
extremity of Patagonia.
Besides the strict migrants there are many birds of a wander-
ing disposition, like the European Crossbills, the Waxwing,
and the Short-eared Owl. They have the gipsy habit or the
Columbus-like spirit of the poet’s Stork, who goes forth to
explore heavens not his own and worlds unknown before.
Finally, we have a multitude of species, both resident and
migratory, belonging to families that have a world-wide dis-
tribution. Among these are the Thrushes, Wrens, Pipits, Swal-
lows, Finches, Crows, Swifts, Goatsuckers, Woodpeckers,
xii INTRODUCTION
Cuckoos, Owls, Hawks, Vultures, Herons, Storks, Plover, Snipe,
Duck, Rails, Gulls, Cormorants and Grebes.
These universally distributed families are always more
numerous in the températe zones than in the tropics in relation
to the entire number of species. Thus they are relatively more
numerous in the températe district of La Plata than in the
Brazilian Forest región.
Undoubtedly South America is richer in bird life than any
other región of equal extent. The species number considerably
over 2,000, andone half orsomethingoverahalf belongto a single
order—Passeres, or Perchers. Half of these again are included
in the Sub-Order Oscines, or birds with a developed vocal organ—
the song-birds. We see thus how rich this región is in bird life
in which the songsters alone equal in number, if they do not
exceed, all the species of birds in Europe together.
About a quarter of the entire number of South American
species inhabit Argentina, and about half that number are
found in the Plata district, which belongs to the Patagonian
Sub-region of the Neotropical Región.
The species known to me personally number 233, but many
more ha ve been added since I left the country. The exclusively
Neotropical types in my list inelude Tanagers, Troupials, Tyrant-
birds, Plant-cutters, Woodhewers, Ant-birds, Gallito birds,
Humming-birds, Screamers, Courlans, Jacanas, Seed-Snipe,
Tinamus, and Rheas—in all eighty-four species.
Thus in this district the exclusively South American forms,
or families, are in a minority; but if we take the whole of the
Argentine country, these exclusive forms and the widely-dis-
tributed forms are pretty evenly balanced. Finally, if we take
the entire Neotropical Región we find the exclusively South
American forms in a majority. The Humming-bird family alone
numbers over four hundred species, the Tanagers about the
same number, while two other Passerine families, Tyrants and
Woodhewers, count together five hundred at least.
We have also to take into account that in the families that
are universal in their distribution there are groups, genera and
sub-families greatly modified in form. Thus, in the Thrush
family we have the Mocking-birds, and as in the Thrush family
 INTRODUCTION Xlii
so do we find divergent types in Wrens, Finches, Cuckoos and
other families.
To sum up. We have in the universally distributed families,
groups and genera, which exhibit the peculiar impress of the
región they inhabit (in this instance the Neotropical or South
American character), existing side by side with the unmodified
forms: a Thrush, a Siskin, a Swallow, an Owl, a Duck, a Dove,
a Plover, etc., hardly (and sometimes not at all) distinguishable
specifically from Oíd World forms. And along with those modified
and unmodified forms—Asiatic, European and North American—
the distinctly Neotropical forms. Among these last there are
species that have a profound interest to the student of the evolu-
tion of the bird life of the globe. They are survivals of an incalcul-
ably remóte period in the earth’s history when the greater part
of the Southern Hemisphere was land; when South America,
South Africa and Australasia were parts of one continent.
Among these forms, which have struthious and even older
affinities, are the Rheas, the Crypturi (the Partridges of South
America) and the Crested Screamer, which Huxley supposed
to be related by descent to the Archaeopteryx.
To go back to the statement made at the beginning of this
Introduction—that the one interest of this book is in the account
of the birds’ habits—I am tempted in conclusión to add a purely
personal note—a memory of an incident of thirty years ago.
About the time of the publication of Argentine Ornithology
(1889) a small book of a different kind by me was issued—a
fictitious record of romantic adventures, entitled Lhe Purple
Land. It happened that a copy was sent to an eider brother of
mine, living in the city of Cordova, in the Western Argentine
province of that ñame. It was sent by another brother, residing
in Buenos Ayres. In acknowledging the book he charged his
brother with a message to me, and his letter, written in Spanish,
was sent on to me in London. The message, translated, was
as follows:
Why are you staying on in England, and what can you do there ?
I have looked at your romance, and find it not unreadable, but this
you must know is not your line—the one thing you are best fitted
to do. Come back to your own country and come to me here in
xiv INTRODUCTION
Cordova. These woods and sierras and rivers have a more plentiful
and interesting bird life than that of the pampas and Patagonia.
Here I could help you and make it possible for you to dedícate your
whole time to observation of the native birds and the fauna generally.

I read the letter with a pang, feeling that his judgment was
right: but the message carne too late; I had already made my
choice, which was to remain for the rest of my life in this country
of my ancestors, which had become mine.
Now after so long a time the pang returns, and when I think
of that land so rich in bird life, those fresher woods and newer
pastures where I might have done so much, and then look back
at this—the little I did as shown in these volumes—the reflection
is forced on me that, after all, I probably made choice of the
wrong road of the two then open to me.
W. H. H.
October 1920.
 CONTENTS
PAGE
A Note by R. B. Cunninghame Graham . . vii
INTRODUCTION . . . . . ÍX

FAM. I.—TURDID2E
Dusky Thrush, Turdus leucomelas, Vieill. i
Red-bellied Thrush, Turdus rufiventris, Vieill. . . 3
Magellanic Thrush, Turdus magellanicus, King . . 4
Calandria Mocking-bird, Mimus modulator, Gould . . 5
Patagonian Mocking-bird, Mimus patachonicus, d’Orb. et
Lafr. ......... 7
White-banded Mocking-bird, Mimus triurus, Vieill. . 10

FAM. II.—TROGLODYTIDtE, OR WRENS

House-Wren, Troglodytes furvus, Gm. ... 13
Argentine Marsh-Wren, Cistothorus platensis, Tath. 16

FAM. III.—MOTACILLIDtE
Cachila Pipit, Anthus correndera, Vieill. 17

FAM. IV.—HIRUNDINID7E
Purple Martin, Progne furcata, Baird .... 20
Domestic Martin, Progne chalybea, Gm. . .21
Tree-Martin, Progne tapera, Linn. . . . . .22
Red-backed Rock-Martin, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, Vieill. . 27
Common Swallow, Tachycineta leucorrhoa, Vieill. . . 28
Bank-Martin, Atticora cyanoleuca, Temm. ... 31

FAM. V.—TANAGRID^E
White-capped Tanager, Slephanophorus leucocephalus, Vieill. 35

FAM. VI.—FRINGILLID2E
Glaucous Finch, Guiraca glaucoceerulea, d’Orb. et Lafr. 37
Screaming Finch, Spermophila carulescens, Vieill. . 38
Cardinal Finch, Paroaria cucullata, Lath. 39
xv
xvi CONTENTS
FAM. VI.—FRINGILLID^—continued
PAGE
Long-tailed Reed Finch, Donacospiza albifrons, Vieill. 40
Black-and-Chestnut Warbling Finch, Poospiza nigrorufa,
d’Orb. et Lafr. ....... 41
Mourning Finch, Phrygilus fruticeti, Kittl. ... 42
Yellow Cardinal, Gubernatrix cristatella, Vieill. . . 43
Lesser Diuca Finch, Diuca minor, Bp. .... 43
Chingólo Song-Sparrow, Zonotrichia pileata, Bodd. . 45
Red-billed Ground-Finch, Embemagra platensis, Gm. . 47
Black-headed Siskin, Chrysomitris ictérica, Licht. . 49
Yellow House-Sparrow, Sycalis pelzelni, Sel. ... 51
Misto Seed-Finch, Sycalis luteola, Sparrm. ... 55

FAM. VII.—ICTERID2E, OR TROUPIALS

Argentine Cow-bird, Molothrus bonariensis, Gm. . 57
Screaming Cow-bird, Molothrus rufoaxillaris, Cassin. 80
Bay-winged Cow-bird, Molothrus badius, Vieill. . 94
Yellow-shouldered Marsh-bird, Agelaus thilius, Mol. . 96
Yellow-headed Marsh-bird, Agelaus flavus, Gm. . . 97
Scarlet-headed Marsh-bird, Amblyrhamphus holosericeus,
Scop. ......... 98
Rufous-headed Marsh-bird, Agelaus ruftcapillus, Vieill. . 99
Red-breasted Marsh-bird, Leistes superciliaris, Bp. 100
Yellow-breasted Marsh-bird, Pseudoleistes virescens, Vieill. 102
Patagonian Marsh-Starling, Trupialis militaris, Linn. . 105
Military Starling, Trupialis deplippii, Bp. . .107
Chestnut-shouldered Hang-nest, Icterus pyrrhopterus,
Vieill. ......... 109
Chopi, Aphobus chopi, Vieill. . . . .111

FAM. VIII.—TYRANNIDJs, OR TYRANTS

Chocolate Tyrant, Myiotheretes rufiventris, Vieill. . . 113
Pepoaza Tyrant, Tanioptera nengetá, Linn. . . . 115
Black-crowned Tyrant, Tanioptera coronata, Vieill. . 118
Dominican Tyrant, Tanioptera dominicana, Vieill. . .120
Little Widow Tyrant, Tanioptera irupero, Vieill. . . 121
Mouse-coloured Tyrant, Tanioptera murina, d’Orb. et Lafr. 123
Chat-like Tyrant, Tanioptera rubetra, Burm. . . . 123
Swallow-like Tyrant, Fluvicola albiventris . . .124
 CONTENTS xvii
PAGE
Cock-tailed Tyrant, Alectrurus tricolor, Vieill. .125
Strange-tailed Tyrant, Alectrurus risorius,Vieill. . 126
Yellow-browed Tyrant, Sisopygis icterophrys,Vieill. 127
Ashy-black Tyrant, Cnipolegus anthracinus, Heine 128
Black Tyrant, Cnipolegus hudsoni. Sel. . .129
Silverbill, Lichenops perspicillatus, Gm. . .130
Short-winged Tyrant, Machetornis rixosa, Vieill. . 134
Chin-spotted Tyrant, Muscisaxicola macloviana, Garu. . 136
Little Black Red-back, Centrites niger, Bodd. 137
Reed Tyrant, Hapalocercus flaviventris, d’Orb. et Lafr. . 139
Little Long-tailed Tyrant, Stigmatura flavo-cinerea, Burm. 140
Little Crested Grey Tyrant, Serpophaga subscrisiata, Vieill. 141
Little River-side Grey Tyrant Serpophaga nigricans,
Vieill. ......... 142
Little Tit-like Grey Tyrant, Anaretes parulus, Kittl. . 143
Many-coloured Tyrant, Cyanotis azara, Naum. . 144
Bienteveo Tyrant, Pitangus bolivianus, Lafr. . 147
Scarlet Tyrant, Pyrocephalus rübineus, Modd. . . 151
Black-and-Yellow Crested Tyrant, Empidonomus aurantio-
atro-cristatus, d’Orb. et Lafr. . . . 155
Bellicose Tyrant, Tyrannus melancholicus, Vieill. .156
Scissor-tail Tyrant, Milvulus tyrannus, Linn. . . . 159

FAM. IX.—PHYTOTOMID7E, OR PLANT-CUTTERS

Red-breasted Plant-cutter, Phytotoma rutila, Vieill. 161

FAM. X —DENDROCOLAPTIDjE, OR WOODHEWERS

Little Housekeeper, Geositta cunicularia, Vieill. . . 163
Oven-bird, Furnarius rufus, Gm. . . .164
Patagonian Earth-creeper, Upucerthia dumetoria, Geoffr.
et d’Orb. ........ 169
Brown Cinclodes, Cinclodes fuscus, Vieill. . . .170
Rush-loving Spine-tail, Phlceocryptes melanops, Vieill. . 171
Tit-like Spine-tail, Leptasthenura agithaloides, Kittl. . 174
Chicli Spine-tail, Synallaxis spixi, Sel. . . . . 175
White-throated Spine-tail, Synallaxis albescens, Temm. . 176
Black-and-Yellow Throated Spine-tail, Synallaxis phry-
ganophila, Vieill. ...... 179
Striped Spine-tail, Synallaxis striaticeps, d’Orb. et Lafr. . 180
Modest Spine-tail, Synallaxis modesta, Eyton . . .181
xviii CONTENTS
FAM. X.—DENDROCOLAPTID2E—continued
PAGE
Sordid Spine-tail, Synallaxis sórdida, Less. . . .181
Yellow-spot Spine-tail, Synallaxis sulphurifera, Burm. 182
Patagonian Spine-tail, Synallaxis patagónica, Lafr. et d’Orb. 183
Hudson’s Spine-tail, Synallaxis hudsoni, Sel. . . 184
Wren-like Spine-tail, Synallaxis maluroides, d’Orb. . 186
Firewood-gatherer, Anumbius acuticaudatus, Less. . 187
Curved-bill Rush-bird, Limnornis curvirostris, Gould . 190
Red Thorn-bird, Phacellodomus ruber, Vieill. . . . 191
Rufous Cachalote, Homorus lophotes, Reicheub. . . 193
Laughing Cachalote, Homorus gutturalis, d’Orb. et Lafr. 194
Climbing Wood-hewer, Picolaptes angustirostris, Vieill. . 196

FAM. XI.—FORMICARID2E, OR ANT-BIRDS

Red-capped Bush-bird, Thamnophilus ruficapillus, Vieill. . 197

FAM. XII.—PTEROPTOCHID^E, OR GALLITOS

Little Cock, or Gallito, Rhinocrypta lanceolata, Geoffr. et
d’Orb. ......... 198

FAM. XIII.—TROCHILIDjE, OR HUMMING-BIRDS

Glittering Humming-bird, Chlorostilbon splendidus, Vieill. . 200

FAM. XIV.—CAPRIMULGIDiE. OR GOATSUCKERS

Nacundá Goatsucker, Podager nacundá, Vieill. . 203

FAM. XV.—PICID2E, OR WOODPECKERS

Red-crested Woodpecker, Chrysoptilus cristatus, Vieill. . 205
Pampas Woodpecker, Colaptes agrícola, Malh. . , . 207

FAM. XVI.—ALCEDINIDjE, OR KINGFISHERS

Ringed Kingfisher, Ceryle torquata, Linn. . 209

FAM. XVII.—CUCULIDjE, OR CUCKOOS

Güira Cuckoo, Güira piririgua, Vieill. . . . .211
Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus melancoryphus, Vieill. . .216

FAM. XVIII.—PSITTACID2E, OR PARROTS

Patagonian Parrot, Conurus paiagonus, Vieill. . .221
Green Parrakeet, Bolborhynchus monachus, Bodd. . . 223
 CONTENTS xix

FAM. XIX.—BUBONID^E, OR OWLS

PAGE
Short-eared Owl, Asió brachyotus, Forst. 226
Burrowing-Owl, Speotyto cunicularia, Mol. . 229

FAM. XX.—FALCONID2E, OR FALCONS

Argentine Hen-Harrier, Circus cinereus, Vieill. 234
Vociferous Hawk, Asturina pucherani, Verr. . . . 236
White-tailed Buzzard, Buteo albicaudatus, Vieill. 236
Red-backed Buzzard, Buteo erythronotus, Ring . . 238
Grey Eagle, Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Vieill. . . . 239
Crowned Eagle, Harpyhaliaétus coronatus, Vieill. . 241
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Linn. . . . 243
Argentine Hobby, Falco fusco-cterulescens, Vieill. . 244
Argentine Kestrel, Tinnunculus cinnamominus, Sw. . 245
White Rite, Elanus leucurus, Vieill. .... 247
Sociable Marsh-Hawk, Rostrohamus sociabilis, Vieill. 248
Pigmy Falcon, Spiziapteryx circumcinctus, Kaup. . 250
Chimango, or Common Carrion Hawk, Milvago chimango,
Vieill............................................................................................... 251
Carancho, or Caracara, Polyborus tharus, Mol. . 262

FAM. XXI —CATHARTIDjE, OR CONDORS

Black Vulture, Cathartes atratus, Bartram . 273

FAM. XXII—PHALACROCORACID^E, OR CORMORANTS

Brazilian Cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Gm. . 275

FAM. XXIII—ARDEID2E, OR HERONS

Cocol Heron, Ardea cocoi, Linn. ... . 276
White Egret, Ardea egretta, Gm. ... . 283
Snowy Egret, Ardea candidissima, Gm. . . 283
Whistling Heron, Ardea sibilatrix, Temm. . 285
Little Blue Heron, Butorides cyanurus, Vieill. . 286
Little Red Heron, Ardetta involucris, Vieill. . . 287
Night Heron, Nycticorax obscurus, Bp. . . . 293
XX CONTENTS

FAM. XXIV.—CICONIDtE, OR STORKS

pagb
Maguari Stork, Euxenura maguari, Gm. . . . 294
Wood Ibis, Tantalus loculator, Linn. . 295

FAM. XXV.—PLATALEIDJE, OR IBISES

White-faced Ibis, Plegadis guarauna, Linn. 297
Black-faced Ibis, Theristicus eaudatus, Bodd. . . 299
Blue Ibis, Harpiprion carulescens, Vieill. .301
Whispering Ibis, Phimosus infuscatus, Licht. . 302
Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaja rosea, Reichenb. . 303

FAM. XXVI.—PHCENICOPTERID2E, OR FLAMINGOES

Argentine Flamingo, Phanicopterus ignipalliatus, Geoffr. et
d’Orb. ......... 305

FAM. XXVII.—PALAMEDEID2E, OR SCREAMERS

Crested Screamer, Chauna chavaría, Linn. . 307

FAM. XXVIII.—ANATIDjE, OR DUCKS

Barred Upland Goose, Bernicla dispar, Ph. et Landb. . 311

Ashy-headed Upland Goose, Bernicla poliocephala, Grey . 312
Black-necked Swan, Cygnus nigricollis, Gm. . . . 313
Coscoroba Swan, Coscoroba candida, Vieill. . . 314
Fulvous Tree-Duck, Dendrocygna fulva, Gm. . . 315
White-faced Tree-Duck, Dendrocygna viduata, Linn. . 317
Blue-winged Teal, Querquedula cyanoptera, Vieill. . .318
Yellow-billed Teal, Querquedula flavirostris, Vieill. 318
Grey Teal, Querquedula versicolor, Vieill. . . 319
Ring-necked Teal, Querquedula torquata, Vieill. . 320
Brazilian Teal, Querquedula brasiliensis, Gm. . .321
Brown Pintail, Dafila spinicauda, Vieill. . 322
White-faced Pintail, Dafila bahamensis, Linn. . 323
Chiloe Wigeon, Mareca sibilatrix, Poepp. . . 324
Red Shoveller, Spatula platalea, Vieill. . . . 325
Rosy-billed Duck, Metopiana peposaca, Vieill. . 326
 CONTENTS xxi

FAM. XXIX.—COLUMBIDiE, OR PIGEONS

PAGE
Argentine Wood-Pigeon, Colomba picazuro, Temm. . 328
Spotted Wood-Pigeon, Columba maculosa, Temm. . . 329
Spotted Dove, Zenaida maculata, Vieill. .... 330
Pigmy Dove, Columbula picui, Temm. . 331
Solitary Pigeon, Engyptila chalcauchenia, Sel. et Salv. . 332

FAM. XXX.—RALLID7E, OR RAILS

Black Rail, Rallus rhythyrhynchus, Vieill. . . 333
Ypecaha Rail, Aramides ypecaha, Vieill. . . 335
Little Waterhen, Porphyriops melanops, Vieill. . 341
Yellow-billed Coot, Fúlica leucoptera, Vieill. . . 342

FAM. XXXI.—ARAMID^, OR COURLANS

Argentine Courlan, Aramus scolopaceus, Gm. . . . 343

FAM. XXXII.—PARRIDiE, OR JACANAS

Jacana, Parra jacana, Linn. ...... 346

FAM. XXXIII.—CHARADRIIDiE, OR PLOVERS

Spur-wing Lapwing, Vanellus cayennensis, Gm. . . 348
American Golden Plover, Charadrius dominicas, Müller . 354
Winter Plover, Eudromias modesta, Licht. . 356
Patagonian Ringed Plover, AZgialitis falklandicus, Lath.. 357
Slender-billed Plover, Oreophilus ruficollis, Wagl. . . 358

FAM. XXXIV.—THINOCORID/E, OR SEED-SNIPES

Seed-Snipe, Thinocorus rumicivorus, Eschsch. . 359

FAM. XXXV.—SCOLOPACIDTE, OR SNIPES

Brazilian Stilt, Himantopus brasiliensis, Brehm. . 361
Paraguay Snipe, Gallinago paraguaice, Vieill. . 362
.
Argentine Painted Snipe, Rhynchaa semicollaris, Vieill. . 364
Pectoral Sandpiper, Tringa maculata, Vieill. . . . 365
Greater Yellowshanks, Totanus melanoleucus, Gm. . 366
Solitary Sandpiper, Rhyacophilus solitarias, Wils. . . 367
Bartram’s Sandpiper, Actitura bartramius, Wils. . 369
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites rufescens, Vieill. . 371
Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa hamastica, Linn. . . 372
Esquimo Whimbrel, Numenius boreális, Fourt. . . , 373
xxii CONTENTS

FAM. XXXVI.—LARID2E, OR GULLS

Black-tailed Skimmer, Rhynchops melanura, Sw. . 374
Dominican Gull, Larus dominicanus, Ucht. . . . 376
Argentine Black-headed Gull, Larus maculipennis, Licht. 377

FAM. XXXVII.—PODICIPEDID.E, OR GREBES

Great Grebe, JEchmophorus major, Bodd. . 381

FAM. XXXVIII.—TINAMID^, OR TINAMUS

Tataupa Tinamu, Crypturus tataupa, Temm. . 383
Rufous Tinamu, Rhynchotus rufescens, Temm. . . 384
Spotted Tinamu, Nothura tnaculosa, Temm. . . 385
Martineta, Calodromas elegans, d’Orb. et Geoffr. . 389

FAM. XXXIX.—RHEID.®, OR RHEAS

Common Rhea, Rhea americana, Lath.' . . . 391

Index 399
 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

DUSKY THRUSH
(Turdus leucomelas)
Above olive grey; beneath palé grey, throat white striped with
brown; under wing-coverts and inner margins of wing-feathers
fulvous; bilí yellow; length 9 inches.

IGHT Thrushes are found in Argentina, three

E being Mocking-birds—Miminae, a group restricted

to America. The other five are true Thrushes,
and of these I describe the three which are known to
me from personal observation.
The Dusky Thrush, the best singer, which most
nearly resembles our Throstle or Song-Thrush, is widely
distributed in South America, and ranges as far south
as Buenos Ayres, where it is quite common in the
woods along the Plata river. It is a shy forest-bird;
a fruit, earth-worm, and insect eater; abrupt in its
motions; runs rapidly on the ground with beak elevated,
and at intervals pauses and shakes its tail; pugnacious
in temper; strong on the wing, its flight not being over
the trees, but masked by their shadows. It can always
be easily distinguished, even at a distance, from other
species by its peculiar short metallic chirp—a melodious
sound indicating alarm or curiosity, and uttered before
flight—so unlike the harsh screams and alarm notes of
the other Thrushes in this district.
Whether it is a fine singer or not within the tropics
I am unable to say, its vocal powers having received
A 1
2 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
no attention from the naturalists who have observed
it. With us in the températe climate of Buenos Ayres,
where it commences to sing in September, it has the
finest song of any bird known to me in* this región,
excepting the White-banded Mocking-bird, Mimus
triurus. Like the English Song-Thrush, but unlike
its near neighbours the Red-bellied Thrush and the
Magellanic Thrush, it perches on the summit of a tree
to sing. Its song is, however, utterly unlike that of the
English bird, which is so fragmentary and, as Bur-
roughs describes it, made up of “vocal attitudes and
poses.” The two birds differ also in voice as much as
in manner. The strains of the Dusky Thrush are poured
forth in a continuous stream, with all the hurry and
freedom of the Skylark’s song; but though so rapidly
uttered, every note is distinct and clear, and the voice
singularly sweet and far-reaching. At intervals in the
song there recurs a two-syllabled note twice repeated,
purely metallic, and its clear bell-like te-ling te-ling
always comes as a delightful surprise to the listener,
as it sounds like an instrumental accompaniment to
the song.
The song is altogether a very fine one, its peculiar
charm being that it seems to combine two opposite
qualities of bird-music, plaintiveness and joyousness,
in some indefinable manner.
I have never heard this species sing in a cage or any-
where near a human habitation; and it is probably
owing to its recluse habits that its excellent song has not
been hitherto noticed. Azara perhaps mistook the song
of this species for that of TutcLus rufiventris, a very
inferior vocalist.
The nest is made in the centre of a thick bush or tree
six or eight feet above the ground, and is a deep elabór­
ate structure, plastered inside with mud, and lined
 DUSKY THRUSH 3

with soft dry grass. The eggs are four in number,

oblong; the ground-colour light blue, abundantly
marked with reddish-brown spots.
This Thrush has, I believe, a partial migration in
Buenos Ayres. In the autumn and winter I have
frequently observed it in localities where it is never
seen in summer.

RED-BELLIED THRUSH
(jTurdus rufiventris)
Above olive-grey, throat to breast white, striped with dark brown;
under surface and under wing-coverts rufous red, deepest on the
belly; bilí dull yellow; feet brown; length 9 inches.

The Red-bellied Thrush, distinguished from the species

just described by its larger size and the bright rufous
colour of its under plumage, is common everywhere
in the Plata district, and does not appear to be migra-
tory. It is a noisy, strong-winged, quarrelsome bird,
closely resembling the Dusky Thrush in its manners.
It inhabits forests, runs on the ground in search of food,
and when approached darts away with loud chuckling
notes, flying cióse to the surface. They are also often
seen pursuing each other through the trees with loud
harsh screams. They remind one in their habits now
of the Missel Thrush, now of the Blackbird.
The song has a faint resemblance to that of the
Throstle, being composed of a variety of disconnected
notes with frequent pauses; but it is, both in sweetness
and strength, inferior to that of the English bird. A
poor song for a Thrush, and the bird perhaps knows it,
as he sings concealed in a thick bush or tree.
The nest is deep, well made, plastered inside with
4 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

mud, and concealed in the centre of a large bush or

low tree. The eggs are four, palé blue in colour, and
thickly spotted with brown.

MAGELLANIC THRUSH
(Turdus magellanicus)
Head, wings, and tail brownish black, rest of upper surface olive-
brown; under surface palé rufous; white throat striped with black;
bilí and feet dull yellow; length 10 5 inches.

This fine Thrush inhabits Patagonia and Chili, and

is hardly distinguished from the preceding species by
casual observers, but it is a larger bird, with a darker
upper and paler under plumage. Its nest and eggs are
also precisely like those of its northern representative.
The song is, however, even poorer, and reminds one
of the first attempts of a young bird. That a member
of so melodious a family should have so inferior a song
I attribute to the fact that Thrushes (unlike the songsters
of other genera) sing only in the warm season and when
the air is calm. In the Southern portion of the South-
American continent violent winds prevail in summer,
so that this Southern Thrush sings perhaps less frequently
than any other song-bird, and appears to be losing the
faculty of song altogether.
The two remaining Argentine Thrushes are the
Black-headed Thrush, Turdus nigriceps, and the Argen­
tine Blackbird, Turdus fuscater, both inhabitants of
the North-Western provinces. The Blackbird is of a
uniform brownish black with yellow feet and bilí, and is
larger than the home bird, being 11*5 inches long. The
song, it is said, resembles that of our bird, and is liked
even better by some who have heard it.
 CALANDRIA MOCKING-BIRD 5

CALANDRIA MOCKING-BIRD
{Mimus modulator)
Above daxk grey, rump tinged with brown; wings nearly black;
tail black, the feathers, except the two middle ones, broadly tipped
with white; under surface dull white; bilí and legs black; eye
olive-green; length n inches.

Azara has not failed to remark that it would be well

to find a more appropriate ñame for this species, which
was absurdly called Calandria (i.e. Skylark) by the
early colonists of the Plata. Moreover, by a curious
irony of fate, the Spanish naturalist himself, by employ-
ing this unsuitable ñame in his Birds of Paraguay,
even while protesting against it, has been the cause of
its introduction into scientific nomenclature.
It would be impossible to improve on the account
Azara gives of the bird’s appearance and manners.
The prevailing colour of the plumage is grey, the irides
are deep green, the beak black, slender and curved.
The tail is long, jerked and elevated when the bird is
at rest, spread open and depressed in flight. The
Calandria’s movements are measured and dignified, its
flight low and never extends far, the bird usually
passing from one tree to another in a long graceful
curve. It goes alone or with its mate only; feeds chiefly
on the ground; does not penétrate into deep forests,
ñor is it seen on the treeless plains. It frequents the
borders of woods and open grounds abounding in isolated
shrubs and trees; is fond of coming about houses,
and invariably perches itself on the most conspicuous
places. It sings chiefly in spring, and its really
wonderful vocal powers have made it one of our best-
known and most admired songsters. To sing, it usually
places itself on the summit of a bush or tree, and
6 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

occasionally, as if carried away by excitement, it darts

upwards three or four yards into the air, and then drops
back on to its perch. So varied are its notes, and so
frequently suggestive of the language of other species,
that the listener finds himself continually asking whether
the Calandria is really an original singer or merely a
cunning plagiarist, able to steal scraps of fifty different
melodies and to blend them in some sort into one com­
plete composition. As a whole the song is in character
utterly unlike that of any other bird (birds of the Mimus
genus of course excepted), for the same notes are never
repeated twice in the same order; and though the
Calandria has many favourite notes, he is able to vary
every one of them a hundred ways. Sometimes the
whole song seems to be made up of imitations of other
singers, with slight variations—and not of singers only,
for now there will be clear flute-like notes, only to be
succeeded by others reedy and querulous as the hunger-
calls of a young finch; then there will be pretty flourishes
or Thrush-like phrases, and afterwards screams, as of
a frightened Swallow hurrying through the sky to
announce the approach of a Falcon; or perhaps piteous
outcries as of a chicken in the clutches of a Kite.
Nevertheless Azara says truly that the Calandria
does not mock or mimic the songs of other birds; for
though the style and intonation of a score of different
singers are reproduced by him, one can never catch a
song, or even a portion of a song, of which he is able
to say that it is absolutely like that of any other species.
This much, however, can be said of the Calandria; he
has a passion for endless variety in singing, a capa-
city for varying his tones to almost any extent, and a
facility in reproducing the notes of other birds, which,
in the Virginian Mocking-bird of North, and in the
White-banded Mocking-bird of South America, has been
 CALANDRIA MOCKING-BIRD 7
developed into that marvellous faculty these two species
possess of faithfully imitating the songs of all other
birds. The two species I have just named, while
mockers of the songs of other birds, also retain their own
original music—their “ natural song,” as an American
ornithologist calis it.
The Calandria makes its nest in the middle of a large
bush or low thorn-tree standing by itself; it is deep,
like the nest of a Thrush in form, built of sticks, thorns,
and grass, and lined with thistle-down or some other
soft material. The eggs are four or five, palé blue, and
thickly marked with reddish-brown spots.
When the nest is approached the parent birds demón­
strate their anxiety by uttering loud, harsh, angry notes.
It is generally believed that the Calandria will not
live in captivity. I have, however, seen a few individuáis
in cages, but they never sang.

PATAGONIAN MOCKING-BIRD
{Mimus patachonicus')
Above and beneath grey, paler on the under surface and tinged
with rufous on the belly; throat and eye-mark white; wings black;
tai! black, tipped with white; bilí and feet black; eye olive-green;
length 9’ 2 inches. Female smaller in size and lighter in colour.

The Patagonian Mocking-bird, which I met with during

my sojourn on the Rio Negro of Patagonia, closely
resembles the species just described, but is smaller,
the plumage is of a darker grey, and the irides are also
of a darker green. It is a common bird, resident, lives
alone or with its mate, feeds on insects and berries,
and in its manner of flight and habits is like Mimus
modulator. The nest is made in the centre of a bush
8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

of thorns and sticks, and lined with dry grass, cow-hair,

or other soft material; the eggs are four in number,
bluntly pointed, and thickly marked with dark flesh-
coloured spots. When the nest is approached the
parent birds come cióse to the intruder, often perching
within a yard of his head, but without uttering any
sound, differing in this respect from Mimus modulator.
The song of the Patagonian bird is in character
like that of the northern species, the variety of its
notes being apparently infinite; there are, however,
some differences worth mentioning. The singing of the
Patagonian species is perhaps inferior, his voice being
less powerful, while his mellow and clear notes are
constantly mingled with shrill ones, resembling the
cries of some of the Dendrocolaptine birds. While in-
capable of notes so loud or so harsh as those of the
northern bird, or of changes so wild and sudden, he
possesses an even greater variety of soft notes. Day
after day for many months I have heard them singing,
yet never once listened to them for any length of time
without hearing some note or phrase I had never heard
before. The remarks I have made concerning the Cal-
andria’s mocking-faculties also apply to this bird: but
though he does not actually repeat the notes and songs
of other species, he certainly does mock the notes of
individuáis of his own species; for it must be borne in
mind that no two individuáis sing quite alike, and that
the same bird constantly introduces new notes into his
song, and never repeats his notes in the same order.
I have often observed that when a bird while singing
emits a few of these new notes, he seems surprised and
delighted with them; for, after a silent pause, he re­
peats them again and again a vast number of times,
as if to impress them on his memory. When he once
more resumes his varied singing, for hours and some-
 PATAGONIAN MOCKING-BIRD 9

times for days the expression he has discovered is still

a favourite one, and recurs with the greatest frequency.
But this is not all. If the new note or phrase happens
to be a very striking one, it immediately takes the fancy
of all the other birds within hearing, and often in a small
thicket there will be a dozen or twenty birds near to-
gether, each sitting perched on the summit of his own
bush. After the new wonderful note had been sounded
they all become silent and attentive, reminding one
in their manner of a caged Parrot listening to a sound
it is trying to learn. Presently they learn it, and are
as pleased with its acquisition as if they had discovered
it themselves, repeating it incessantly. I noticed this
curious habit of the bird many times, and on one
occasion I found that for three entire days all the birds
in a small thicket I used to visit every day did nothing
but repeat incessantly two or three singular notes they
had borrowed from one of their number. The constant
repetition of this one sound had an irritating effect
on me; but a day or two later they had apparently
got tired of it themselves, and had resumed their
usual varied singing.
This bird usually sits still upon the summit of a bush
when singing, and its music is heard in all seasons and
in all weathers from dawn till after dark: as a rule it
sings in a leisurely, unexcited manner, remaining silent
for some time after every five or six or a dozen notes,
and apparently listening to his brother - performers.
These snatches of melody often seem like a prelude
or promise of something better coming; there is often
in them such exquisite sweetness and so much variety
that the hearer is ever wishing for a fuller measure,
and still the bird opens his bilí to delight and disappoint
him, as if not yet ready to display his whole power.
io BIRDS OF LA PLATA

WHITE-BANDED MOCKING-BIRD
{Mimus triurus)
Above grey, brown on the rump; beneath light grey; wing black;
crossed with a broad white band; tail white, except the two middle
feathers which are black; bilí and feet black; eye orange yellow;
length 9 5 inches.

Azara first met with this king of the Mocking-birds

in Paraguay a century ago; he named it Calandria
de las tres colas, and described the plumage accurately,
but was, I think, mistaken about the colour of the
eye, which is orange-red and not olive-green. He says
that it is a rare species, possessing no melodious notes,
which proves at once that he never heard it sing.
D’Orbigny obtained it in Bolivia, Bridges in Mendoza,
and more recently it has been found by collectors in
various parts of the Argentine country,. even in Buenos
Ayres, where, however, it is probably only an occasional
visitor. But they have told us nothing of its song and
of its miraculous mocking-powers. For my part I can
think of no other way to describe the surpassing ex-
cellence of its melody, which delights the soul beyond
all other bird-music, than by saying that this bird is
among song-birds like the diamond among stones,
which in its many-coloured splendour represents and
exceeds the special beauty of every other gem.
I met with this species on the Rio Negro in Pata-
gonia; it was there called Calandria blanca, a ñame
not strictly accurate, since the bird is not all white,
but certainly better than Azara’s strange invention of
“Lark with three tails.”
The bird was not common in Patagonia, and its only
language was a very loud harsh startled note, resembling
that of the Mimus calandria-, but it was past the love-
 WHITE-BANDED MOCKING-BIRD 11
season when I first met with it, and the natives all
assured me that it possessed a very wonderful song,
surpassing the songs of all other birds; also that it had
the faculty of imitating other species. In manners and
appearance it struck me as being utterly unlike a Mimus \
in its flight and in the conspicuous white and black of
the wings and tail it looked like a Tyrant of the
7(znio'ptera group. It was extremely shy, had a swift,
easy, powerful flight, and when approached would rise up
high in the air and soar away to a great distance. In
February it disappeared from the Rio Negro and did
not return till the following October, after the arrival
of all the other migrants. It was then that I had the
rare good fortune to hear it sing, and I shall never
forget the sensation I experienced when listening to its
matchless melody.
While walking through a chañar-wood one bright
morning, my attention was suddenly arrested by notes
issuing from a thicket cióse by, to which I listened in
delighted astonishment, so vastly superior in melody,
strength, and variety did they seem to all other bird-
music. That it was the song of a Mimus did not occur
to me; for while the music carne in a continuous stream
until I marvelled that the throat of any bird could sus-
tain so powerful and varied a song for so long a time,
it was never once degraded by the harsh cries, fantastical
flights and squealing buffooneries so frequently intro-
duced by the Calandria, but every note was in harmony
and uttered with a rapidity and joyous abandon no
other bird is capable of, except, perhaps, the Skylark;
while the purity of the sounds gave to the whole per­
formance something of the ethereal rapturous character
of the Lark’s song when it comes to the listener from a
great height in the air.
Presently this flow of exquisite unfamiliar music
12 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

ceased, while I still remained standing amongst the trees,

not daring to move for fear of scaring away the strange
vocalist. After a short interval of silence I had a fresh
surprise. From the very spot whence that torrent of
melody had issued, burst out the shrill, confused,
impetuous song of the small Yellow-and-Grey Pata­
gonian Flycatcher (Jstigmatura flavocinerea). It irritated
me to hear this familiar and trivial song after the other,
and I began to fear that my entertainer had flown away
unobserved. But in another moment, from the same
spot, carne the mellow matin-song of the Diuca Finch,
and this was quickly succeeded by the silvery bell-like
trilling song of the Churrinche, or little Scarlet Tyrant-
bird. Then followed many other familiar notes and
songs—the flute-like evening cali of the Crested Tinamu,
the gay hurried twittering of the Black-headed Siskin,
and the leisurely-uttered delicious strains of the Yellow
Cardinal, all repeated with miraculous fidelity. How
much was my wonder and admiration increased by the
discovery that my one sweet singer had produced all
these diverse strains! The discovery was only made
when he began to repeat songs of species that never
visit Patagonia. I knew then that I was at last listen-
ing to the famed White Mocking-bird, just returned
from his winter travels, and repeating in this Southern
región the notes he had acquired in sub-tropical forests
a thousand miles away.
These imitations at length ceased, after which the
sweet vocalist resumed his own matchless song once
more. I ventured then to creep a little nearer, and at
length caught sight of him hardly fifteen yards away.
I then found that the pleasure of listening to its melody
was greatly enhanced when I could at the same time see
the bird, so carried away with rapture does he appear
while singing, so many and so beautiful are the gestures
 WHITE-BANDED MOCKING-BIRD 13

and motions with which his notes are accompanied.

He passes incessantly from bush to bush, scarcely
alighting on their summits, and at times dropping down
beneath the foliage; then, at intervals, soaring to a
height of a hundred feet above the thicket, with a
flight slow as that of a Heron, or mounting suddenly
upwards with a wild, hurried, zigzag motion; then
slowly circling downwards, to sit with tail outspread
and the broad glistening white wings expanded, or
languidly waved up and down like the wings of some
great butterfly—an object beautiful to see.
When I first heard this bird sing I felt convinced
that no other feathered songster on. the globe could
compare with it; for besides the faculty of reproducing
the songs of other species, which it possesses in common
with the Virginian Mocking-bird, it has a song of its
own, which I believed matchless; and in this belief
I was confirmed when, shortly after hearing it, I visited
England, and found of how much less account than this
Patagonian bird, which no poet has ever praised, were
the sweetest of the famed melodists of the Oíd World.

HOUSE-WREN
(JTroglodytes furvus)
Warm brown; tail-feathers and outer webs of wing-feathers pen-
cilled with dark wavy lines; beneath palé brown; length 4 8 inches.

The common Argentine Wren is to all English residents

the “House-Wren,” and is considered to be identical
with the species familiar to them in their own country.
It is a sprightly little bird, of a uniform brown colour
and a cheerful melodious voice; a tireless hunter after
small spiders and caterpillars in hedges, gardens, and
14 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
outhouses, where it explores every dark hole and cranny,
hopping briskly about with tail erect, and dropping
frequent little curtsies; always prompt to scold an
intruder with great emphasis; a great hater of cats.
It was my belief at one time that the Wren was one
of the little birds a cat could never catch; but later on
I discovered that this was a mistake. At my home on
the pampas we once had a large yellow tom-cat exceed-
ingly dexterous in catching small birds; he did not,
however, eat them himself, but used to bring them into
the house for the other cats. Two or three times a day
he would appear with a bird, which he would drop at
the door, then utter a loud mew very well understood
by the other cats, for they would all fly to the spot in
great haste, and the first to arrive would get the bird.
At one time I noticed that he brought in a Wren almost
every day, and, curious to know how he managed to
capture so clever a bird, I watched him. His method
was to go out into the grounds frequented by Wrens,
and seat himself conspicuously amongst the weeds
or bushes; and then, after the first burst of alarm had
subsided amongst the small birds, one or two Wrens
would always take on themselves the task of dislodging
him, or, at all events, of making his position a very
uncomfortable one. The cat would sit perfectly motion-
less, apparently not noticing them at all, and by-and-
by this stolid demeanour would have its effect, and one
of the Wrens, growing bolder, would extend his dashing
little incursions to within a few inches of pussy’s demure
face; then at last, swift as lightning, would come the
stroke of the paw, and the little brown body would drop
down with the merry, brave little spirit gone from it.
The House-Wren is widely distributed in South
America, from the tropical forests to the coid uplands
of Patagonia, and, possessing a greater adaptiveness
 HOUSE-WREN 15

than most species, it inhabits every kind of country,

moist or dry, and is as much at home on lofty moun-
tains and stony places as in the everglades of the Plata,
where it frequents the reed-beds and damp forests.
About houses they are always to be found; and though
the traveller on the desert pampas might easily imagine
that there are no Wrens in the giant grasses, if he
makes himself a lodge in this lonely región, a Wren will
immediately appear to make its nest in his thatch
and cheer him with its song.
Even in large towns they are common, and I always
remember one flying into a church in Buenos Ayres
one Sunday, and during the whole sermon-time pouring
out its bright lyric strain from its perch high up some-
where in the ornamental woodwork of the roof.
The Wren sings all summer, and also on bright days
in winter. The song is not unlike that of the European
Wren, having the same gushing character, the notes
strong and clear, uttered with rapidity and precisión;
but the Argentine bird has greater sweetness and power;
although I cannot agree with Azara that it resembles
or comes nearest to the Nightingale.
In spring the male courts his mate with notes high
and piercing as the squeals of a young mouse; these
he repeats with great rapidity, fluttering his wings
all the time like a moth, and at intervals breaking out
into song.
The nest is made in a hole in a wall or tree, some-
times in the forsaken domed nest of some other bird;
and where such sites are not to be found, in a dense
thistle or thorn-bush, or in a large tussock of grass.
I have also found nests in dry skulls of cows and horses,
in an oíd boot, in the sleeve of an oíd coat left hanging
on a fence, in a large-necked bottle, and in various
other curious situations. The nest is built of sticks and
 i6 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

lined with horsehair or feathers, and the eggs are usually

nine in number, of a pinkish ground-colour, thickly
spotted with palé red.

ARGENTINE MARSH-WREN
(Cistothorus platensis)
Above palé brown, streaked with black; head darker brown,
streaked with black; tail-feathers dark sandy brown, barred with
blackish brown; beneath palé sandy bufí; length 4 3 inches.

This small Wren is rarely seen, being nowhere common,

although widely distributed. It prefers open grounds
covered with dense reeds and grasses, where it easily
escapes observation. I have met with it near Buenos
Ayres city; also on the desert pampas, in the tall pam-
pas-grass. It is likewise met with along the Paraná
river, and in Chili, Patagonia, and the Falkland Islands.
In the last-named locality Darwin found it common,
and says that it has there an extremely feeble flight,
so that it may easily be run down and taken.
The Marsh-Wren has a sweet and delicate song,
resembling that of the House-Wren (Troglodytes furvus)
but much less powerful. It does not migrate; and on
the pampas I have heard it singing with great anima-
tion when the pampas-grass, where it sat perched,
was white with frozen dew. Probably its song, like that
of Troglodytes furvus, varies in different districts; at
all events, the pampas bird does not possess so fine a
song as Azara ascribes to his Todo Voz in Paraguay,
which is undoubtedly the same species.
South America is rich in Wrens, the known species
numbering no fewer than a hundred. In Argentina
only four species are found, the two described and the
 ARGENTINE MARSH-WREN 17

Black-headed Reed-Wren, Donacobius atricapillus, a

common Brazilian species, and the Eared Wren, Lroglo-
dytes auricularis, found in the province of Tucuman.

CACHILA PIPIT
(Anthus correndera)
Above palé sandy buff, with black centres to the feathers; wing-
and tail-feathers dark brown, edged with buff ; the outer tail-
feathers almost entirely white; below sandy buff with large triangular
black spots; length 6 inches.

Azara’s only reason for calling this bird La Correndera

was that he thought it resembled a Titlark known by
that ñame in his own country, but of which he merely
had a confused recollection. It is therefore to be
regretted, I think, that correndera has been adopted
as a specific ñame by naturalists instead of Cachila,
the vernacular ñame of the bird, familiar to everyone
in the Argentine country. Azara’s Spanish bird was
probably Anthus pratensis, which closely resembles A.
correndera in general appearance, and has, moreover,
as wide a range in the northern as the last-named
species has in the Southern hemisphere. In the volume
on Birds in the Voyage of the Beagle it is said that a
species of Anthus ranges further south than any other
land-bird, being the only land-bird found on Georgia
and South Orkney (lat. 61 deg. S.).
In colour and language, possibly also in size, the Cachila
is variable. It is a very common bird, widely and plenti-
fully distributed over the pampas, found alikc on marshy
and dry grounds, but rare in the región of giant grasses.
While abundant it is also very evenly dispersed, each
bird spending its life on a very circumscribed plot of
earth. Those frequenting marshy or moist grounds are
B
i8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

of a yellowish-cream colour, thickly mottled and striped

with fuscous and black, and have two narrow parallel
puré white marks on the back, very conspicuous when
the bird is on the ground. The individuáis frequenting
high and dry grounds are much paler in hue, appearing
almost grey, and do not show the white marks on the
back. They also look larger than the birds on marshy
lands; but this appearance is probably due to a looser
plumage. The most strongly marked palé- and dark-
plumaged variations may be found living within a few
hundred yards of each other, showing how strictly each
bird keeps to its own little “beat”; for this difference
in coloration is no doubt due entirely to the amount of
moisture in the ground they live on.
The Cachilas are resident, living in couples all the
year round, the sexes being faithful. Several pairs
frequent a small area, and sometimes they unite in a
desultory flock; but these gatherings are not frequent.
In the evening, at all seasons, immediately after the
sun has set, the Cachilas all rise to a considerable height
in the air and and fly wildly about, chirping for a few
minutes, after which they retire to roost.
When approached they frequently rise up several
feet from the ground and flutter in the air, chirping
sharply, with breast towards the intruder. This is a
habit also found in Synallaxine species inhabiting the
grassy plains. But as a rule the Cachilas are the tamest
of feathered creatures, and usually creep reluctantly
awray on their little pink feet when approached. If the
pedestrian is a stranger to their habits they easily delude
him into attempting their capture with his hat, so little
is their fear of man.
To sing, the Cachila mounts upwards almost verti-
cally, making at intervals a fluttering pause, accom­
panied with a few hurried notes. When he has thus
 CACHILA PIPIT 19

risen to a great height (but never beyond sight as Azara

says) he begins the descent slowly, the wings inclining
upwards; and, descending, he pours forth long im-
pressive strains, each ending with a falling inflection
of two or three short throat - notes as the bird
pauses fluttering in mid-air, and then renewed succes-
sively until, when the singer is within three or four
feet of the earth, without alighting he re-ascends as
before to continué the performance. It is a very charm-
ing melody, and heard always on the treeless plains
when there is no other bird-music, with the exception
of the trilling and grasshopper-like notes of a few Synal-
laxine species. But in character it is utterly unlike the
song of the Skylark with its boundless energy, hurry,
and abandon; and yet it is impossible not to think
of the Skylark when describing the Cachila, which in
its manners, appearance, and in its habit of soaring
to a great height when singing, seems so like a small
copy of that bird.
The Cachila rears two broods in the year; the first
is hatched about the middle of August, that is, one to
three months before the laying-season of other Passerine
species. By anticipating the breeding - season their
early nests escape the evil of parasitical eggs; but on
the other hand, frosty nights and heavy rains are prob-
ably as fatal to as many early broods as the instinct
of the Molothrus bonariensis, or Cow-bird, is to others
at a later period.
There is another species of Pipit found in Argentina,
the Fork-tailed Pipit, Anthus furcatus-, it inhabits the
grassy pampas and the moist valleys in Patagonia, but
so closely resembles the Cachila in its plumage, language,
and habits as to be generally taken for that species.
The only difference I have noted is that it is shyer, and
has a somewhat shriller song.
20 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

PURPLE MARTIN
{Progne furcata)
Deep purple blue; tail black marked with blue; length 7 7 inches.
Female, upper parts dull purple; head, neck, and lower parts
blackish brown.
The Purple Martin is occasionally seen in the eastern
provinces of La Plata when migrating, but has not
been found nesting anywhere so far north as Buenos
Ayres. I met with it breeding at Bahia Blanca on
the Atlantic coast, and on the Rio Negro, where it is
very common. It arrives in Patagonia late in Septem-
ber, and leaves before the middle of February. On the
fourteenth of that month I saw one flock flying north,
but it was the last. It breeds in holes under the eaves
of houses or in walls, and its nest is like that of P.
chalybea-, but many also breed in holes in the steep
banks of the Rio Negro. They do not, however, excá­
vate holes for themselves, but take possession of natural
crevices and oíd forsaken burrows of the Burrowing
Parrot (Conurus patachonicus'). In size, flight, manners,
and appearance the Purple Martin closely resembles the
following species, the only difference being in the dark
plumage of the under surface. The language of the two
birds is also identical; the loud excited scream when
the nest is approached, the various other notes when
the birds sweep about in the air, and the agreeably
modulated and leisurely-uttered song are all possessed
by the two species without the slightest difference in
strength or intonation. This circumstance appears
very remarkable to me, because, though two species
do sometimes possess a few notes alike, the greater
part of their language is generally different; also
because birds of the same species in different localities
 PURPLE MARTIN 21

vary more in language than in any other particular.

This last observation, however, applies more to resident
than to migratory species.
I am inclined to believe that the Purple and Domestic
Martins form one dimorphic species, like the Carrion
and Hooded Crows of Europe, and that, like these
two Crows, they would inter-breed should their nesting
areas overlap.

DOMESTIC MARTIN
{Progne chalybea)
Upper parts deep purple-blue; wing- and tail-feathers black,
glossed with steel-blue; throat and chest ash-colour; breast,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts puré white; length 8 inches.
Female similar.

This species, distinguished from the Purple Martin

by its white underparts, ranges from México to Buenos
Ayres, the extreme limit of its range being about 250
miles south of that city. It was well called Golondrina
domestica by Azara, being pre-eminently domestic. in
its habits. It never breeds in banks as the Purple
Martin often does, or in the domed nests of other birds
in trees, a situation always resorted to by the Tree
Martin, and occasionally by the Common Swallow;
but is so accustomed to the companionship of man as
to make its home in populous towns as well as in country
houses. It arrives in Buenos Ayres about the middle of
September, and apparently resorts to the same breed-
ing-place every year. A hole under the eaves is usually
selected, and the nest is roughly built of dry grass, hair,
feathers, and other materials. When the entrance to
its breeding-hole is too large, it partially closes it up
with mud mixed with straw; if there be two entrances
22 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

it stops up one altogether. The bird does not often

require to use mud in building; it is the only one of
our Swallows that uses such a material at all. The eggs
are white, long, pointed, and five in number.
In the season of courtship this Martin is a noisy
pugnacious bird, and always, when quitting its nest,
utters an exceedingly loud startling cry several times
repeated. It also has a song, uttered both when resting
and on the wing, composed of nine or ten agreeably
modulated notes, invariably repeated in the same order.
It is a pleasing song with something of that peculiar
human-like quality in the sound which is so engaging
in our Barn Swallow. But it is a voice of much greater
power and may be heard when the bird sings flying
at so great a height as to be invisible.
Before leaving in February these birds congrégate
in parties of from twenty to four or five hundred, their
congregating place being usually on the broad leafy
top of an oíd ombú tree.

TREE-MARTIN
{Progne tapera)
Upper parts dull brown; tail-feathers blackish brown; throat
ashy white; fore-neck and chest ashy brown; abdomen white;
length 7 inches. Sexes alike.

The Tree-Martin is more slender and has a greater

extent of wing than the Purple Martins; and instead
of the beautiful dark purple (their prevailing colour)
its entire upper plumage is dusky brown, the under
surface white. But if these differences of structure and
hue merely serve to show that it is not a very near
relative of the other species, those exhibited in its habits
remove it very far indeed from them.
 TREE-MARTIN 23

The Tree-Martin is a garrulous bird, and no sooner

arrives early in September, than we are apprised of
the circumstance by the notes which the male and
female incessantly sing in concert, fluttering and waving
their wings the while, and seeming quite beside them-
selves with joy at their safe arrival; for invariably
they arrive already mated, and they probably pair for
life. Their language is more varied, the intonation
bolder and freer than that of our other Swallows. The
length of the notes can be varied at pleasure; some are
almost harsh, others silvery or liquid, as of trickling
drops of water: all have a glad sound; and many have
that peculiar character of some bird-notes of shaping
themselves into words; but unlike the other Swallows
the Martin has no set song.
This Martin is never seen to alight on the ground
or on the roofs of houses, but solely on trees; and
when engaged in collecting materials for its nest, it
sweeps down and snatches up a feather or straw without
touching the surface. It breeds only in the clay ovens
of the Oven-bird {Furnarius rufus). I at least have
never seen them breed in any other situation after
observing them for many summers. An extraordinary
habit, for, many as are the species that possess the semi-
parasitical custom of breeding in other birds’ nests,
they do not confine themselves to the nest of a single
species excepting the bird I am describing. It must,
however, be understood that my knowledge of this
bird has been acquired in Buenos Ayres, where I have
observed it; and as this Martin possesses a wider range
in South America than the Oven-birds, there is no doubt
that in other districts it builds in different situations.
On arriving in spring each pair takes up its position
on some tree, and usually on a particular branch; a dead
branch extending beyond the foliage is a favourite
24 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
perch. Here they spend much of their time, never
appearing to remain long absent from it, and often,
when singing their notes together, fluttering about it
with a tremulous, uncertain flight, like that of a hover-
ing butterfly. About three weeks after first arriving
they began to make advances towards the Oven-bird’s
nest that stands on the nearest post or tree; and if it
be still occupied by the rightful owners, after much
time has been spent in sporting about and reconnoitring
it, a feud begins which is often exceedingly violent
and protracted for many days.
In seasons favourable to them the Oven-birds build
in autumn and winter, and breed early in spring; so
that their broods are out of their clay houses by the
end of October or earlier; when this happens the
Swallow that breeds in November quietly takes
possession of the forsaken fortress. But accidents will
happen, even to the wonderful fabric of the Oven-bird.
It is sometimes destroyed and must be rebuilt; or its
completion has perhaps been retarded for months by
drought, or by the poor condition of the birds in severe
weather; or the first brood has perhaps perished,
destroyed by some tree-climbing enemy; a young
opossum for instance, less than a rat in size, and able
to squeeze itself into the nesting-chamber. November,
and even December, may thus arrive before some pairs
have hatched their eggs; and it is these unfortunate
late breeders that suffer the violence of the marauding
Swallows. I have often witnessed the wars of these
birds with the deepest interest; and in many ovens that
I have opened after the builders had been expelled I
have found the eggs of the Oven-bird buried under the
nest of the Swallows. After the Swallows have taken
up a position near the coveted oven, they occasionally
fly towards and hover about it, returning again to their
 TREE-MARTIN 25

stand. By-and-by, instead of returning as at first, they

take to alighting at the entrance of the coveted home;
this is a sort of declaration of war, and marks the
beginning of hostilities. The Oven-birds, full of alarm
and anger, rush upon and repel them as often as they
approach; they retire before this furious onset, but not
discomfited, and only warbling out their gay, seemingly
derisive notes in answer to the outrageous, indignant
screams of their enemies. Soon they return; the scene
is repeated; and this desultory skirmishing is often
continued for many days.
But at length the lawless invader, grown bolder, and
familiar with his strength and resources, will no longer
fly from the master of the house; desperate struggles
now frequently take place at the entrance, the birds
again and again dropping to the ground clutched
fiercely together, and again hurrying up only to resume
the combat. Victory at last declares itself for the
aggressors, and they busy themselves carrying in
materials for their nest, screaming their jubilant notes
all the time as if in token of triumph. The brave and
industrious Oven-birds, dispossessed of their home,
retire to spend their childless summer together, for the
male and female never sepárate; and when the autumn
rains have supplied them with wet clay, and the sense
of defeat is worn off, they cheerfully begin their building
operations afresh.
This is not, however, the invariable result of the
conflict. To the superior swiftness of the Martin the
Oven-bird opposes greater strength, and, it might be
added, a greater degree of zeal and fury than can animate
its adversary. Thé contest is thus nearly an equal
one; and the Oven-bird, particularly when its young
are already hatched, is often able to maintain its own.
But the Martins never suffer defeat; for, when unable
26 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
to take the citadel by storm, they fall back on their
dribbling system of warfare, which they keep up till
the young birds leave the nest, when they take posses­
sion before it has grown coid.
The Martin makes its own nest chiefly of large feathers,
and lays four eggs, long, pointed, and puré white.
It will be remarked that in all its habits above-
mentioned this bird differs widely from the two pre-
ceding species. It also differs greatly from them in its
manner of flight. The Purple Martins move with sur-
prising grace and celerity, the wings extended to their
utmost; they also love to sail in circles high up in the
air, or about the summits of tail trees, and particularly
during a high wind. At such times several individuáis
are usually seen together, and all seem striving to
outvie each other in the beauty of their evolutions.
The Tree-Martin is never seen to soar about in circles;
and though when hawking after flies and moths it sweeps
the surface of the grass with amazing swiftness, at other
times it has a flight strangely slow and of a fashion
peculiar to itself: the long wings are depressed as much
as those of a wild Duck when dropping on to the water,
and are constantly agitated with tremulous flutterings,
short and rapid as those of a butterfly.
Neither is this bird gregarious like all its congeners,
though occasionally an individual associates for a while
with Swallows of another species; but this only when
they are resting on fences or trees, for as soon as they
take flight it leaves them. Once or twice when for some
mysterious cause the autumnal migration has been
delayed long past its usual time, I have seen them unite
in small flocks; but this is very ráre. As a rule they
have no meetings preparatory to migration, but skim
about the fields and open plains in un-Swallow-like
solitude, and in a little while are seen no more.
 RED-BACKED ROCK-MARTIN 37

RED-BACKED ROCK-MARTIN
{Petrochelidon pyrrhonota}
Above glossy dark steel-blue; lower back and rump cinnamon
rufous; upper tail-coverts brown; wing black; tail black, glossed
with green; crown steel-blue; forehead sandy buff; cheeks and
sides of face chestnut; chin chestnut and lower throat steel-blue;
fore-neck, chest, and flanks ashy brown; middle of breast and
abdomen white, tinged with brown; length 5 3 inches. Sexes alike.

This species does not breed in the Plata district, and

is only seen there in spring, flying south or south-west,
and again in much larger numbers on its return journey
in autumn. Ñor does it breed anywhere in South
America, so far as we know, but in Arizona and other
districts in the northern división of the Continent, and
has a migration similar to that of many species of the
Limicolae order. Thus, flying south in the autumn
of the northern hemisphere, it crosses the tropics and
extends its enormous journey to the southernmost parts
of South America. On the Rio Negro, in Patagonia,
I did not meet with it, and suppose its summer resort
must be south of that locality; and, judging from the
immense numbers visible in some seasons, I should
think that they must, in their non-breeding ground in
Patagonia, occupy a very extensive area. They do not
seem to be as regular in their movements as other
Swallows here; some years I have observed them
passing singly or in small parties during the entire hot
season: usually they begin to appear, flying north,
in February; but in some years not until after the
middle of March. They are not seen passing with a
rapid flight in cióse flocks, but straggle about, hawking
after flies; first one bird passing, then two or three,
and a minute or two later half a dozen, and so on for
28 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
a greater part of the day. So long as the weather con­
tinúes warm they journey in this leisurely manner; but
I have known them to continué passing till April, after
all the summer migrants had left us, and these late
birds flew by with great speed in small cióse flocks,
directly north, as if their flight had been guided by
the magnetic needle.
While flying this species continually utters sharp
twitterings and grinding and squealing notes of various
léngths.

COMMON SWALLOW
(Tachycineta leucorrhoa)
Above glossy dark green; rump white; quills black, washed with
green; tail black with greenish gloss; base of forehead, cheeks,
and whole under surface white; flanks and sides washed with
smoky brown; length 5 5 inches.

This is the most abundant and best known of our

Swallows; a pretty bird in its glossy coat of deep green,
and rump and under surface snowy white; exceedingly
restless in its disposition, quick and graceful in its
motions; social, quarrelsome, garrulous, with a not
unmusical song, beginning with long, soft, tremulous
notes, followed by others shorter and more hurried,
and sinking to a murmur. They are the last of all our
migrants to leave us in autumn, and invariably re-
appear in small numbers about the houses on every
warm day in winter. Probably many individuáis in
Buenos Ayres remain through the winter in sheltered
situations, to scatter over the surrounding country
whenever there comes a warm bright day. I once saw
three together, skimming over the plains, on one of
the coldest days I ever experienced on the pampas,
 COMMON SWALLOW 29

the thermometer having stood at 29 deg. Fahrenheit

that morning.
Further south their migration is more strict; and
on the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, from March to August
I did not meet with a single individual. In Buenos
Ayres the autumnal migration of the Hirundines begins
about the middle of February, and from that date
vast numbers of this Swallow are seen travelling north,
and, in some seasons, they continué passing for over
a month. One autumn, in April, several days after the
Swallows had all disappeared, flocks of the Common
Swallow began to appear flying north, and for ten days
afterwards they continued to pass in large numbers.
They would stoop to dip themselves in a pool where I
observed them, and then alight on the reeds and bushes
to rest, and appeared quite tired with their journey,
rising reluctantly when approached and some allowing
me to stand almost within arm’s length of them with-
out stirring. I had never before observed any later or
supplementary migration like this; for as a rule the
causes which in some years delay the departure of birds
seem to affect them all alike. Possibly these late birds
come from some remóte district, where exceptionally
coid weather had retarded breeding operations.
The Common Swallow sometimes lays in a tree, in
the large nest, previously abandoned, of the Leñatero
(Anumbius acuticaudatus). Its favourite site is, how­
ever, a hole in a wall, sheltered by the overhanging
tiles or thatch; for though it does not go much into
towns, as Azara has remarked, it is very domestic,
and there is not a house on the pampas, however
humble it be, but some of these birds are about it,
sportively skimming above the roof, or curiously
peering under the eaves, and incessantly uttering
their gurgling happy notes.
30 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

For a period of a month to six weeks before building

begins they seem to be holding an incessant dispute,
reminding one in their scolding tones of a colony of
contentious English House-Sparrows, only the Swallow
has a softer, more varied voice, and frequently, even
when hotly quarrelling, he pauses to warble out his
pretty little song, with its sound like running water.
However many eligible chinks and holes there may be,
the contení ion is always just as great amongst them,
and is doubtless referable to opposing claims to the
best places. The excited twittering, the incessant
striving of two birds to alight on the same square inch
of wall, the perpetual chases they lead each other
round and round the house, always ending exactly
where they began, tell of clashing interests and of great
unreasonableness on the part of some amongst them.
By-and-by the quarrel assumes a more serious aspect;
friends and neighbours have apparently intervened in
vain; all the arguments of which Swallows are capable
have been exhausted, and, a compromise of claims
being more impossible than ever, fighting begins. Most
vindictively do the little things clutch each other and
fall to the earth twenty times an hour, where they often
remain struggling for a long time, heedless of the screams
of alarm their fellows set up above them; for often,
while they thus lie on the ground punishing each other,
they fall an easy prey to some wily pussy who has made
herself acquainted with their habits.
When these feuds are finally settled, they address
themselves diligently to the great work and build a
rather big nest. They are not neat or skilful workers,
but merely stuff a great quantity of straw and other
light materials into the breeding-hole, and line the nest
with feathers and horsehair. On this soft but disorderly
bed the female lays from five to seven puré white eggs.
 COMMON SWALLOW 3i

All those species that are liable at any time to become

the victims of raptorial birds are very much beholden
to this Swallow, as he is the most vigilant sentinel they
possess. When the hurrying Falcon is still far off, and
the other birds unsuspicious of his approach, the
Swallows suddenly rush up into the sky with a wild
rapid flight to announce the evil tidings with distracted
screams. The alarm spreads swift as light through the
feathered tribes, which on all sides are in terrified
commotion, crouching in the grass, plunging into
thickets, or mounting upwards to escape by flight. I have
often wondered at this, since this swift-winged and quick-
doubling little bird is the least likely to fall a prey himself.
They possess another habit very grateful to the mind
of every early riser. At the first indication of dawn,
and before any other wild bird has broken the profound
silence of night, multitudes of this Swallow, as if at the
signal of a leader, begin their singing and twittering,
at the same time mounting upwards into the quiet
dusky sky. Their notes at this hour differ from
the hurried twittering uttered during the day, being
softer and more prolonged, and, sounding far up in
the sky from so many throats, the concert has a
very charming effect, and is in harmony with the
shadowy morning twilight.

BANK-MARTIN
(Atticora cyanoleuca)
Above dark glossy blue; quills and tail-feathers black; cheeks
and under surface puré white; sides of the neck blue, descending
in a half-crescent on the sides of the chest; length 4 7 inches.

This diminutive dark-plumaged species is the smallest

of our Hirundines. In Buenos Ayres they appear early
32 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

in September, arriving before the Martins, but pre­

ceded by the Common Swallow. They are bank-birds,
breeding in forsaken holes and burrows, for they never
bore into the earth themselves, and are consequently,
not much seen about the habitations of man. They
sometimes find their breeding-holes in the banks of
streams, or, in cultivated districts, in the sides of ditches
and even down in wells. But if in such sites alone fit
receptacles for their eggs were met with, the species,
instead of one of the commonest, would be rare indeed
with us; for on the level pampas most of the water-
courses have marshy borders, or at most but low and
gently sloping banks. But the burrowing habits of two
other animáis—the Vizcacha (Lagostomus trichodactylus'),
the common large rodent of the pampas, and the curious
little bird called Minera (Geositta cunicularia')—have
everywhere afforded the Martins abundance of breed­
ing-places on the plains, even where there are no
streams or other irregularities in the smooth surface
of the earth.
The Minera bores its hole in the sides of the Viz-
cacha’s great burrow, and in this burrow within a bur-
row the Martin lays its eggs and rears its young, and is
the guest of the Vizcacha and as much dependent on
it as the House-Wren and the Domestic Swallow on man;
so that in spring, when this species returns to the plains,
it is in the villages of the Vizcachas that we see them.
There they live and spend the day, sporting about the
burrows, just as the Common Swallow does about our
houses; and to a stranger on the pampas one of these
villages, with its incongruous bird and mammalian
inhabitants, must seem a very curious sight in the
evening. Before sunset the oíd male Vizcachas come
forth to sit gravely at the mouths of their great burrows.
One or two couples of Mineras, their little brown bird-
 BANK-MARTIN 33

tenants, are always seen running about on the bare

ground round the holes, resting at intervals with their
tails slowly moving up and down, and occasionally
trilling out their shrill laughter-like cry. Often a pair
of Burrowing-Owls also live in the village, occupying
one of the lesser disused burrows; and round them all
flit half a dozen little Martins, like twilight moths with
long black wings. It is never quite a happy family,
however, for the Owls always hiss and snap at the
Vizcacha if he comes too near; while the little Martins
never become reconciled to the Owls, but perpetually
flutter about them, protesting against their presence
with long complaining notes.
The nest, made of dry grass lined with feathers, is
placed at the extremity of the long, straight, cylindrical
burrow, and contains five or six white pointed eggs.
I have never seen these Martins fighting with the Minera
to obtain possession of the burrows, for this industrious
little bird makes itself a fresh one every spring, so that
there are always houses enough for the Martins. After
the young have flown, they sit huddled together on a
weed or thistle-top, and the parents continué to feed
them for many days.
As in size and brightness of plumage, so in language
is the Bank-Martin inferior to other species, its only
song being a single weak trilling note, much prolonged,
which the bird repeats with great frequency when on
the wing. Its voice has ever a mournful, monotonous
sound, and even when it is greatly excited and alarmed,
as at the approach of a fox or hawk, its notes are neither
loud ñor shrill. When flying they glide along cióse to
the earth, and frequently alight on the ground to rest,
which is contrary to the custom of other Swallows. Like
other species of this family, they possess the habit of
gliding to and fro before a traveller’s horse, to catch
c
34 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the small twilight-moths driven up from the grass. A

person riding on the pampas usually has a number of
Swallows flying round him, and I have often thought
that more than a hundred were before my horse at one
time; but from the rapidity of their motions it is im­
possible to count them. I have frequently noticed
individuáis of the four most common species following
me together; but after sunset, and when the other
species have long forsaken the open grassy plain for
the shelter of trees and houses, the diminutive Bank-
Martin continúes to keep the traveller company. At
such a time, as they glide about in the dusk of evening,
conversing together in low tremulous tones, they have
a peculiarly sorrowful appearance, seeming like home-
less little wanderers over the great level plains.
When the season of migration approaches they begin
to congrégate in parties not very large, though some-
times as many as one or two hundred individuáis are
seen together; these companies spend much of their
time perched cióse together on weeds, low trees, fences,
or other slightly elevated situations, and pay little heed
to a person approaching, but seem pre-occupied or preyed
upon by some trouble that has no visible cause.
The time immediately preceding the departure of
the Martins is indeed a season of very deep interest to
the observer of nature. The birds in many cases seem
to forget the attachment of the sexes and their songs
and aerial recreations; they already begin to feel the
premonitions of that marvellous instinct that urges them
henee: not yet an irresistible impulse, it is a vague sense
of disquiet; but its influence is manifest in their language
and gestures, their wild manner of flight, and their
listless intervals.
The little Bank-Martin disappears immediately after
the Purple Martins. Many stragglers continué to be
 BANK-MARTIN 35
seen after the departure of the main body; but before
the middle of March not one remains, the migration of
this species being very regular.

WHITE-CAPPED TANAGER
(Stephanophorus lenco ceph alus)
Uniform deep blue; cap silvery white with a small crimson
crest above the forehead; length 7 inches. Female less bright.

This beautiful bird is one of the three species of Tanager

which range south as far as Buenos Ayres. The Tanagers
are, however, a numerous family (Tanagridae), number-
ing about 400 species, mostly restricted to the forest-
clad regions of Central and South America, between
the tropics. They are an American family nearly
related to the Finches, and the relationship is so cióse
in at least one genus as to make it difficult for naturalists
to determine its true place—whether in the Finch or
Tanager family. In form they resemble Buntings and
do not vary greatly in size; of the greater number it
may be said that they are about as big as a Yellow or
a Corn Bunting. But in their colouring they have
diverged widely from their relations—the family they
spring from as we must suppose. There are many bright-
coloured Finches, but with a few rare exceptions they
do not equal the Tanagers in this respect. Another
difference is that while wearing a more brilliant dress
they are less musical. They have not wholly for-
gotten that they are song birds; they all sing “after
a fashion,” but it is rare to find a species possessing
a song comparable in beauty to that of the best singers
in the Finch Family.
36 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Azara gave the generic ñame Lindo (beautiful)

to the Tanagers, and this species he named the “Blue
White-headed Beautiful,” the entire plumage being
of a very lovely deep cornflower blue, except a cap of
silvery-white feathers on the head, with a crimson spot
on the forehead, looking like a drop of blood.
It is a summer bird in Buenos Ayres, where it makes
its appearance in spring in the woods bordering on
the Plata River, and is usually seen singly or in pairs.
The nest is built in a tree ten or twelve feet from the
ground, and is somewhat shallow and lined with soft
dry grass. The female lays four eggs, white and spotted
with deep red. During incubation the male sits concealed
in the thick foliage cióse by, amusing itself by the hour
with singing, its performance consisting of chattering
disconnected notes uttered in so low a tone as to make
one fancy that the bird is merely trying to recall some
melody it has forgotten, or endeavouring to construct
a new one by jerking out a variety of sounds at
random. The bird never gets beyond this unsatisfac-
tory stage, however, and must be admired for its lovely
colouring alone.
The second species of the three known to me is the
Blue Tanager, L¿magra sayaca, the entire plumage of
which is a palé glaucous blue. A few of these birds
migrate as far south as Buenos Ayres and are seen in
small parties of four or five in the woods on the shores
of the Plata. The male emits a series of squealing
sounds by way of song.
The third species is the Blue-and-Yellow Tanager,
Lanagra bonariensis. The plumage is rich blue above
and bright yellow beneath. The female is olive green
above and buff colour beneath. This species also visits
Buenos Ayres in small numbers in spring (October).
Both sexes have a long reedy cali-note, and the male
 WHITE-CAPPED TANAGER 37
has a song composed of a succession of sounds like the
bleating of a kid.
There are eleven more species of Tanager in Argentina,
all confined to the northern parí of the country.

GLAUCOUS FINCH
(Guiraca glaucocarulea)
Uniform glaucous blue; wings and tail blackish, the feathers
edged with light blue; length 5-7 inches.

The Finches in Argentina number about fifty species

and belong mostly to forms peculiar to the New World,
the chief exception being the genus Chrysomitris
(Siskins), which has perhaps the widest range among
Finches. From personal observation I can only speak
of fifteen species.
The Glaucous Finch was to me a rare bird, and its
massive beak and rich blue plumage give to it a highly
interesting appearance; but about its habits I have
little to tell, for it is essentially a bird of the wild forest,
seldom coming near the abodes of man, and being,
moreover, shy in disposition, it is difficult to observe
even in its haunts. It is migratory, and is usually
seen singly or in pairs, or in small companies of four
or five individuáis. The male sings, but his performance
is merely a confused medley of chattering notes, uttered
in so low a tone that they can scarcely be heard at a
distance of twelve yards.
Another species of Guiraca, the Indigo Finch,
G. cyanea, is found in the northern province of Catamarca.
38 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

SCREAMING FINCH
(Spermo'phila carulescens)
Above palé smoky brown; front and lores black; beneath, upper
part of throat black, with white mystical stripe on each side; fore-
neck white; broad black band across the chest; abdomen and under
wing-coverts white; length 4 8 inches. Female palé olive-brown;
beneath lighter, tinged with ochraceous.

This species is a summer visitor in Buenos Ayres,

and is one of the last to arrive and first to depart of
our migrants. These birds are always most abundant
in plantations, preferring peach-trees, but do not
associate in flocks: they are exceedingly swift and
active, overflowing with life and energy, their im-
petuous notes and motions giving one the idea that
they are always in a State of violent excitement. The
male has a loud, startled chirp, also a song composed
of eight or ten notes, delivered with such vehemence
and rapidity that they run into each other and sound
more like a scream than a song. There is not a more
clever architect than this species; and while many
Synallaxes are laboriously endeavouring to show how
stately a mansión of sticks a little bird can erect for
itself, the Screaming Finch has successfully solved the
problem of how to construct the most perfect nest for
lightness, strength, and symmetry with the fewest
materials. It is a small cup-shaped structure, suspended
hammock-wise between two slender upright branches,
to which it is securely attached by fine hairs and webs.
It is made of thin, pale-coloured, fibrous roots, ingeni-
ously woven together—reddish or light-coloured horse­
hair being sometimes substituted; and so little material
is used that, standing under the tree, a person can easily
count the eggs through the bottom of the nest. Its
apparent frailness is, however, its best protection from
 SCREAMING FINCH 39

the prying eyes of birds and mammals that prey on the

eggs and young of small birds; for it is difficult to detect
this slight structure, through which the sunshine and
rain pass so freely. So light is the little basket-nest
that it may be placed on the open hand and blown
away with the breath like straw; yet so strong that a
man can suspend his weight from it without pulling it
to pieces. The eggs are three in number, white and
spotted with black; sometimes bluish-brown spots
are mingled with the black.
Two other species of Spermophila—S. palustris and
5. melanocephala—are found in Argentina.

CARDINAL FINCH
{Paro aria cucullata)
Above light grey; wings and tail dark grey; head, crest, and
throat brilliant scarlet, the scarlet extending downward to the chest;
beneath puré white; length 8 inches.

This well-known species is perhaps the finest Finch

the Argentines have. The entire upper plumage is clear
grey, the under surface puré white; but its chief glory
is its crest, which, with the anterior part of the head
and throat, is of the most vivid scarlet. The song has
little variety, but is remarkably loud, and has that
cheerful ring which most people admire in their caged
pets, possibly because it produces the idea in the
listener’s mind that the songster is glad to be a prisoner.
As a cage-bird this Finch enjoys an extraordinary
popularity; and a stranger in Buenos Ayres, seeing the
numbers that are exposed for sale by the bird-dealers
in the markets of that city, might fancy that a Cardinal
in a cage is considered a necessary part of the ménage
of every house in the country. This large supply of
40 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

caged birds comes from South Brazil, Paraguay, and

the north-eastern part of the Argentine country, where
the Cardinals are most abundant and unite in large
flocks. As a rule they are not snared, but taken when
young from the nest; thus most of the birds when first
exposed for sale are in immature plumage.
The Cardinal in a wild State is found as far south as
the province of Buenos Ayres, but it is there a scarce
bird. It breeds at the end of October, and makes a
shallow nest of twigs, vine-tendrils, and horse-hair.
The eggs are four; ground-colour white or tinged
with faint brown or greenish, and spotted with brown,
more densely at the large end.
The Lesser Cardinal Finch, P. capitata, common in
Bolivia and Paraguay, is also found in Northern
Argentina.

LONG-TAILED REED-FINCH
(Donacospiza albifrons)
Above yellowish grey, the back striped with blackish; lesser
wing-coverts clear grey; greater coverts and quills black; head like
back, greyish in the cheeks; eye-stripe and under surface buff;
length 6 inches.

The slender body, great length of tail, and the hue

of the plumage, assimilating to that of sere decaying
vegetation, might easily lead one into mistaking this
Finch for a Synallaxis where these birds are abundant.
I have met with it in the marshy woods and reed-
beds along the shores of the Plata, but it is a shy, rare
bird in Buenos Ayres. I have followed it about, hoping
to hear it utter a song or melodious note, but it had
only a little chirp. I would not, however, on this account
pronounce it to be the one silent member of a voiceful
family, as my acquaintance with it is so very slight.
 BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT FINCH 4i

BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT WARBLING FINCH

{Poospiza nigrorufa)
Above black, faintly washed with olive; eye-stripe palé straw-
colour; two outer tail-feathers on each side tipped with white;
beneath bright chestnut; under tail-coverts palé buff; length
5 8 inches. Female: above not so dark as in male; beneath light
buff striped with blackish.
This sweet-voiced little songster appears in Buenos
Ayres at the end of September; it is a common bird
in grounds abounding in bushes and scattered trees,
and in its bright ruddy breast and dark upper plumage
has some resemblance to the English Robin; only
it has a very conspicuous straw-coloured line above
the eye. Its voice also, in purity and sweetness of tone,
is not unlike that of the Robin; but the song, composed
of six unvarying notes, is uttered in a delibérate, busi-
nesslike manner at regular intervals, and is monotonous.
Never more than two birds are seen together; they feed
on the ground in humid situations, the male frequently
seeking a perch to sing. The nest is made on the ground,
or in a cióse bush near the surface; the eggs have a
palé bluish ground-colour, irregularly marked with
black and very dark brown spots, and in some
instances clouded with faint grey.
There are six more species of Poospiza found in the
Argentine country, all of them in the northern parís.
The English generic ñame of Warbling Finches
was invented for this group by the late Dr. P. L.
Sclater, and although I retain it here I am by no means
sure that it is the right one. Of the seven Argentine
species we only know the song of one—the Black-and-
Chestnut Finch, and its song is not exactly a warble in
the sense in which we use the word of the performance
of the Garden-Warbler, Blackcap, Willow-Wren, and
other European species.
44 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

to three or four hundred individuáis; swift of flight,

and when on the wing fond of pursuing its fellows and
engaging in mock battles. The song of the male is very
pleasing, the voice having more depth and mellowness
than is usual with the smaller fringilline singers, which
as a rule have thin, reedy, and tremulous notes. In
summer it begins singing very early, even before the
faintest indication of coming daylight is visible, and
at that dark silent hour the notes may be heard at a
great distance and sound wonderfully sweet and impres-
sive. During the coid season, when they live in com-
panies, the singing-time is in the evening, when the
birds are gathered in some thick-foliaged tree or bush
which they have chosen for a winter roosting-place.
This winter-evening song is a hurried twittering, and
utterly unlike the serene note of the male bird heard
on summer mornings. A little while after sunset the
flock bursts into a concert, which lasts several minutes,
sinking and growing louder by turns, during which it
is scarcely possible to distinguish the notes of individuáis.
Then follows an interval of silence, after which the
singing is again renewed very suddenly and as suddenly
ended. For an hour after sunset, and when all other
late singers, like the Mimus, have long been silent,
this fitful impetuous singing is continued. Cióse by a
house on the Rio Negro, in which I spent several months
there were three very large chañar bushes, where a
multitude of Diuca Finches used to roost, and they
never missed singing in the evening, however coid or
rainy the weather happened to be. So fond were they
of this charming habit, that when I approached the
bushes or stood directly under them the alarm caused
by my presence would interrupt the performance only
for a few moments, and presently they would burst
into song again, the birds all the time swiftly pursuing
 LESSER DIUCA FINCH 45

each other amongst the foliage, often within a foot of

my head.
The eggs, Darwin says, are pointed, oval, palé dull
green, thickly blotched with palé dull brown, becoming
confluent and entirely coloured at the broad end.

CHINGOLO SONG-SPARROW
(Zonotrichia 'pileata)
Above dusky grey, striped with blackish brown; a whitish stripe
from the eye to the nape; between the stripe and the grey on the
crown, black; a narrow chestnut ring round the neck, widening to
a large patch on the sides of the chest, the patch bordered with
black on its lower part; beneath ashy white; length 5 7 inches.
Female duller in colour and rather smaller.

The common, familiar, favourite Sparrow over a large

portion of the South American continent is the “Chin­
gólo.” Darwin says that “ it prefers inhabited places,
but has not attained the air of domestication of the
English Sparrow, which bird in habits and general
appearance it resembles.” As it breeds in the fields on
the ground, it can never be equally familiar with man,
but in appearance it is like a refined copy of the burly
English Sparrow—more delicately tinted, the throat
being chestnut instead of black; the head smaller and
better proportioned, and with the added distinction
of a crest, which it lowers and elevates at all angles to
express the various feelings affecting its busy little mind.
On the treeless desert pampas the Chingólo is rarely
seen, but wherever man builds a house and plañís a
tree there it comes to keep him company, while in
cultivated and thickly settled districts it is excessively
abundant, and about Buenos Ayres it literally swarms
in the fields and plantations. They are not, strictly
46 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

speaking, gregarious, but where food attracts them,

or the shelter of a hedge on a coid windy day, thou-
sands are frequently seen congregated in one place;
when disturbed, however, these accidental flocks im­
mediately break up, the birds scattering abroad in
different directions.
The Chingólo is a very constant singer, his song
beginning with the dawn of day in spring and con-
tinuing until evening; it is very short, being composed
of a chirping prelude and four long notes, three uttered
in a clear thin voice, the last a trill. This song is re­
peated at brief intervals, as the bird sits motionless,
perched on the disc of a thistle-flower, the summit of
a stalk, or other elevation; and where the Chingólos
are very abundant the whole air, on a bright spring
morning, is alive with their delicate melody; only one
must pause and listen before one is aware of it, other-
wise it will escape notice, owing to its thin ethereal
character, the multitudinous notes not mingling but
floating away, as it were, detached and scattered, mere
gossamer webs of sound that very faintly impress the
sense. They also sing frequently at night, and in that
dark silent time their little melody sounds strangely
sweet and expressive.
The Chingólos pair about the end of September,
and at that time their battles are frequent, as they are
very pugnacious. The nest is made under a thistle or
tuft of grass, in a depression in the soil, so that the top
of the nest is on a level with the surface of the ground.
The nest is mostly made and lined with horsehair, the
eggs four or five, palé blue, and thickly spotted with
dull brown. Sometimes, though very rarely, a nest is
found in a bush or on a stump several feet above the
ground. Two broods are reared in the season, the first
in October, the second in February or March. I have
 CHINGOLO SONG-SPARROW 47
known these birds to breed in April and May, and these
very late nests escape the infliction of parasitical eggs.
When the nest is approached or taken the Chingólos
utter no sound, but sit in dumb anxiety, with tail
expanded and drooping wings.
There are three more species of the charming Zono-
trichia Song-Sparrows within the Argentine country,
one of which, the Patagonian Song-Sparrow, Z. cani-
capilla, I found very abundant in Bahia Blanca and on
the Rio Negro. In appearance and habits it was not
distinguishable from the Chingólo Song-Sparrow, but
differed slightly in its song, this being without the
concluding trill.

RED-BILLED GROUND-FINCH
(Embernagra 'platensis)
Above dull olive-green, striped with blackish; wings silky olive-
green, the inner webs of the feathers black; edge of wings yellow;
tail-feathers dull olive-green; beneath grey, belly buff; beak
bright red; length 8 8 inches.

In this Finch the plumage is alike in both sexes. Above

it is dusky olive-green, beneath grey; the beak is of
a fine bright red. In Argentina this bird is most common
in the littoral forests along the Plata, but ranges as far
south as the Rio Negro in Patagonia. It does not migrate
ñor associate in flocks; but the sexes are faithful, and
the male and female are invariably together, and appear
to be very fond of each other’s society. They have a
loud, sharp alarm chirp or cry, which bursts from the
bird with the startling suddenness of a sneeze from a
human being; also a confused unmelodious song, which
always reminds me, in its hurry, vehemence, and peculiar
sound, of the gobbling of a turkey-cock. They are not
48 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

shy, but when approached sit jerking their tails about,

and uttering loud chirps as if greatly excited. The
flight is very curious; the bird springs up with great
suddenness, and with tail erect, the long legs dangling
down like a Rail’s, and proceeds by a series of irregular
jerks, violently shutting and opening its wings. They
breed on the ground under the grass, and conceal their
nest so well that I doubt whether the parasitical Molo-
thrus ever finds it. I have at all events never seen them
followed by the young of Molothrus demanding food.
As a rule small seed-eating birds are beneficially
affected by the presence of man; thus our common
Zonotrichia and other sparrows and finches have become
excessively numerous in the most thickly-settled dis­
tricts. With the Red-billed Finch, however, just the
contrary has happened; and since I have known this
species it has disappeared from many localities where
it was once quite common. Azara’s ñame for this
species, Había de bañado, signifies that it is a marsh-
bird; but though now found chiefly in marshy situa­
tions, it was once common enough over the entire
pampas región, before the great plains were settled on
by Europeans. The bird is very badly protected by
nature against raptorial species, owing to its very con­
spicuous red beak, its habit of perching on the summit
of tail plants and other elevated positions, its loud
impetuous voice, which invites attention, and the weak
eccentric flight, which challenges pursuit. It is essential
to its safety that it should have, in the open country
it frequents, a dense grass cover into which it can
plunge on the slightest alarm. Where cattle are intro-
duced, the original pampas-grass which afforded the
suitable conditions disappears, giving place to the soft,
perishable grasses, clovers, and thistles of Europe.
Where these changes take place, the bird cannot escape
 RED-BILLED GROUND-FINCH 49
from its enemies and quickly disappears; while many
Dendrocolaptine species inhabiting the same situations
are saved by their inconspicuous protective colouring,
sharp wedge-like bodies, and swift mouse-like motions
on the ground. In marshy places on the pampas,
abounding with long aquatic grasses and reed-beds,
the Red-bill still maintains its existence, but from
its oíd habitat on the open grassy plains, where it was
once the dominant Finch, it has utterly vanished.

BLACK-HEADED SISKIN
{Chrysomitris ictérica)
Above light olive-green; wings black, a broad bright yellow band
across the base of the feathers; rump yellow; upper tail-coverts
olive-green; tail-feathers yellow at the base and black at the ends;
head and throat velvety black; beneath and under wing-coverts
bright yellow; length 5 inches. Female without the black head.

This beautiful little golden-plumaged Finch, the male

distinguished from his consort by a brighter yellow
colour and a black head, is common throughout the
entire length of the Argentine country from Brazil to
Patagonia. In the Buenos Ayrean district it probably
has a partial migration, as small flocks are seen to
arrive in spring; but further south, in Patagonia, it
appears to be strictly resident. In settled districts
they are always more abundant than in the woods,
and they have a special predilection for poplar groves,
and always prefer a poplar to build in. They go in
small flocks, seldom more than about a dozen birds
together, have a rapid undulating flight, feed chiefly
on the ground like most finches, and also frequently
alight in the seeding time on plants like the lettuce
and Sonchus asfier (a common weed), and, clinging to
D
50 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the stem, dexterously pick off the seed, scattering the

down about them in a little cloud. They are very
tuneful, restless, quick in their motions, apparently
always in a light-hearted merry mood. Being much
admired for their song they are often kept in cages;
and certainly for cheerfulness and constancy in singing
they take the foremost place amongst the Finches;
but there is little expression in the song, which is com-
posed of a variety of short twittering notes, uttered with
great rapidity, as the bird sits perched on a twig or
undulates from tree to tree. Usually the notes flow in
a continuous stream, but occasionally the bird sings
in a different manner, making a pause of two or three
seconds of silence after every eight or ten short notes.
When the female is on the nest the male sometimes
perches near her amongst the leaves and sings sotto
voce, apparently for her hearing only, this whisper-
song being so low that at a distance of ten yards it is
hardly audible.
The nest is usually placed between the angle formed
by a small branch and the bole of the tree, and is a deep,
well-made structure composed of many materials, and
lined with horsehair, down, or feathers. The eggs are
five, very small for the bird, puré white, and so frail
that it is not easy to take them from the nest without
breaking them.
While engaged in building, the birds constantly
utter a low, soft, trilling note; and when the nest
is approached they break out into long, somewhat
reedy notes, resembling those of the Canary, expressive
of alarm or curiosity.
There is but one other Siskin in Argentina, the Half-
black Siskin, C. atrata, found in Bolivia and North­
west Argentina, but of its habits and language nothing
has been recorded.
 YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW 5i

YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW
(Sycalis 'pelzelm)
Above yellowish olive - green, the back sparsely striped with
blackish; wing- and tail-feathers black, edged with yellow; forehead
bright orange, the rest of the head like the back; below bright
yellow; under surfaces of wings and tail also yellow; length 5 4
inches. Female dull brownish grey mottled with blackish above;
under surface whitish grey, striped with dusky brown on the breast ;
wing- and tail-feathers edged with yellow.
The Yellow “House-Sparrow,” as this species is called,
is the town-bird of Buenos Ayres, but does not multiply
greatly, ñor is he familiar with man, like his rough,
sooty-plumaged, far-away London relation.1
The forehead of the male is bright orange, the pre­
vailing colour of the entire plumage yellow, clouded
with other hues. The female is grey, marked with palé
fuscous, and is less in size than her mate. They remain
with us all the year and live in pairs, the sexes in this
species being faithful. Sometimes they are Seen associat-
ing in small flocks, but I am inclined to believe that
only the young unmated birds are gregarious. In
1867-8, during the cholera epidemic in Buenos Ayres,
the Sparrows all disappeared from the town, and I was
told by the manager of a large steam flour-mill in the
town that the birds had not gone away, but had died.
They were found dead all about the mili, where they had
been very abundant. My informant was a careful
observer, and I have no doubt that he was correct
in what he told me.
In spring and summer the male sings frequently
with great energy, but without much melody. After
a hurried prelude of sharp chirps and trills, he pours
1Alasl since this was first written in 1888 the "far-away” relation
has invaded Buenos Ayres, and as in so many other countries has become
a pest. One result of its appearance has been the vanishing of the pretty
and engaging Yellow House-Sparrow.
52 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

out a continuous stream of sound, composed of in­

numerable brief notes, high and shrill as those of a bat,
wounding the ear with their excessive sharpness, and
emitted so rapidly that the whole song is more like that
of a cicada than of a bird. This piercing torrent of sound
is broken at intervals by a long, grave note, or half a
dozen short, rapid notes in a lower key, which come
as an agreeable relief.
In towns they build in walls, like the English Sparrow;
in country places they always select the domed nest
of some Dendrocolaptine species to breed in. Possibly
in some districts where I have not been, this Sparrow
selects other breeding-sites; my experience is that
outside of a town it never lays anywhere but in some
domed nest, and at home I frequently put up boxes
for them in the trees, but they would not notice them,
though the Wrens and Swallows were glad to have them.
Sometimes they make choice of the large fabric of the
Anumbius acuticaudatus, called Leñatero in the ver­
nacular; but their claim to this nest (even when the
Leñateros are out of it) is frequently disputed by other
species which possess the same habit as this Sparrow,
but are more powerful than he. Their favourite breed-
ing-place is, however, the solid earthen structure of the
Oven-bird; and it is wonderful to see how persistently
and systematically they labour to drive out the lawful
owners—birds so much larger and more powerful than
themselves. Early in spring, and before the advent of
the Tree-Martins, the pair of Sparrows begin haunting
the neighbourhood of the oven they have elected to
take possession of, usually one pretty high up in a tree.
As the season advances their desire towards it increases,
and they take up their position on the very tree it is
in; and finally a particular branch near the oven,
commanding a good view of the entrance, is chosen for
 YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW 53
a permanent resting-place. Here they spend a great
portion of their time in song, twitterings, and loving
dalliance, and, if attentively observed, they are seen
with eyes ever fixed on the coveted abode. As the need
for a receptacle for the eggs becomes more urgent they
grow bolder, and in the absence of the owners flit
about the oven, alight on it, and even enter it. The
Oven-bird appears to drive them off with screams
of indignation, but the moment he retires they are
about it again, and, even when it contains eggs or
young birds, begin impudently carrying in feathers,
straws, and other material for a nest, as if they were
already in undisputed possession. At this stage the
Tree-Martins {Progne tapera) perhaps appear to com­
plícate matters; and even if these last comers do not
succeed in ousting the Oven-birds, they are sure to seize
the oven when it becomes vacant, and the Sparrows,
in spite of their earlier claim, are left out in the coid.
But they do not take their defeat quietly, or, rather,
they do not know when they are beaten, but still
remain to harass their fellow-pirates, just as they did
the Oven-birds before, bringing straws and feathers
in their beaks, and when forced to drop these materials
and chased from the neighbourhood with great noise
and fury by the Tree-Martins, it is only to return
undaunted in a few minutes, bringing more straws
and feathers.
This Sparrow makes a rather large nest, neatly lined
with horsehair, and lays five eggs, long, pointed, the
entire surface thickly matted with deep chocolate brown.
In rural districts this species is comparatively rare,
not more than one or two couples being seen about
each habitation; and I scarcely think it would be too
much to say that there are four or five thousand Chin­
gólos for every individual Yellow Sparrow. Yet it is
54 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

a hardy little bird, well able to hold its own, subsists

on the same kind of food and lays as many eggs as the
Zonotrichia^ and it possesses, moreover, a great advant-
age over the dominant species in placing its nest out
of the reach of the parasitical Molothrus, the destróyer
of about fifty per cent, of the Chingolo’s eggs. I can
only attribute the great disparity in the numbers of
the two species to the fact that the Yellow House-
Sparrow will breed only (out of towns) in nests not
easily taken, and to the stubborn pertinacity which
leads it to waste the season in these vain efforts, while
the other species is rearing its brood. This is a blunder
of instinct comparable to that of the Minera (Geositta
cunicularia), mentioned by Darwin in the Voy age of a
Naturalista where the bird made its hole in a mud wall
a few inches wide, and on coming out on the other side
simply went back and made another hole, and then
another, unable to understand that the wall had not
the requisite thickness.
In such a case as the Yellow House-Sparrow pre-
sents, in which the colour of the sexes differ, the
female being without any of the brighter hues found
in the male, and which makes an elabórate nest and
lays deeply-coloured eggs, it is impossible not to believe
that the bird originally built in exposed situations,
and subsequently—perhaps in very recent times—
acquired the habit of breeding in dark holes. The
frequent destruction of the exposed nest, and an abund-
ance of vacant domed nests, into which some individuáis
occasionally penetrated to breed, would lead to the
acquisition of such a nesting-habit; for the birds in-
heriting it would have an advantage and be preserved,
while those persisting in the oíd habit of building exposed
nests would perish. Domed nests made by Dendro­
colaptine birds are very abundant even now, and it is
 YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW 55
probable that, before the country became settled by
Europeans, they were very much more numerous.
Darwin, speaking of the Oven-bird’s habit of always
placing its oven in the most conspicuous and (to man)
accessible places, predicts, and truly I believe, that this
habit will eventually cause the extinction of the species;
for when the country becomes more thickly settled,
the bird-nesting boys will destroy all the ovens. Prob-
ably when the Oven-birds were more abundant the
Sparrows could always find vacant ovens to breed in,
until a habit of breeding almost exclusively in these
safe and convenient bird-built houses was acquired;
and the present seemingly stupid persistence of the
birds in struggling to get possession of those already
occupied by stronger species, only shows that the habit
or instinct has not been modified to suit a change in
the conditions—i.e., a diminishing number of ovens to
breed in, with perhaps the increase of other stronger
species possessing the same habit. But while the instinct
thus survives too strongly in the country birds, many
individuáis have taken to a town life, and acquired
the new habit of breeding in holes in brick walls. Prob-
ably this race of town birds will eventually colonise
the rural districts, and usurp the place of the country
birds, which will then be placed at a disadvantage.

MISTO SEED-FINCH
(Sy calis luteola)
Above light olive-green, marked with dusky stripes; wing- and
tail-feathers blackish; throat and chest dusky buff; lower breast
and belly yellow; length 5 inches.
This is a slender, graceful bird, less than the Canary
in size, the whole upper plumage yellowish olive, with
dun markings, the lower surface of a dull yellow. The
56 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

female is a little smaller than the male, and her colours

are somewhat dimmer.
Thi§ species is resident and gregarious in the Argen­
tine Republic, and in autumn frequently congregates in
flocks of several thousands. They are not so universally
distributed as the Chingólo, and are not wood-birds,
but frequent open plains abounding in thistles and other
coarse herbage, which affords them shelter. In culti-
vated districts, where their food is most abundant,
they are excessively numerous, and after the harvest
has been gathered frequent the fields in immense flocks.
While feeding, the flocks scatter over a large area of
ground, being broken up into small companies of a dozen
or more birds, and at such times are so intent on their
food that a person can walk about amongst them with­
out disturbing them. They take flight very suddenly,
bursting into a thousand chirping, scolding notes,
pursue each other through the air, and after wheeling
about the field for a minute or two, suddenly drop
down into the grass again and are silent as before.
In August they begin to sing, here and there an
individual being heard in the fields; but when the
weather grows warmer they repair to the plantations
in vast numbers, and, sitting on the branchesy sing
in a concert of innumerable voices, which produces a
great volume of confused sound, and which often
continúes for hours at a time without intermission.
By-and-by these pleasant choirs break up, the birds
all scattering over the plains and fields to woo and
build, and it is then first discovered that the male
has a peculiar and very sweet song. Apart from his
fellows he acquires a different manner of singing,
soaring up from his stand on the summit of a bush or
stalk, and beginning his song the moment he quits
his perch. Ascending he utters a series of long melodious
 MISTO SEED-FINCH 57
notes, not loud but very distinctly enunciated and
increasing in volume; at a height of fifty or sixty yards
he pauses, the notes becoming slower; then, as he
descends with a graceful flight, the wings outstretched
and motionless, the notes also fall, becoming slower,
sweeter, and more impressive till he reaches the earth.
After alighting he continúes the song, the notes growing
longer, thinner, and clearer, until they dwindle to the
merest threads of sound, and cease to be audible except
to a person standing within a few yards of the singer.
The song is quite unique in character, and its great
charm is in its gradual progress from the somewhat thick
notes at the commencement to the thin, tremulous tones
with which the bird returns to earth, and which change
again to the excessively attenuated sounds at the cióse.
The nest is deep, well built, and well concealed,
sometimes resting on the ground, but frequently raised
above it. It contains five long, pointed eggs, with
a white or bluish-white ground-colour, and thickly
spotted with brown. I have frequently found the eggs
of the Molothrus in its nest, but have never been able
to see this Sparrow feeding, or followed by, a young
Molothrus. Possibly, if it ever hatches the parasitical
egg at all, the young Cow-bird is starved by the food
supplied by its foster-parents, as this Finch may feed
its young on seed instead of grubs.

ARGENTINE COW-BIRD
{Molothrus bonariensis)
Uniform shining purple-black; beak and feet black; length 7 5
inches. Female slightly smaller; plumage uniform mouse-colour.
We have now come to a remarkable family of Pas-
serine birds, the Icteridae or Troupials, which ineludes
the Hang-nests and so-called Orioles of North and South
58 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

America and the parasitical Cow-birds. They are the

Starlings of the New World and appear to be an
offshoot of the true Starlings, just as the Tanagers are of
the Finches, but Tanagers and Finches exist together
throughout South America, whereas the true Starling
is unknown in that continent. Many of the Troupials,
like the European Starling, have a glossed metallic
plumage, and in a majority of species there is some
brilliant colour—scarlet, purple, orange, and yellow.
The whole family numbers about 130, and of these
fifteen or twenty are found in Argentina. Among
these are the three species of the genus Molotbrus
which I describe. These three, in their shape and hard
conical bilis, outwardly resemble Tanagers and Finches
rather than Starlings. I was familiar with all of them
from childhood, and as I spent a good deal of time in
watching them and succeeded in discovering some
interesting facts about their singular breeding habits,
I have devoted more space to this group than to any
other one in this volume.

The species here described, the commonest in

Southern Argentina, is the Tordo común of Azara, and
is usually called Tordo or Pájaro negro (black-bird)
by the natives, and Blackbird by the English-speaking
Argentines. A more suitable ñame is Argentine Cow-
bird, given to it by some ornithological writers, Cow-
bird being the vernacular ñame of the closely allied
North American species, Molotbrus pecoris.
This Cow-bird is widely distributed in South America,
and is common throughout the Argentine country,
including Patagonia, as far south as Chupat. In Buenos
Ayres it is very numerous, especially in cultivated
districts where there are plantations of trees. The male
is clothed in a glossy plumage of deep violaceous
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 59
purple, the wings and tail being dark metallic green;
but seen at a distance or in the shade the bird looks
black. The female is inferior in size and has a dull
mouse-coloured plumage, and black beak and legs.
The males are much more numerous than the females.
Azara says that nine birds in ten are males; but I am
not sure that the disparity is so great as that. It seems
strange and contrary to Nature’s usual rule that the
smaller, shyer, inconspicuous individuáis should be in
such a minority; but the reason is perhaps that the
male eggs of the Cow-bird are harder-shelled than the
female eggs, and escape destruction oftener, when the
parent bird exercises its disorderly and destructive
habit of pecking holes in all the eggs it finds in the nests
into which it intrudes.
The Cow-birds are sociable to a greater degree than
most species, their companies not breaking up during
the laying-season; for, as they are parasitical, the
female merely steals away to drop her egg in any nest
she can find, after which she returns to the flock. They
feed on the ground, where, in their movements and in
the habit the male has of craning out its neck when
disturbed, they resemble Starlings. The male has also
a curious habit of carrying his tail raised vertically
while feeding. They follow the domestic cattle about
the pastures, and frequently a dozen or more birds
may be seen perched along the back of a cow or horse.
When the animal is grazing they group themselves
cióse to its mouth, like chickens round a hen when she
scratches up the ground, eager to snatch up the small
insects exposed where the grass is cropped cióse. In
spring they also follow the plough to pick up worms
and grubs.
The song of the male, particularly when making
love, is accompanied with gestures and actions
6o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

somewhat like those of the domestic Pigeon. He swells

himself out, beating the ground with his wings, and
uttering a series of deep internal notes, followed by
others loud and clear; and occasionally, when uttering
them, he suddenly takes wing and flies directly away
from the female to a distance of fifty yards, and per-
forms a wide circuit about her in the air, singing all
the time. The homely object of his short-lived passion
always appears utterly indifferent to this curious and
pretty performance; yet she must be even more im-
pressionable than most female birds, since she continúes
scattering about her parasitical and often wasted eggs
during four months in every year. Her language con-
sists of a long note with a spluttering sound, to express
alarm or curiosity, and she occasionally chatters in a
low tone as if trying to sing. In the evening, when the
birds congrégate on the trees to roost, they often con­
tinué singing in concert until it is quite dark; and when
disturbed at night the males frequently utter their
song while taking flight. On rainy days, when they are
driven to the shelter of trees, they will often sing to­
gether for hours without intermission, the blending
of innumerable voices producing a rushing sound as of
a high wind. At the end of summer they congrégate
in flocks of tens of thousands, so that the ground where
they are feeding seems carpeted with black, and the
trees when they alight appear to have a black foliage.
At such times one wonders that many small species
on which they are parasites do not become extinct
by means of their pernicious habit. In Buenos Ayres,
where they are most numerous, they have a migration,
which is only partial however. It is noticeable chiefly
in the autumn, and varíes greatly in different years.
In some seasons it is very marked, when for many days
in February and March the birds are seen travelling
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 61

northwards, flock succeeding flock all day long, passing

by with a swift, low, undulating flight, their wings
producing a soft musical sound; and this humming
flight of the migrating Cow-birds is as familiar to every-
one acquainted with nature in Buenos Ayres as the
whistling of the wind or the distant lowing of cattle.
The procreant instinct of this Molothrus has always
seemed so important to me for many reasons that I
have paid a great deal of attention to it; and the facts,
or at all events the most salient of them, which I have
collected during several years of observation, I propose
to append here, classified under different headings
so as to avoid confusión and to make it easy for other
observers to see at a glance just how much I have learnt.
Though I have been familiar with this species from
childhood, when I used to hunt every day for their
wasted eggs on the broad, clean walks of the planta-
tion, and removed them in pity from the nests of little
birds where I found them, I have never ceased to
wonder at their strange instinct, which in its wasteful
destructive character, so unlike the parasitical habit
in other species, seems to strike a discordant note in
the midst of the general harmony of nature.

Mistares and Imperfections of the Procreant

Instinct of Molothrus honariensis
1. The Cow-birds, as we have seen, frequently waste
their eggs by dropping them on the ground.
2. They also occasionally lay in oíd forsaken nests.
This I have often observed, and to make very sure I
took several oíd nests and placed them in trees and
bushes, and found that eggs were laid in them.
3. They also frequently lay in nests where incubation
has actually begun. When this happens the Cow-bird’s
62 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

egg is lost if incubation is far advanced; but id

the eggs have been sat on three or four days only, then
it has a good chance of being hatched and the young
bird reared along with its foster-brothers.
4. One female often lays several eggs in the same
nest, instead of laying only one, as does, according to
Wilson, the Molothrus pecoris of North America. I
conclude that this is so from the fact that in cases
where the eggs of a species vary considerably in form,
size, and markings, each individual of the species lays
eggs precisely or nearly alike. So when I find two,
three, or four eggs of the Cow-bird in one nest all alike
in colour and other particulars, and yet in half a hundred
eggs from other nests cannot find one to match with
them, it is impossible not to believe that the eggs found
together, and possessing a family likeness, were laid
by the same bird.
5. Several females often lay in one nest, so that
the number of eggs in it frequently makes incubation
impossible. One December I collected ten nests of the
Scissor-tail (Milvulus tyrannus) from my trees; they
contained a total of forty-seven eggs, twelve of the
Scissor-tails and thirty-five of the Cow-birds. It is
worthy of remark that the Milvulus breeds in October
or early in November, rearing only one brood; so that
these ten nests found late in December were of birds
that had lost their first nests. Probably three-fourths
of the lost nests of Milvulus are abandoned in conse-
quence of the confusión caused in them by the Cow-birds.
6. The Cow-birds, male and female, destroy many
of the eggs in the nests they visit, by pecking holes
in the shells, breaking, devouring, and stealing them.
This is the most destructive habit of the bird, and is
probably possessed by individuáis in different degrees.
I have often carefully examined all the parasitical
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 63

eggs in a nest, and after three or four days found that

these eggs had disappeared, others, newly laid, being
in their places. I have seen the female Cow-bird strike
her beak into an egg and fly away with it; and I have
often watched the male bird perched cióse by while
the female was on the nest, and when she quitted
it have seen him drop down and begin pecking holes
in the eggs. In some nests found full of parasitical
eggs every egg has holes pecked in the shell, for the
bird destroys indiscriminately eggs of its own and
of other species.

Advantages possessed by M. bonariensis over

ITS DUPES
After reading the preceding notes one might ask;
If there is so much that is defective and irregular in
the reproductive instinct of M. bonariensis, how does
the species maintain its existence, and even increase
to such an amazing extent? for it certainly is very
much more numerous, over an equal area, than any
other parasitical species. For its greater abundance
there may be many reasons unknown to us. The rarer
species may be less hardy, have more enemies, be
exposed to more perils in their long migrations, etc.
That it is able to maintain its existence in spite of
irregularities in its instinct is no doubt due to the fact
that its eggs and young possess many advantages over
the eggs and young of the species upon which it is
parasitical. Some of these advantages are due to those
very habits of the parent bird which at first sight appear
most defective; others to the character of the egg and
embryo, time of evolution, etc.
1. The egg of the Cow-bird is usually larger, and
almost invariably harder-shelled than are the eggs it
64 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

is placed with; those of the Yellow-breast (Pseudoleistes

virescens} being the one exception I am acquainted with.
The harder shell of its own egg, considered in relation
to the destructive egg-breaking habit of the bird, gives
it the best chance of being preserved; for though the
Cow-bird never distinguishes its own egg, of which indeed
it destroys a great many, a larger proportion escape
in a nest where many eggs are indiscriminately broken.
2. The vitality or tenacity of life appears greater
in the embryo Cow-bird than in other species; this
circumstance also, in relation to the egg-breaking
habit and to the habit of laying many eggs in a nest,
gives it a further advantage. I have examined nests
of the Scissor-tail, containing many eggs, after incuba-
tion had begun, and have been surprised at finding
those of the Scissor-tail addled, even when placed most
advantageously in the nest for receiving heat from the
parent bird, while those of the Cow-bird contained
living embryos, even when under all the other eggs,
and, as frequently happens, glued immovably to the
nest by the matter from broken eggs spilt over them.
The following instance of extraordinary vitality in
an embryo Molotbrus seems to show incidentally that
in some species protective habits, which will act as a
check on the parasitical instinct, may be in the course
of formation.
Though birds do not, as a rule, seem able to dis-
tinguish parasitical eggs from their own, however
different in size and colour they may be, they often
do seem to know that eggs dropped in their nest before
they themselves have begun to lay ought not to be
there; and the nest, even after its completion, is not
infrequently abandoned on account of these premature
eggs. Some species however, do not forsake their nests,
and though they do not throw the parasitical eggs out,
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 65

which would seem the simplest plan, they have dis-

covered how to get rid of them, and so save themselves
the labour of making a fresh nest. Their method is to
add a new deep lining, under which the strange eggs
are buried out of sight and give no more trouble. The
Sisopygis icteropbrys—a common Tyrant-bird in Buenos
Ayres—frequently has recourse to this expedient;
and the nest it makes being rather shallow, the layer
of fresh material, under which the strange eggs are
buried, is built upwards above the rim of the original
nest; so that this supplementary nest is like one saucer
placed within another, and the observer is generally
able to tell from the thickness of the whole structure
whether any parasitical eggs have been entombed in
it or not. Finding a very thick nest one day, contain-
ing two half-fledged young birds besides three addled
eggs, I opened it, removing the upper portion or
additional nest intact, and discovered beneath it three
buried Molothrus eggs, their shells encrusted with
dirt and glued together with broken-egg matter spilt
over them. In trying to get them out without pulling
the nest to pieces I broke them all; two were quite
rotten, but the third contained a living embryo, ready
to be hatched, and very lively and hungry when I took
it in my hand. The young Tyrant-birds were about a
fortnight oíd, and as they hatch out only about twenty
days after the parent-birds begins laying, this parasitical
egg with a living chick in it must have been deeply
buried in the nest for not less than five weeks. Probably
after the young Tyrant-birds carne out of their shells
and began to grow, the little heat from their bodies,
penetrating to the buried egg, served to bring the
embryo in it to maturity; but when I saw it I felt (like
a person who sees a ghost) strongly inclined to doubt
the evidence of my own senses.
E
66 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

3. The comparatively short time the embryo takes

to hatch gives it another and a greater advantage; for
whereas the eggs of other small birds require from
fourteen to sixteen days to mature, that of the Cow-
bird hatches in eleven days and a half from the moment
incubation commences; so that when the female Cow-
bird makes so great a mistake as to drop an egg with
others that have already been sat on, unless incubation
be far advanced, it still has a chance of being hatched
before or contemporaneously with the others; and even
if the others hatch first, the extreme hardiness of the
embryo serves to keep it alive with the modicum of
heat it receives.
4. Whenever the Molothrus is hatched together with
the young of its foster-parents, if these are smaller
than the parasite, as usually is the case, soon after
exclusión from the shell they disappear, and the young
Cow-bird remains solé occupant of the nest. How it
succeeds in expelling or destroying them, if it indeed
does destroy them, I have not been able to discover.
5. To all these circumstances favourable to the
Molothrus may be added another of equal or even
greater importance. It is never engaged with the
dilatory and exhaustive process of rearing its own
young; and for this reason continúes in better
condition than other species, and moreover, being
gregarious and practising promiscuous sexual intercourse,
must lay a much greater number of eggs than other
species. In our domestic fowls we see that hens that
never become broody lay a great deal more than others.
Some of our small birds rear two, others only one brood
in a season—building, incubation, and tending the young
taking up much time, so that they are usually from two
to three and a half months employed. But the Cow-
bird is like the fowl that never incubates, and con-
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 67

tinues dropping eggs during four months and a half.

From the beginning of September until the end of
January the males are seen incessantly wooing the
females, and during most of this time eggs are found.
I find that small birds will, if deprived repeatedly of
their nests, lay and even hatch four times in the season,
thus laying, if the full complement be four, sixteen
eggs. No doubt the Cow-bird lays a much larger number
than that; my belief is that every female lays from
sixty to a hundred eggs every season, though I have
nothing but the extraordinary number of wasted eggs
one finds to judge from.
Before dismissing the subject of the advantages
the Molothrus possesses over its dupes, and of the real
or apparent defects of its instinct, some attention
should be given to another circumstance, viz., the
new conditions introduced by land-cultivation and
their effect on the species. The altered conditions
have, in various ways, served to remove many extra-
neous checks on the parasitical instinct, and the more
the birds multiply, the more irregular and disordered
does the instinct necessarily become. In wild districts
where it was formed, and where birds building acces-
sible nests are proportionately fewer, the instinct
seems different from what it does in cultivated districts.
Parasitical eggs are not common in the desert, and even
the most exposed nests there are probably never over-
burdened with them. But in cultivated places, where
their food abounds, the birds congrégate in the
orchards and plantations in great numbers, and
avail themselves of all the nests, ill-concealed as they
must always be in the clean, open-foliaged shade
and fruit trees planted by man.
68 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Diversity in Colour of Eggs

There is an extraordinary diversity in the colour,
form, and disposition of markings, etc., of the eggs
of M. honariensis-, and I doubt whether any other
species exists laying eggs so varied. About half the
eggs one finds, or nearly half, are puré unspotted
white, like the eggs of birds that breed in dark holes.
Others are sparsely sprinkled with such exceedingly
minute specks of palé pink or grey, as to appear quite
spotless until closely examined. After the puré white,
the most common variety is an egg with a white ground,
densely and uniformly spotted or blotched with red.
Another not uncommon variety has a very palé, flesh-
coloured ground, uniformly marked with fine characters,
that look as if inscribed on the shell with a pen. A much
rarer variety has a puré white shell with a few large or
variously sized brown and chocolate spots. Perhaps
the rarest variety is an egg entirely of a fine deep red;
but between this lovely marbled egg and the white
one with almost imperceptible specks, there are varieties
without number; for there is no such thing as char-
acteristic markings in the eggs of this species, although,
as I have said before, the eggs of the same individual
show a family resemblance.

Habits of the Young M. honariensis

Small birds of all species, when first hatched, closely
resemble each other; after they are fledged the
resemblance is less, but still comparatively great; grey,
interspersed with brown, is the colour of most of them,
or at the least of the upper exposed plumage. There
is also a great similarity in their cries of hunger and fear
—shrill, querulous, prolonged, and usually tremulous
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 69

notes. It is not then to be wondered at that the foster-

parents of the young Molothrus so readily respond to
its cries, understanding the various expressions denoting
hunger, fear, pain, as well as when uttered by their
own offspring. But the young Molothrus never under-
stands the language of its foster-parents as other young
birds understand the language of their real parents,
rising to receive food when summoned, and concealing
themselves or trying to escape when the warning note
is given. How does the young Molothrus learn to
distinguish, even by sight, its foster-parent from any
other bird approaching the nest? It generally mani-
fests no fear even at a large object. On thrusting my
fingers into any nest I find the young birds, if still
blind or but recently hatched, will hold up and open
their mouths expecting food; but in a very few days
they learn to distinguish between their parents and other
objects approaching them, and to show alarm even
when not warned of danger. Consider the different
behaviour of three species that seldom or never warn
their offspring of danger. The young of Synallaxis spixi,
though in a deep-domed nest, will throw itself to the
ground, attempting thus to make its escape. The young
of Mimus patachonicus sits cióse and motionless, with
closed eyes, mimicking death. The young of our com­
mon Zenaida., even before it is fledged, will swell itself
up and strike angrily at the intruder with beak and
wings; and by making so brave a show of its inefficient
weapons it probably often saves itself from destruc-
tion. But anything approaching the young Molothrus
is welcomed with fluttering wings and clamorous
cries, as if all creatures were expected to minister
to its necessities.
I found a young Molothrus in the nest of a Scream-
ing Finch, Spermophila ccerulescens-, he cried for food
7° BIRDS OF LA PLATA
on seeing my hand approach the nest; I took him out
and dropped him down, when, finding himself on the
ground, he immediately made off, half flying. After a
hard chase I succeeded in re-capturing him, and began
to twirl him about, making him scream, so as to inform
his foster-parents of his situation, for they were not
by at the moment. I then put him back in, or rather
upon, the little eradle of a nest, and plucked half a dozen
large measure - worms from an adj acent twig. The
caterpillars were handed to the bird as I drew them
from the cases, and with great greediness he devoured
them all, notwithstanding the ill-treatment he had
just received, and utterly disregarding the wild excited
cries of his foster-parents, just arrived and hovering
within three or four feet of the nest.
Last summer I noticed a young Cow-bird in a stubble
field, perched on the top of a slender dry stalk; as
it was clamouring at short intervals, I waited to see
what bird would come to it. It proved to be the diminu­
tive Flycatcher, Hapalocercus flaviventris; and I was
much amused to see the little thing fly directly to its
large foster-offspring and, alighting on its back, drop
a worm into the upturned open mouth. After remaining
a moment on its singular perch, the Flycatcher flew
away, but in less than half a minute returned and
perched again on the young bird’s back. I continued
watching them until the Molothrus flew off, but not
before I had seen him fed seven or eight times in the
same manner.
In the two foregoing anecdotes may be seen the
peculiar habits of the young Molothrus. As the nests in
which it is hatched, from those of the little Serpo¿>haga
and Wren to those of the Mocking-bird, vary so much
in size and materials, and are placed in such different
situations, the young Molothrus must have in most of
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 7i

them a somewhat incongruous appearance. But in the

habits of the young bird is the greatest incongruity
or inadaptation. When the nest is in a cióse thicket
or forest, though much too small for the bird, and
although the bird itself cannot understand its foster-
parents, and welcomes all things that, whether with
good or evil design, come near it, the unfitness is not so
apparent as when the nest is in open fields and plains.
The young Molotbrus differs from the true offspring
of its foster-parents in its habit of quitting the nest
as soon as it is able, trying to follow the oíd bird, and
placing itself in the most conspicuous place it can find,
such as the summit of a stalk or bush, and there de-
manding food with frequent and importúnate cries.
Thus the little Flycatcher had acquired the habit of
perching on the back of its charge to feed it, because
parent birds invariably perch above their young to
feed them, and the young Cow-bird prevented this by
always sitting on the summit of the stalk it perched
on. The habit is most fatal on the open and closely
cropped pampas inhabited by the Pipit {Anthus corren-
derá). In December when the Cachila Pipit rears its
second brood, the common and abundant Carrion
Hawk also has young, and feeds them almost exclusively
on the young of various species of small birds. At this
season the Chimango destroys great numbers of the
young of the Pipit and of the Spine-tail, Synallaxis
hudsoni. Yet these birds are beautifully adapted in
structure, coloration, and habits to their station. It
thus happens that in districts where the Molotbrus
is abundant, their eggs are found in a majority of the
Pipits’ nests; and yet to find a young Cow-bird out of
the nest is a rare thing here, for as soon as the young
birds are able to quit the nest and expose themselves
they are mostly carried off by the Hawk.
72 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

CONJECTURES AS TO THE OrIGIN OF THE PARASITIC

Instinct in M. bonariensis
Darwin’s opinión that the “immediate and final
cause of the Cuckoo’s instinct is that she lays her eggs
not daily, but at intervals of two or three days” (flrigin
of Species) carries no great appearance of probability
with it; for might it not just as reasonably be said
that the parasitic instinct is the immediate and final
cause of her laying her eggs at long intervals? If it is
favourable to a species with the instinct of the Cuckoo
(and it probably is favourable) to lay eggs at longer
intervals than other species, then natural selection
would avail itself of every modification in the repro-
ductive organs that tended to produce such a result,
and make the improved structure permanent. It is
said (flrigin of Species, chapter vii.) that the American
Cuckoo lays also at long intervals, and has eggs and
young at the same time in its nest, a circumstance
manifestly disadvantageous. Of the Coccyzus melano-
coryphus, the only one of our three Coccyzi whose nest-
ing habits I am acquainted with, I can say that it never
begins to incúbate till the full complement of eggs are
laid—that its young are hatched simultaneously. But
if it is sought to trace the origin of the European
Cuckoo’s instinct in the nesting-habits of American
Coccyzi, it might be attributed not to the aberrant
habit of perhaps a single species, but to another and
more disadvantageous habit common to the entire
genus, viz., their habit of building exceedingly frail
platform-nests from which the eggs and young very
frequently fall. By occasionally dropping an egg in
the deep, secure nest of some other bird, an advantage
would be possessed by the birds hatched in it, and in
them the habit would perhaps become hereditary.
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 73
Be this as it may (and the one guess is perhaps as wide
of the truth as the other) there are many genera inter­
medíate between Cuculus and Molothrus in which
no trace of a parasitic habit appears; they belong to
different orders, and it seems more probable that the
analogous instincts originated independently in the
two genera. As regards the origin of the instinct in
Molothrus, it will perhaps seem premature to found
speculations on the few facts here recorded, and before
we are acquainted with the habits of other members
of the genus. That a species should totally lose so
universal an instinct as the maternal one, and yet
avail itself of that aífection in other species to propá­
gate itself, seems a great mystery. Nevertheless I
cannot refrain from all conjecture on the subject, and
will go so far as to suggest what may have been at least
one of the many concurrent causes that have produced
the parasitic instinct. The apparently transitional
nesting-habits of several species, and one remarkable
habit of M. bonariensis, seems to me to throw some
light on a point bearing intimately on the subject, viz.,
the loss of the nest-making instinct in this species.
Habits vary greatly; were it not so they would never
seem so well adapted to the conditions of life as we find
them, since the conditions themselves are not unchange-
able. Thus it happens that, while a species seems well
adapted to its State in its habits, it frequently seems
not so well adapted in its relatively immutable structure.
For example, without going away from the pampas,
we find a Pringa with the habits of an Upland Píover,
a Tyrant-bird {Pitangus bellicosus) preying on mice and
snakes, another Tyrant-bird (Myiotheretes rufiventris)
Plover-like in its habits, and finally a Woodpecker
(Colantes campestris) that seeks its food on the ground
like a Starling; yet in none of these—and the list might
74 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

be greatly lengthened—has there been anything like

a modification of structure to keep pace with the altered
manner of life. But however much the original or
generic habits of a species may have become altered
—the habits of a species being widely different from
those of its congeners, also a want of correspondence
between structure and habits (the last being always
more suited to conditions than the first) being taken
as evidence of such alteration—traces of ancient and
disused habits frequently reappear. Seemingly cap-
ricious actions too numerous, too vague, or too
insignificant to be recorded, improvised definite actions
that are not habitual, apparent imitations of the actions
of other species, a perpetual inclination to attempt
something that is never attempted, and attempts to
do that which is never done—these and other like
motions are, I believe, in many cases to be attributed
to the faint promptings of obsolete instincts. To the
same cause many of the occasional aberrant habits of
individuáis may possibly be due—such as of a bird
that builds in trees occasionally laying on the ground.
If recurrence to an ancestral type be traceable in
structure, coloration, language, it is reasonable to expect
something analogous to occur in instincts. But even if
such casual and often aimless motions as I have men-
tioned should guide us unerringly to the knowledge
of the oíd and disused instincts of a species, this know­
ledge of itself would not enable us to discover the origin
of present ones. But assuming it as a fact that the
conditions of existence, and the changes going on in
them, are in every case the fundamental cause of altera-
tions in habits, I believe that in many cases a know­
ledge of the disused instincts will assist us very materially
in the inquiry. I will illustrate my meaning with
a supposititious case. Should all or many species of
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 75
Columbidae manifest an inclination for haunting rocks
and banks, and for entering or peering into holes in
them, such vague and purposeless actions, connected
with the fact that all Doves that build simple platform-
nests (like Columba livia and others that build on a
flat surface) also lay white eggs (the rule being that
eggs laid in dark holes are white, exposed eggs coloured),
also that one species, C. livia, does lay in holes in rocks,
would lead us to believe that the habit of this species
was once common to the genus. We should conclude
that an insufficiency of proper breeding-places, i.e.,
new external conditions, first induced Doves to build
in trees. Thus C. livia also builds in trees where there
are no rocks; but, when able, returns to its ancestral
habits. In the other species we should believe the
primitive habit to be totally lost from disuse, or only
to manifest itself in a faint uncertain manner.
Now in Molothrus honariensis we see just such a
vague, purposeless habit as the imaginary one I have
described. Before and during the breeding-season
the females, sometimes accompanied by the males,
are seen continually haunting and examining the domed
nests of some of the Dendrocolaptidae. This does not
seem like a mere freak of curiosity, but their per-
sistence in their investigations is precisely like that
of birds that habitually make choice of such breeding-
places. It is surprising that they never do actually
lay in such nests, except when the side or dome has
been accidentally broken enough to admit the light
into the interior. Whenever I set boxes up in my trees,
the female Cow-birds were the first to visit them. Some­
times one will spend half a day loitering about and
inspecting a box, repeatedly climbing round and over
it, and always ending at the entrance, into which she
peers curiously, and when about to enter starting back
76 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

as if scared at the obscurity within. But after retiring

a little space she will return again and again, as if
fascinated with the comfort and security of such an
abode. It is amusing to see how pertinaciously they
hang about the ovens of the Oven-birds, apparently
determined to take possession of them, flying back
after a hundred repulses, and yet not entering them
even when they have the opportunity. Sometimes one
is seen following a Wren or a Swallow to its nest beneath
the eaves, and then clinging to the wall beneath the hole
into which it disappeared.
I could fill many pages with instances of this habit
of M. bonariensis, which, useless though it be, is as
strong an affection as the bird possesses. That it is a
recurrence to a long disused habit I can scarcely doubt;
at least to no other cause that I can imagine can it be
attributed; and besides it seems to me that if M.
bonariensis, when once a nest-builder, had acquired
the semi-parasitical habit of breeding in domed nests
of other birds, such a habit might conduce to the forma-
tion of the instinct which it now possesses. I may
mention that twice I have seen birds of this species
attempting to build nests, and that on both occasions
they failed to complete the work. So universal is the
nest-making instinct that one might safely say that the
M. bonariensis once possessed it, and that in the cases
I have mentioned it was a recurrence, too weak to be
eíficient, to the ancestral habit.
Another interesting circumstance may be adduced
as strong presumptive evidence that M. bonariensis
once made itself an open exposed nest, as M. badius
occasionally does—viz., the difference in colour of
the male and female; for whilst the former is rich
purple, the latter possesses an adaptive resemblance
in colour to nests and to the shaded interior twigs and
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 77
branches on which nests are usually built. How could
such an instinct have been lost? To say that the
Cow-bird occasionally dropped an egg in another
bird’s nest, and that the young hatched from these
accidental eggs possessed some (hypothetical) advantage
over those hatched in the usual way, and that the
parasitical habit thus became hereditary, supplant-
ing the original one, is all conjecture, and seems to
exelude the ageney of external conditions. Again,
the want of correspondence in the habits of the young
parasite and its foster-parents would in reality be a
disadvantage to the former; the unfitness would be
as great in the eggs and other circumstances; for all
the advantages the parasite actually possesses in the
comparative hardness of the egg-shell, rapid evolution
of the young, etc., already mentioned, must have been
acquired little by little through the slowly accumu-
lating process of natural selection, subsequently to the
formation of the original parasitical inclination and
habit. I am inclined to believe that M. bonariensis
lost the nest-making instinct by acquiring that semi-
parasitical habit, common to so many South American
birds, of breeding in the large covered nests of the
Dendrocolaptidae. We have evidence that this semi-
parasiticál habit does tend to eradicate the nest-making
one. The Synallaxes build great elabórate domed nests,
yet we have one species (5. cegithaloides) that never
builds for itself, but breeds in the nests of other birds
of the same genus. In some species the nesting-habit
is in a transitional State. The Tyrant-bird, Mache-
tornis rixosa, sometimes makes an elabórate nest in
the angle formed by twigs and the bough of a tree, but
prefers, and almost invariably makes choice of, the
covered nest of some other species or of a hole in
the tree. It is precisely the same with our Wren,
78 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Troglodytes Jurvus. The Yellow House-Sparrow (Sycalis

pelzelni) invariably breeds in a dark hole or covered
nest. The fact that these three species lay coloured
eggs, and the first and last very deeply coloured, inclines
one to believe that they once invariably built exposed
nests, as M. rixosa still occasionally does. It may be
added that those species that lay coloured eggs in dark
places construct and line their nests far more neatly
than do the species that breed in such places but lay
white eggs. As with M. rixosa and the Wren, so it is
with the Bay-winged Molothrus', it lays mottled eggs,
and occasionally builds a neat exposed nest; yet so
great is the partiality it has acquired for large domed
nests that whenever it can possess itself of one by
dint of fighting it will not build one for itself. Let
us suppose that the Cow-bird also once acquired the
habit of breeding in domed nests, and that through
this habit its original nest-making instinct was com-
pletely eradicated, it is not difficult to imagine how
in its turn this instinct was also lost. A diminution
in the number of birds that build domed nests or an
increase in the number of species and individuáis that
breed in such nests, would involve M. bonariensis in
a struggle for nests, in which it would probably be
defeated. In Buenos Ayres the Common Swallow,
the Wren, and the Yellow Seed-Finch prefer the ovens
of the Furnarius to any other breeding-place, but to
obtain them are obliged to struggle with the Tree-
Swallow, Progne tapera', for this species has acquired
the habit of breeding exclusively in the ovens. They
cannot, however, compete with the Progne-, and thus
the increase of one species has, to a great extent, de-
prived three other species of their favourite building-
place. Again, Machetornis rixosa prefers the great nest
of the Anumbius', and when other species compete
 ARGENTINE COW-BIRD 79
with it for the nest they are invariably defeated. I
have seen a pair of Machetornis after they had seized
a nest attacked in their turn by a flock of six or eight
Bay-wings; but in spite of the superior numbers the fury
of the Machetornis compelled them to raise the siege.
Thus some events in the history of our common
Molothrus have perhaps been accounted for, if not
the most essential one—the loss of the nest-making
instinct from the acquisition of the habit of breeding
in the covered nests of other birds, a habit that has
left a strong trace in the manners of the species, and
perhaps in the puré white unmarked eggs of so many
individuáis; finally, we have seen how this habit may
also have been lost. But the parasitical habit of the
M. bonariensis may have originated when the bird was
still a nest-builder. The origin of the instinct may have
been in the occasional habit, common to so many species,
of two or more females laying together; the progenitors
of all the species of Molothrus may have been early
infected with this habit, which eventually led to the
acquisition of the present one. M. pecoris and M.
bonariensis, though their instincts differ, are both
parasitic on a great number of species; M. rufoaxil-
laria on M. badius', and in this last species two or more
females frequently lay together. If we suppose that
the M. bonariensis, when it was a nest-builder or reared
its own young in the nests it seized, possessed this
habit of two or more females frequently laying together,
the young of those birds that oftenest abandoned their
eggs to the care of another would probably inherit a
weakened maternal instinct. The continual intercrossing
of individuáis with weaker and stronger instincts would
prevent the formation of two races differing in habit;
but the whole race would degenerate, and would only
be saved from final extinction by some individuáis
8o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

occasionally dropping their eggs in the nests of other

species, perhaps of a Molothrus, as M. rufoaxillaris still
does, rather than of birds of other genera. Certainly in
this way the parasitic instinct may have originated
in M. bonariensis without that species ever having
acquired the habit of breeding in the covered dark
nests of other birds. I have supposed that they once
possessed it only to account for the strange attraction
such nests have for them, which seeiiis like a recurrence
to an ancestral habit.

SCREAMING COW-BIRD
(Molothrus rufoaxillaris)
Silky black glossed with purple; wings and tail with a slight
greenish gloss; bilí and feet black; length 8 inches. Female the
same; slightly smaller.

This bird has no vulgar ñame, not being distinguished

from the Common Cow-bird by the country people.
The English ñame of Screaming Cow-bird, which I
have bestowed on it, will I think commend itself as
appropriate to those who observe it, for they will
always and at any distance be able to distinguish it
from the species it resembles so nearly by listening
to its impetuous screaming notes, so unlike anything
in the language of the Common Cow-bird.
The Screaming Cow-bird is larger than the allied
species. The female is less than the male in size, but
in colour they are alike, the entire plumage being deep
blue-black, glossy, with purple reflections, and under the
wing at the joint there is a small rufous spot. The beak
is very stout, the plumage loose, with a strong musky
smell; the oesophagus remarkably wide.
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 81

It is far less common than the other species of Molo­

thrus, but not rare, and ranges south to the Buenos-
Ayrean pampas, where a few individuáis are usually
found in every large plantation; and, like the Bay-
winged Cow-bird, it remains with us the whole year.
It is not strictly gregarious, but in winter goes in parties,
seldom exceeding half a dozen individuáis, and in the
breeding-season in pairs. One of its most noteworthy
traits is an exaggerated hurry and bustle thrown
into all its movements. When passing from one branch
to another, it goes by a series of violent jerks, smiting
its wings loudly together; and when a party of them
return from the fields they rush wildly and loudly
screaming to the trees, as if pursued by a bird of prey.
They are not singing-birds; but the male sometimes,
though rarely, attempts a song, and utters, with con­
siderable effort, a series of chattering unmelodious
notes. The chirp with which he invites his mate to fly
has the sound of a loud and smartly given kiss. His
warning or alarm note when approached in the breed­
ing-season has a soft and pleasing sound; it is, curiously
enough, his only mellow expression. But his most
common and remarkable vocal performance is a cry
beginning with a hollow-sounding internal note, and
swelling into a sharp metallic ring; this is uttered with
tail and wings spread and depressed, the whole plumage
raised like that of a strutting turkey-cock, whilst the
bird hops briskly up and down on its perch as if dancing.
From its puffed-out appearance, and from the peculiar
character of the sound it emits, I believe that, like the
Pigeon and some other species, it has the faculty of
filling its crop with air, to use it as a “chamber of
resonance.” The note I have described is quickly and
invariably followed by a scream, harsh and impetuous,
uttered by the female, though both notes always
F
8a BIRDS OF LA PLATA

sound as if proceeding from one bird. When on the

wing the birds all scream together in concert.
The food of this species is chiefly minute seeds and
tender buds; they also swallow large caterpillars and
spiders, but do not, like their congeners, eat hard insects.
I became familiar, even as a small boy, with the
habits of the Screaming Cow-bird, and before this
species was known to naturalists, but could never find
its nest though I sought diligently for it. I could never
see the birds collecting materials for a nest, or feeding
their grown-up young like other species, and this
might have made me suspect that they did not hatch
their own eggs; but it never occurred to me that the
bird was parasitical, I suppose because in summer
they are always seen in pairs, the male and female
being inseparable. Probably this is the only parasitical
species in which there is conjugal fidelity. I also noticed
that when approached in the breeding-season the pair
always displayed great excitement and anxiety, like
birds that have a nest, or that have selected a site on
which to build one. But year after year the end of the
summer would arrive, the birds re-unite in parties of
half a dozen, and the mystery remain unsolved. At
length, after many years, fortune favoured me, and while
observing the habits of another species {Molothrus
badius) I discovered by chance the procreant habits
of the Screaming Cow-birds; and as these observations
throw some light on the habits of M. badius I think it
best to transcribe my notes here in full.

A pair of Leñateros {Anumbius acuticaudatus), or

Firewood-Gatherers, have been nearly all the winter
building a nest on an acacia tree sixty yards from the
house; it is about 27 inches deep, and 16 or 18 in
circumference, and appears now nearly finished. I am
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 83

sure that this nest will be attacked before long, and I

have resolved to watch it closely.
September 28.—To-day I saw a Bay-wing (M. badius)
on the nest; it climbed over it, deliberately inspecting
every part with the critical air of a proprietor who had
ordered its construction, taking up and re-arranging
some sticks and throwing others away from the nest.
While thus engaged, two Common Cow-birds (M.
bonariensis), male and female, carne to the tree; the
female dropped on to the nest, and began also to examine
it, peering curiously into the entrance and quarrelling
with the first bird. After a few minutes she flew away,
followed by her glossy consort. The Bay-wing continued
its strange futile work until the owners of the nest
appeared, whereupon it hopped aside in its usual slow
leisurely manner, sang for a few moments, then flew
away. The similarity in the behaviour of the two birds
struck me very forcibly; in the great interest they take
in the nests of other birds, especially large covered nests,
the two species are identical. But when the breeding-
season comes their habits begin to diverge; then the
Common Cow-bird lays in nests of other species,
abandoning its eggs to their care; while the Bay-wings
usually seize on the nests of other birds and rear their
own young. Yet, as they do occasionally build a neat
elabórate nest for themselves, the habit of taking
possession of the nests of other birds is most likely a
recently acquired one, and probably its tendency is to
eradicate the original building instinct.
October 8.—This morning, while reading under a
tree, my attention was aroused by a shrill note, as
of a bird in distress, issuing from the neighbourhood
of the Firewood-Gatherer’s nest; after hearing it
repeated at intervals for over twenty minutes, I went
to ascertain the cause. Two Bay-wings flew up from
84 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the ground under the nest, and on searching in the

rank clover growing under the tree, I discovered the
female Leñatero, with plumage wet and draggled,
trembling and appearing half dead with the rough
treatment she had experienced. I put her in the sun,
and after half an hour, hearing her mate calling, she
managed to flutter feebly away to join him. The
persecutors had dragged her out of the nest, and
would, no doubt, have killed her had I not come so
opportunely to the rescue.
Since writing the above I have continued to watch
the nest. Both the Bay-wings and their victims left
it for some days. Six days after I had picked up the
ill-treated female, the builders of the nest carne back
and resumed possession. Four days later the Bay-
wings also carne back; but on finding the nest still
occupied they took possession of an unfinished oven
of an Oven-bird on another tree within twenty yards
of the first, and immediately began carrying in materials
with which to line it. When they had finished laying
I took their five eggs, at the same time throwing down
the oven, and waited to see what their next move
would be. They remained on the spot, singing inces-
santly, and still manifesting anxiety when approached.
I observed them four days, and then was absent from
home as many more; on returning I found that the
Leñateros had once more disappeared, and that the
nest was now held by the Bay-wings. I also noticed
that they had opened an entrance very low down at
the side of the nest which they were using; no doubt
they had killed and thrown out the young birds.
It was now early in November, the height of the
breeding-season, and numbers of Common Cow-birds
constantly visited the nest; but I was particularly
interested in a pair of Screaming Cow-birds that had
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 85

also begun to grow fond of it, and I resolved to watch

them closely. As they spent so much of their time near
the nest, showing great solicitude when I approached
it, I strongly hoped to see them breed in it, if the Bay-
wings could only be got rid of. The Screaming Cow-
birds would not, or daré not, attack them. I therefore
resolved to take the Bay-wings’ eggs, hoping that that
would cause them to leave in disgust.
When I was satisfied from their movements that
they had finished laying, I got up to the nest, and was
astonished to find ten eggs instead of five as I had
confidently expected; for though the Common Cow-
birds had paid a great deal of attention to the nest, I
knew the Bay-wings would not allow them to lay in it.
The ten eggs in the nest were all unmistakably Bay-
wings’ eggs; and having observed before that several
females do occasionally lay together, I concluded
that in this case two females had laid in the nest, though
I had only seen two birds—male and female. After
taking the ten eggs the Bay-wings still remained, and
in a very short time they appeared to be laying again.
When I had reason to think that the full complement
was laid, I visited the nest and found five eggs in it;
these I also took, and concluded that the second female
had probably gone away, after having been deprived
of her first clutch. During all this time the Screaming
Cow-birds remained in the neighbourhood and occasion­
ally visited the tree; but to my very great surprise
the Bay-wings still stubbornly remained, and by-and-
by I found that they were going to lay again—the fourth
time! When I next visited the nest there were two
eggs in it; I left them and returned three days later,
expecting to find five eggs, but found seven! certainly
more than one female had laid in the nest on this
occasion. After I had taken these last seven eggs the
86 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Bay-wings left; and though the Screaming Cow-birds

continued to make occasional visits to the nest, to my
great disappointment they did not lay in it.
April 12.—To-day I have made a discovery, and am
as pleased as if I had found a new planet in the sky.
The mystery of the Bay-wings’ nest twice found con-
taining over the usual complement of eggs is cleared
up, and I have now suddenly become acquainted with
the procreant instinct of the Screaming Cow-bird. I look
on this as a great piece of good fortune; for I had thought
that the season for making any such discovery was
already over, as we are so near to winter.
The Bay-wings are so social in their habits that they
always appear reluctant to break up their companies
in the breeding-season; no sooner is this over, and
while the young birds are still fed by the parents, all
the families about a plantation unite into one flock.
About a month ago aíl the birds about my home had
associated in this way together, and went in a scattered
flock, frequenting one favourite feeding-spot very much,
a meadow about fifteen minutes’ walk from the house.
The flock was composed, I believe, of three families,
sixteen or eighteen birds in all: the young birds are
indistinguishable from the adults; but I knew that
most of these birds were young, hatched late in the
season, from their incessant strident hunger notes. I
first observed them about the middle of March. A week
ago, while riding past the meadow where they were
feeding, I noticed among them three individuáis with
purple spots on their plumage. They were at a distance
from me, and I naturally concluded that they were
young Common Cow-birds (M. bonariensis), casually
associating with the Bay-wings. I was surprised to
see them, for the young male M. bonariensis always
acquires the purple plumage before March, so that
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 87

these individuáis were changing colour five weeks after

the usual time.
To-day, while out with my gun, I carne upon the
flock, and noticed four of the birds assuming the purple
plumage, two of them being almost entirely that colour;
but I also noticed with astonishment that they had
bay- or chestnut-coloured wings, also that those with
least purple on them were marvellously like the Bay-
wings in the mouse-coloured plumage of the body and
the dark tail. I had seen these birds before the purple
plumage was acquired, and there was then not the
slightest difference amongst them, the adults and their
supposed offspring being alike; now some of them
appeared to be undergoing the process of a trans-
mutation into another species! I at once shot the four
spotted birds, along with two genuine Bay-wings,
and was delighted to find that the first were young
Screaming Cow-birds.
I must now believe that the extra eggs twice found
in the nest of the Bay-wings were those of the Scream­
ing Cow-bird, that the latter species lays chiefly in the
nests of the former, that the eggs of the two species
are identical in form, size, and colour, each bird also
laying five, and that, stranger still, the similarity is as
perfect in the young birds as it is in the eggs.
April 15.—This morning I started in quest of the
Bay-wings, and observed one individual, that had
somehow escaped detection the day before, assuming
the purple dress. This bird I shot; and after the flock
had re-settled a short distance off, I crept cióse up to
them, under the shelter of a hedge, to observe them
more narrowly. One of the adults was closely attended
by three young birds; and these all, while I watched
them, fluttered their wings and clamoured for food
every time the oíd bird stirred on its perch. The three
 88 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

young birds seemed precisely alike; but presently I

noticed that one of them had a few minute purple
spots, and on shooting this one I found it to be a
young M. rujoaxillaris, while the other two were true
young Bay-wings.
The hunger-cry of the young M. badius (Bay-wing)
is quite different from that of the young M. honariensis :
the cry of the latter is a long, shrill, two-syllabled
note, the last syllable being prolonged into a continuous
squeal when the foster-parent approaches with food;
the cry of the young M. badius is short, reedy, tremulous,
and uninflected. The resemblance of the young M.
rujoaxillaris to its foster-brothers in language and
plumage is the more remarkable when we reflect that
the adult bird in its habits, gestures, guttural notes,
also in its deep purple plumage, comes much nearer to
M. honariensis than to M. badius. It seems impossible
for mimicry to go further than this. A slight difference
in size is quite imperceptible when the birds are flying
about; while in language and plumage the keenest
ornithologist would not be able to detect a difference.
It may, however, be questioned whether this is really
a case of an external resemblance of one species to
another acquired by natural selection for its better
presevation. Possibly the young M. rujoaxillaris, in
the first stage of its plumage, exhibits the ancestral
type—that of the progenitor of both species. If M.
badius belonged to some other group—Sturnella or
Pseudoleistes for instance—it would scarcely be pos­
sible to doubt that the resemblance of the young M.
rujoaxillaris to its foster-brothers resulted from mimi­
cry; but as both species belong to the limited well-
defined group Molothrus, the resemblance may be
ascribed to community of descent.
Formerly I believed that though M. badius is con-
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 89

stantly seen rearing its own young, they also occasion­

ally dropped their eggs in the nests of other birds. I
could not doubt that this was the case after having
witnessed a couple of their young following a Yellow-
breast, Pseudoleistes virescens, and being fed by it.
I must now alter my opinión, for what then appeared
to be proof positive is now no proof at all, for those
two birds were probably the young of M. rufoaxillaris.
There are, however, good reasons for believing that
M. rufoaxillaris is parasitical almost exclusively on
M. badius. I have spoken of the many varieties of
eggs M. bonariensis lays. Those of M. badius are a
trifle less in size, in form elliptical, densely and uniformly
marked with small spots and blotches of dark reddish
colour, varying to dusky brown; the ground-colour
is white, but sometimes, though rarely, palé blue.
It is not possible to confound the eggs of the two species.
Now ever since I saw, many years ago, the Yellow-
breast feeding the supposed young Bay-wings, I have
looked out for the eggs of the latter in other birds’
nests. I have found hundreds of nests containing eggs
of M. bonariensis, but never one with an egg of M.
badius, and, I may now add, never one with an egg of
M. rufoaxillaris. It is wonderful that M. rufoaxillaris
should lay only in the nests of M. badius', but the most
mysterious thing is that M. bonariensis, indiscriminately
parasitical on a host of species, never, to my knowledge,
drops an egg in the nest of M. badius, unless it be in
a forsaken nest! Perhaps it will be difficult for naturalists
to believe this; for if the M. badius is so excessively
vigilant and jealous of other birds approaching its nest
as to succeed in keeping out the subtle, silent, grey-
plumaged, omnipresent female M. bonariensis, why does
it not also keep off the far rarer, noisy, bustling,
conspicuously coloured M. rufoaxillaris ? I cannot say.
90 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

The only explanation that has occurred to me is that

M. badius is sagacious enough to distinguish the eggs
of the common parasite and throws them out of its
nest. But this is scarcely probable, for I have hunted
in vain under the trees for the ejected eggs; and I have
never found the eggs of M. badius with holes pecked
in the shells, which would have been the case had a
M. bonariensis intruded into the nest.
With the results just recorded I felt more than
satisfied, though much still remained to be known;
and I looked forward to the next summer to work
out the rich mine on which I had stumbled by chance.
Unhappily when spring carne round again ill-health
kept me a prisoner in the city, and finding no improve-
ment in my condition, I eventually left Buenos Ayres
at the cióse of the warm season to try whether change
of climate would benefit me. Before leaving, however,
I spent a few days at home, and saw enough then to
satisfy me that my conclusions were correct. Most of
the birds had finished breeding, but while examining
some nests of Anumbius I found one which the Bay-wings
had tenanted, and which for some reason they had
forsaken, leaving ten unincubated eggs. They were all
like Bay-wings’ eggs, but I have no doubt that five
of them were eggs of M. rufoaxillaris. During my rides
in the neighbourhood I also found two flocks of Bay-
wings, each composed of several families, and amongst
the young birds I noticed several individuáis begin­
ning to assume the purple plumage, like those of the
previous autumn. I did not think it necessary to
shoot more specimens.
The question why M. badius permits M. rufoaxil­
laris to use its nest, while excluding the allied parasite
M. bonariensis, must be answered by future observers;
but before passing from this very interesting group
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 9i

(Molothrus) I wish to make some general remarks on their

habits and their anomalous relations to other species.
It is with a considerable degree of repugnance that
we regard the parasitical instinct in birds; the reason
it excites such a feeling is manifestly that it presents
itself to the mind as—to use the words of a naturalist
of the eighteenth century, who was also a theologian
and believed the Cuckoo had been created with such
a habit — “a monstrous outrage on the maternal
affection, one of the first great dictates of nature.” An
outrage, since each creature has been endowed with
this all-powerful affection for the preservation of its
own, and not another, species; and here we see it, by
a subtle process, an unconscious iniquity, turned from
its purpose, perverted and made subservient to the
very opposing agency against which it was intended
as a safeguard! The formation of such an instinct
seems indeed like an unforeseen contingency in the
system of nature, a malady strengthened, if not induced,
by the very laws established for the preservation of
health, and which the vis medicatrix of nature is incap-
able of eliminating. Again, the egg of a parasitical
species is generally so much larger, differing also in
coloration from the eggs it is placed with, whilst there
is such an unvarying dissimilarity between the young
bird and its living or murdered foster-brothers that,
unreasoning as we know instinct, and especially the
maternal instinct to be, we are shocked at so glaring
and flagrant an instance of its blind stupidity.
In the competition for place, the struggle for exist­
ence, said with reason to be most deadly between such
species as are most nearly allied, the operations are
imperceptible, and the changes are so gradual that the
diminution and final disappearance of one species is
never attributed to a corresponding increase in another
92 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

more favoured species over the same región. It is not

as if the regnant species had invaded and seized on the
province of another, but appears rather as if they had
quietly entered on the possession of an inheritance
that was theirs by right. Mighty as are the results
worked out by such a process, it is only by a somewhat
strained metaphor that it can be called a struggle. But
even when the war is opened and declared, as between
a raptorial species and its victims, the former is mani-
festly driven by necessity, and in this case the species
preyed on are endowed with peculiar sagacity to escape
its persecutions; so that the war is not one of exter-
mination, but, as in a border war, the invader is satisfied
with carrying off the weak and unwary stragglers.
Thus the open declared enmity is in reality beneficial
to a species; for it is sure to cut off all such individuáis
as might cause its degeneration. But we can conceive
no necessity for such a fatal instinct as that of the
Cuckoo and Cow-bird, destructive to such myriads of
lives in their beginning. And inasmuch as their pre-
servation is inimical to the species on which they are
parasitical, there must also here be a struggle. But
what kind of struggle? not as in other species, where
one perishes in the combat that gives greater strength
to the victor, but an anomalous struggle in which one
of the combatants has made his adversary turn his
weapons against himself, and so seems to have an
infinite advantage. It is impossible for him to suffer
defeat; and yet, to follow out the metaphor, he has
so wormed about and interlaced himself with his
opponent that as soon as he succeeds in overcoming
him he also must inevitably perish. Such a result is
perhaps impossible, as there are so many causes operat-
ing to check the undue increase of any one species;
consequently the struggle, unequal as it appears, must
 SCREAMING COW-BIRD 93
continué for ever. Thus, in whatever way we view the
parasitical habit, it appears cruel, treacherous, and
vicious in the highest degree. But should we attempt
mentally to create a perfect parasitical instinct (that
is, one that would be thoroughly efficient with the
least possible prejudice to or injustice towards another
species; for the preservation of the species on which
the parasite is dependent is necessary to its own) by
combining in imagination all known parasitical habits,
eliminating every offensive quality or circumstance,
and attributing such others in their place as we should
think fit, our conception would still probably fall short
in simplicity, beauty, and completeness of the actual
instinct of M. rufoaxillaris. Instead of laying its eggs
promiscuously in every receptacle that offers, it selects
the nest of a single species; so that its selective instinct
is related to the adaptive resemblance in its eggs and
young to those of the species on which it is parasitical.
Such an adaptive resemblance could not, of course,
exist if it laid its eggs in the nests of more than one
species, and it is certainly a circumstance eminently
favourable to preservation. Then, there not being
any such incongruity and unfitness as we find in nests
into which other parasites intrude, there is no reason
here to regard the foster-parents’ affection as blind
and stupid; the similarity being cióse enough to baffle
the keenest sagacity. Ñor can the instinct here appear
in the light of an outrage on the maternal affection;
for the young M. rufoaxillaris possesses no advantage
over its foster-brothers. It is not endowed with greater
strength and voracity to monopolise the attentions
of the foster-parent or to eject the real offspring; but
being in every particular precisely like them, it has only
an equal chance of being preserved. To this wonderful
parasitical instinct we may well apply Darwin’s words,
94 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

when speaking of the architecture of the hive-bee:

“Beyond this stage of perfection natural selection could
not lead.”

BAY-WINGED COW-BIRD
{Molothrus badius)
Dull grey, or mouse-colour, slightly tinged with olive; wings
chestnut; tail blackish; bilí and feet black; length 76 inches.
Female similar.
In this species the sexes are alike; the plumage of
the body is grey-drab colour, with a black spot between
the eye and beak; tail dark, the quills cinnamon-
colour; beak and legs black. Azara, describing it under
the ñame of Tordo pardo roxiso, says it is a rare bird,
so that it has probably greatly increased since his time,
as it is now quite common in the Plata district.
The Bay-wings usually go in small flocks, number­
ing from ten to thirty individuáis, and are not migratory,
but in winter they travel about a great deal from place
to place without extending their journeys more than
a few miles in any direction. They are fond of coming
about houses, and are frequently seen pecking at the
fresh meat hanging out of doors; and, Uke other birds
of the same tribe, feed chiefly on the ground. They
spend a great portion of their time on trees, are familiar
with man and inactive, and in their motions singularly
slow and delibérate. Their language is varied. Curiosity
or alarm is expressed by trilling notes, and before
quitting a tree all the birds of a flock ceremoniously
invite each other to fly, with long clear notes, powerful
enough to be heard a quarter of a mile away.
They also sing a great deal in all seasons, the song
being composed of soft, clear, rather sweet notes,
variously modulated, uttered in a leisurely manner,
 BAY-WINGED COW-BIRD 95
and seeming to express a composed frame of mind,
all the birds in a flock singing in concert. During the
coid season the flock always finds some sheltered sunny
spot on the north side of a wood-pile or hedge, where
they spend several hours every day, sitting still and
singing in their usual quiet, soft style.
Their extreme sociability affects their breeding
habits, for sometimes the flock does not break up in
spring, and several females lay in one nest together;
but whether in such cases the birds are paired or
practise a promiscuous intercourse I have not been
able to discover. They have a great partiality for the
large-domed nests made by the Anumbius acuticaudatus,
called Firewood-Gatherer in the vernacular. One
summer a flock of about ten Bay-wings took possession
of a nest on one of my trees, and after a few days I
took fourteen eggs from it. Though the birds hopped
chirping around me, manifesting great solicitude, the
eggs were quite coid, and had I left them many more
would have been laid, no doubt; but as they were piled
up three or four deep in the nest they could never have
been hatched.
As a rule, however, the flock breaks up into pairs;
and then a neat, well-made nest is built in the fork
of a branch, lined with horsehair; or, oftener still,
a domed nest is seized, the Bay-wings fighting with
great spirit to get possession, and in it, or on it, their own
nest is made. Like their relation, the Common Cow-
bird, they seem strongly attracted by domed nests,
and yet shrink from laying in the dark interior; as a
rule when they have captured a large domed nest
they break a hole in the side and so admit the light and
form an easy entrance.
The eggs of the Bay-wing are five in number, nearly
round, and densely marked with dusky reddish brown.
96 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

YELLOW-SHOULDERED MARSH-BIRD
(Agelaus thilius)
Black; lesser upper and under wing-coverts yellow; bilí and feet
black; length 5 5 inches. Female palé brown, striated with black;
eye-mark white; paler beneath; smaller.

This bird is abundant everywhere on the pampas,

and does not migrate, but inhabits marshy situations
in summer, building its nest amongst the rushes, and in
winter ranges over the country. The male is entirely
of an intense black, except the shoulders, which are
puré yellow; the female is dull grey with fuscous mark­
ings, and, as was long ago remarked by Azara, the grey-
plumaged are very much more numerous than the black
individuáis. The young birds are like the females,
and possibly do not acquire the full black plumage
until the second year, which would account for the
great number of grey birds.
These birds are extremely sociable, being seen in
flocks all the year round, even during the breeding-
season; in winter a great many males sepárate them-
selves from the females, and are found associating
together in flocks of from thirty to forty individuáis.
They feed on the ground, keeping to the moist
borders of marshes during summer; they avoid woods,
but occasionally alight on trees, where they all sing in
concert. The song, when an individual is heard singing
alone, is, though limited in its range, very sweet, some
of the notes being remarkable for their purity and
expression. The bird sits on a rush or stalk while sing­
ing, and makes a long pause after every note or two,
as if to make the most of its limited repertory. There
is in the song one rich full note which, to my mind, is
unequalled for plaintive sweetness, and I am therefore
 YELLOW-SHOULDERED MARSH-BIRD 97

surprised that Azara says only of this species that it

sings passably well—“canta razonablemente.”
The nest is neatly made of dry grasses, and attached
to the rushes growing in the water. The eggs are four,
pointed, and spotted at the larger end with dull brown
and black on a white ground.
I wish my dull brains had been able to find some
shorter, more descriptive English ñame for this species
which of all this group of Troupials, the Marsh-birds
or Bobolinks of South America, endeared itself most
to me on account of its grace and lovely black and yellow
livery, its pretty social habits, and, above all, its
unforgettable song, or rather that one full, beautiful,
passionate note on which it ends.

YELLOW-HEADED MARSH-BIRD
(Agel&us flavus)
Black; head, rump, bend of wing and under surface brilliant
yellow; bilí and feet black; length 6 7 inches. Female brown,
slightly striated; eyebrows, rump, and under parts yellowish.

Azara called this bird Cabeza amarilla, or Yellow-head,

and I retain the ñame, though it is an unsatisfactory
one as the bird has so much yellow on its other parts;
the colour scheme being much as in the Golden Oriole.
The dull-plumaged birds are always very much
more numerous than the bright-coloured males, though
Azara strangely asserts that the sexes are alike. In
Buenos Ayres, where it is called Naranjo (orange-
coloured) by the country people in allusion to its orange
tints, it is very well known on account of its yellow
plumage, which looks so wonderfully brilliant in the
sunshine, and its partiality for cultivated districts,
G
98 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

where it follows the plough to pick up worms, and

frequents the orchard to sing, associating with the
Common Cow-bird and Yellow-breast. It remains all
the year, and is very sociable, going in flocks of from
twenty to thirty individuáis, which when they settle
on the trees all sing in concert, pouring out their few
peculiar notes with great power and emphasis.
Even in the breeding season these companies do
not always break up, and frequently several pairs have
nests near together. The nest is usually built in a car-
doon thistle, two or three feet above the ground, and is
made of dry grass. The eggs are four, pointed, white
or with bluish tinge, and speckled irregularly with
deep brown, the spots being closer and sometimes
confluent at the broad end.
Concerning the plumage of this species Mr. Barrows,
an American ornithologist, writes:
Late in March 1881, we found this species in large flocks on the
Pigue, and it was a beautiful sight to see a hundred or more flutter­
ing about among the snowy plumes of the pampas grass, and dis-
playing their rich black and yellow dress. Unlike most other birds
obtained at that time, their plumage seemed nearly as bright as
in summer.

SCARLET-HEADED MARSH-BIRD
(Amblyrhamphus holosericeus)
Black; head and neck and upper breast and thighs intense scarlet;
feet and bilí black; length 9 5 inches. Female the same, young
all black.
Azara named this species Tordo negro cabeza roxa\
it is also called Boyero (ox-herd) by country people,
from its note resembling the long whistle of a drover;
and sometimes “Chisel-bill,” from the peculiar con-
formation of the beak, which is long, straight, and broad
 SCARLET-HEADED MARSH-BIRD 99

at the end like a chisel. In both sexes the plumage

of the head and neck is scarlet, of an exceedingly
brilliant tint, all other parts intense black. These
birds are lively, active, and sociable, going in flocks
of from half a dozen to thirty individuáis; they remain
all the year, and inhabit the marshes, from which they
seldom wander very far but seek their insect food in
the soft decaying rushes. They are common on the
swampy shores of the Plata, and when seen at a distance
perched in their usual manner on the summits of the
tail rushes, their flame-coloured heads shine with a
strange glory above the sere, sombre vegetation of the
marshes. The long whistling note above mentioned is
their only song, but it varíes considerably, and often
sounds as mellow and sweet as the whistle of the
European Blackbird.
The nest is an ingenious structure of dry grasses,
fastened to the upright stems of an aquatic plant,
three or four feet above the water. The eggs are four,
in size and form like those of the English Song-Thrush,
spotted somewhat sparsely with black on a light
blue ground.
The young birds are entirely black at first, and after­
wards assume on the head and neck a palé terra-cotta
red, which gradually deepens to vivid scarlet.

RUFOUS-HEADED MARSH-BIRD
{Agelceus ruficapillus)
Glossy blue-black; crown and middle of throat deep chestnut-
red; bilí and legs black; length 75 inches.

The sexes are alike in this species: the crown of the

head is rufous, and with this exception the whole
plumage is a rich glossy blue-black. The beauty of
IOO BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the bird and its delicate plaintive voice would no doubt

make it a favourite with man if he saw more of it, only
it lives and breeds in marshes and does not come near
his habitations. The Rufous-heads are gregarious and
migratory. The flock can scarcely be said to break up
in the breeding-season, as the birds all make their nests
near together in the reeds. The nest is placed about
one or two feet above the water, is about six inches in
depth, and made of leaves and aquatic grasses woven
together. The eggs are four, pointed, with a white or
palé bluish ground, and spotted with black at the
larger end.
The song of the Red-head is quite unique in character.
It begins with a low, hollow-sounding note, then the
voice changes to a clear, plaintive tone, rising in a rapid
succession of short notes, then falling again at the end.
After the breeding-season the birds fly about in
flocks of two or three hundred individuáis, and sing
in concert on the trees.
Their chirp has a peculiar metallic sound, and can
be imitated by tapping on the edge of a copper bell
with the finger-nail.

RED-BREASTED MARSH-BIRD
(Leistes superciliaris)
Brownish black; superciliaries palé brown; bend of the wing
and body beneath from chin to middle of the belly deep scarlet; bilí
and legs black; length 7 inches. Female palé brown, variegated
with black, faintly touched with red on the breast.

The most interesting point concerning this species is

the very great difference in habits, as well as appear­
ance, existing between the sexes. In form it resembles
the Starling of Europe, but is a trifle smaller and has
 RED-BREASTED MARSH-BIRD zoi

a shorter tail. The male is black, the upper parts

faintly mottled with yellowish grey; there is a straw-
coloured stripe over the eye; the throat and breast
bright crimson. The female is a smaller bird, and in
colour dull fulvous grey, mottled with fuscous; the red
tint on the breast scarcely perceptible.
These birds are migratory, and appear everywhere
in the eastern part of the Argentine country early in
October, arriving singly, after which each male takes
up a position in a field or open space abounding with
coarse grass and herbage, where he spends most of the
time perched on the summit of a tail stalk or weed,
his glowing crimson bosom showing at a distance like
some splendid flower above the herbage. At intervals
of two or three minutes he soars vertically up to a height
of twenty or twenty-five yards to utter his song, com­
posed of a single long, powerful, and rather musical
note, ending with an attempt at a flourish, during
which the bird flutters and turns about in the air;
then, as if discouraged at his failure, he drops down,
emitting harsh guttural chirps, to resume his stand.
Meanwhile the female is invisible, keeping closely
concealed under the long grass. But at length, attracted
perhaps by the bright bosom and aerial music of the
male, she occasionally exhibits herself for a few moments,
starting up with a wild zigzag flight, like a Snipe flushed
from its marsh, and, darting this way and that, pre­
sently drops into the grass once more. The moment
she appears above the grass the male gives chase, and
they vanish from sight together. Thus, while in colour,
habits, language, and even in its manner of soaring up
like a rocket to let off its curious melody, the male is
the most conspicuous of small birds, the female, acted
on in an opposite direction by natural selection, has
been, so to speak, effaced. While flying they do not
ioa BIRDS OF LA PLATA

look like birds of the same species: the male moves

with wings rapidly fluttered, like a Starling, but with
a slower, more laborious flight, and without deviating;
the female, in her eccentric movements in the air, re-
minds one of a large moth, driven from its hiding-place
and flying about confused with the glare of noon.
The nest is made of dry grass on the ground, so
cunningly concealed that it is difficult to find. The
eggs are four, white, spotted with reddish brown.
When they have young I have never been able to detect
the female flying about in search of food.
All through the summer these birds are solitary,
but when migrating in the autumn, though many are
seen travelling singly and appear very conspicuous
as they fly laboriously in a straight line, at an altitude
of about twenty yards from the surface, others are
seen making their journey in small flocks or parties
composed of six to a dozen individuáis. These are the
males. The females travel separately, in twos or threes
or singly, flying nearer to the earth, with frequent
pauses when the wings cease beating, and intervals
of gliding, also darting occasionally to one side, as if
the bird had suddenly taken fright.

YELLOW-BREASTED MARSH-BIRD
{Pseudoleistes virescens)
Olive-brown and glossy; shoulders and breast bright yellow;
length 9 5 inches. Female similar.

In both sexes in this species the plumage is deep

olivaceous brown, the breast puré yellow. It is active,
strong on the wing, sociable and noisy; and being,
moreover, a pretty and elegant bird, very common in
 YELLOW-BREASTED MARSH-BIRD 103

settled districts, and with a preference for man’s neigh­

bourhood, it is familiar to everyone, and has won
amongst many competitors the vernacular ñame of
Pecho amarillo (Yellow-breast), for with us yellow-
breasted species are somewhat numerous. It remains
all the year, invariably going about in flocks of from
twenty to thirty birds, and feeds on the ground in the
fields or on the open plain. While they are feeding,
one bird takes up a position on a stalk or thistle-top
to keep guard; when he flies down another bird takes
his place; if a person approaches, the sentinel gives
the alarm, and all the birds fly off in a very cióse flock,
making the air resound with their loud ringing notes.
After feeding they repair to the trees, where they join
their robust voices in a spirited concert, without any
set form of melody such as other song-birds possess,
but all together, flinging out their notes at random,
as if mad with joy. In this delightful hubbub there are
some soft silvery sounds. Where they are never per-
secuted they have little fear of man, but they invariably
greet his approach with a loud vigorous remonstrance.
In October the birds break up their companies to
pair. Sometimes they breed on the open plain in a
large cardoon thistle, but a thick bush or low tree is
preferred. The nest is like that of a Thrush, being
deep, compactly made of dry grass and slender sticks,
plastered inside with mud, and lined with hair
or soft dry grass. It is, however, deeper and more
symmetrical than the Thrush’s nest, and it is some­
times plastered with cow-dung instead of with mud.
The eggs are four, very long, white, and abundantly
spotted with deep red, the spots becoming confluent
at the large end.
The Yellow-breast is never seen to quarrel with its
fellows or with other birds, and it is possibly due to
104 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
its peaceful disposition that it is more victimised by
the parasitical Molothrus than any other bird. I have
frequently found their nests full of parasitical eggs,
as many as fourteen and in one case sixteen in one
nest. In some seasons all the nests I found and watched
were eventually abandoned by the birds on account
of the number of parasitical eggs dropped in them.
I have also so frequently found parasitical eggs on the
ground under the nest that I believe the Yellow-breast
throws out some of these foreign eggs, and in one
instance I was quite sure that this had happened.
The nest was in a cardoon bush and contained five
eggs—two of the Yellow-breast and three parasitical.
These three were of the variety most thickly mottled
with red, and consequently closely resembling the
eggs of the Yellow-breast. I was surprised to find
five more eggs of the Cow-bird on the ground, cióse
together, and about three feet from the bush; and these
five eggs were all puré white and unspotted. Naturally,
I asked: How carne these eggs in such a position ? They
had not fallen from the nest, which was very deep,
contained few eggs, and was scarcely thirty inches
above the ground. Then they were all white, while
those in the nest were mottled. That the eggs had been
laid in the nest I felt certain; and the only way I can
account for their being in the place where I found them
is that the Yellow-breast itself removed them, taking
them up in its bilí and flying with them to the ground.
If I am right, we must believe that this individual
Yellow-breast had developed an instinct unusual in
the species, which enabled it to distinguish, and cast
out of its nest, eggs very different from its own—an
instinct, in fact, the object of which would be to counter-
act the parasitical habit of Molothrus. What would
be the effect of such an instinct should the species
 YELLOW-BREASTED MARSH-BIRD 105

acquire it? Doubtless it would be highly prejudicial

to the parasitical birds laying white eggs, but favour­
able to those laying mottled eggs. This would be natural
selection operating in a very unusual manner; for the
Yellow-breast, or other species, would improve another
to its own detriment, since the more the parasitical eggs
assimilated to its own, the greater would be the likeli-
hood of their being preserved. The perfect similarity
of the eggs of M. rufoaxillaris to those of M. badius
was possibly brought about in this way. But, it may
be added, if besides the Yellow-breast some other
species laying very different eggs (a Zonotrichia or
Tyrannus, for instance) should also acquire this dis-
tinguishing habit and eject all eggs unlike its own
from its nest, the habit in the two or more species would
ultimately cause the extinction of the parasite.
It might throw some light on this obscure subject
to examine, for several successive summers, a large
number of nests, to ascertain whether the nests of
the Yellow-breast are often found without any white
unspotted eggs, or if the same proportional number
of white (parasitical) eggs are found in the nests of the
Yellow-breast, Scissor-tail, Song-Sparrow, Pipit, and
other species.

PATAGONIAN MARSH-STARLING
(fTrupialis militaris)
Brown, variegated with black; superciliaries in front of eye red,
behind the eye white; throat, middle of neck, and breast scarlet;
under wing-coverts white; bend of wing red; length 10 inches.
Female similar.

Two species of Trufialis inhabit the southernmost

part of the Argentine Republic, the present being
confined to Patagonia and South Chili, while its northern
106 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

representative inhabits the pampas of Buenos Ayres

and Uruguay. Probably the Colorado river, which
separates two districts differing in soil and vegetation,
is the boundary-line dividing their habitats. So nearly
alike are these two birds in colour, language, and habits,
that they seem rather like races than species; and they
were so regarded by naturalists until recently, when
the pampas bird was raised to the rank of a distinct
species, with the ñame of Trupialis defili/pii. Unfortu-
nately the oíd ñame militaris fits the Pampas, and not
the Patagonian, Starling best; but of this I shall speak
when I describe the former species.
In its form T. militaris resembles the Common
Starling of Europe, but differs from it in habits, flight,
language, size, and colouring; its upper plumage being
fuscous mottled with yellowish grey; the throat and
bosom scarlet inclining to crimson. This hue varíes
greatly, the breast-feathers being often tipped with
white, which subdues the intense red, and gives it a rosy
tint in some individuáis. The female is paler-plumaged
than the male, and has less red on the breast.
It inhabits the whole of Patagonia to the Strait of
Magellan, but is confined to the valleys or to the neigh­
bourhood of water; and Durnford remarks that it is
a useful bird to the traveller in that thirsty country,
as its presence is a sure indication of water. It is
resident, and is seen in small parties of four or five,
or in small flocks seldom exceeding twenty or thirty
in number. It feeds and lives on the ground, and only
occasionally is it seen to perch on a low bush. Its flight
is strong, and it flies about a great deal, and usually
utters its song when on the wing. The song is continued
all the year, and is heard even on the coldest days in
winter; the notes are few and not highly melodious,
but are cheerful and vigorous.
 PATAGONIAN MARSH-STARLING 107

The nest is made of dry grass and rootlets attached

to the rushes in moist ground, and placed cióse to or rest-
ing on the surface. The eggs are five, the ground-colour
white spotted or blotched with reddish brown.

MILITARY STARLING
(JTru'pialis defilippii)
Slightly smaller than last; plumage the same except under the
wing-coverts, which are black.

Throughout the country where this species abounds

it is called Pecho colorado, which is certainly better
than Azara’s barbarous, if picturesque, ñame of Degol­
lado', but no happier ñame than militaris could have
been invented for it, by which it was formerly known
to naturalists; and though it was given to the bird
merely on account of the red breast, and was therefore
equally applicable to all the red-breasted species on the
globe, in this case, it accidentally seemed to describe a
peculiar habit of the bird, as well as its bright livery.
In size, form, gait, flight, language, and colour the
present bird very closely resembles the Patagonian
Starling; but the crimson on the breast is brighter
and the upper parts are darker. Its nesting habits
are also like those of the Southern bird; the number
and colour of the eggs being the same in both species.
One trivial difference in habit is that De Filippi’s
Starling occasionally soars up a few yards into the
air when uttering its song. It inhabits the moist grassy
pampas in the Southern part of the Buenos Ayrean
province, and is there abundant and unites in large
flocks. At the approach of the coid season there is a
general movement northwards of the birds, which does
io8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
not, however, extend far, as the birds, although strong
fliers, travel slowly and in a peculiar manner; it is in
this season when the birds are seen moving in large
flocks, that the ñame of Military Starling strikes one
as being peculiarly appropriate. They do not journey
through the air like other migrants, but move over the
ground, when the flock, composed of four or five hundred
to a thousand or more individuáis, is extended so as to
present a very long front, and at intervals the hind-
most birds fly over the others and alight just in front
of them; the long front, the precisión of their move-
ments, and their scarlet bosoms all turned one way,
suggest the idea of a disciplined army on its march.
They never perch on trees, but frequently alight
on the roof of a rancho or other elevation affording
a secure footing. They are tame birds and fly re-
luctantly; when approached they ushally crouch down,
hiding their crimson bosoms, and remain motionless
in order to escape observation. In disposition they are
peaceful, and so fond of society that when one becomes
separated from his fellows he will unite with birds of
another kind, even with Plovers or Tyrant-birds.
On the great monotonous plains, where most of
the small birds are grey- or brown-plumaged, and
in winter when there are no flowers to satisfy the desire
of the eye for bright colour, it is delightful while travel-
ling to meet with an army of these Starlings: their
crimson bosoms, less bright than the hues of some
tropical species, seem then to glow with a strange
splendour on the sombre green of earth, and the sight
produces an exhilarating effect on the mind.
 HANG-NEST 109

CHESTNUT-SHOULDERED HANG-NEST
(Icterus pyrrkopterus)
Uniform black; upper lesser wing-coverts chestnut; length
7-7 inches. Female similar but smaller.

This interesting bird, the one member of the genus

Icterus found in the Argentine, ranges south to Buenos
Ayres, where it is migratory, and appears in small
flocks of six or eight individuáis in September; but
soon after arriving these little companies break up,
and the birds are subsequently found singly or in pairs
in the woods along the Plata River.
The sexes are alike in colour, but the male is con-
siderably larger; the whole plumage is an intense black,
excepting a rufous spot on the shoulder seen only
when the bird is on the wing; the bilí is black and
curved, the body slender, and the tail long. It is a
loquacious bird, most of its tones being low and pleasing;
exceedingly restless in disposition, incessantly passing
from tree to tree, jerking its long tail and clinging to
the branches in various attitudes, while searching for
insects in the decayed bark. While thus engaged it
utters a great variety of chirping and guttural sounds,
interspersed with short agreeable notes. It also has
a song of considerable merit, low and varied in tone,
with a peculiar ventriloquism in many of the notes
which produce a confusing idea on the listener that
the bird approaches and recedes alternately whilst
uttering them. While singing the bird continúes moving,
but always concealed in the thick foliage, and it is
probably this constant turning about of the singer,
and the notes coming through leafy screens of varying
IIO BIRDS OF LA PLATA

density, which makes the ventriloquism and gives so

much light and shade to its mysterious melody.
The first bird of this species I shot was wounded
very slightly on one wing and fell into a stream; to
my very great surprise it began singing its usual song
while floating about on the surface, making no attempt
to swim. After I had fished it out it continued to sing
at intervals in my hand; how strange it was to hear
this bleeding captive bird warbling out sweet soft notes
which seemed to express only agreeable emotions!
Yet it was evident that the bird was fully alive to its
danger, for it struggled violently to escape and bit my
finger savagely with its sharp beak.
I subsequently found a nest; it was about seven
inches deep, composed entirely of lichens gathered
from the boles of trees, ingeniously woven together
and suspended from the small twigs and leaves at the
extremity of a branch. There were no eggs in it, but
the birds fluttered in great trouble about me,. and,
what greatly surprised me, uttered a variety of singing
notes, unlike their usual song, but closely resembling
the notes of other songsters, which made me think
that the Icterus possesses the mimicking faculty to
some extent. This, however, is a question it would be
difficult to decide. It seems certain, however, that this
species is incapable of expressing any distressing feel-
ing, such as pain, fear, or parental anxiety, with loud
harsh notes like other birds. It is much to be regretted
that Azara, who found this species common in Paraguay,
did not pay more attention to its habits and language,
which make it specially interesting even in a family so
rich in strange habits as the Icteridae.
 CHOPI ni

CHOPI
(Aphobus chopi)
Uniform black; bilí and feet black, lower mandible sulcated;
length 9 2 inches. Female similar but smaller and duller black.

The Chopi, which is said to be quite common in Para­

guay, is only found in the north-eastern part of the
Argentine Republic, consequently I have never seen
it, except as a cage-bird; ñor is there anything about
it in the notes of recent collectors and travellers who
have visited the upper waters of the Plata. This however
is not greatly to be regretted, since Azara gave a full
and spirited account of this species in his Birds of
Paraguay, although it does seem strange that the
Chopi should have had two careful observers of its
habits over a century ago, namely Azara and his friend
and fellow naturalist, the priest Noseda, and not one
since. It is to give my English readers a specimen of
Azara’s writing that I have introduced the Chopi, the
only bird described in this book which was not known
to me from my own observation.
Evidently Azara was very familiar with it, for he
described it lovingly and at great length, his history
of it being one of the most charming things in his work.
According to him the Chopi is a highly sagacious bird,
and although a frequent visitor to courtyards and
verandas of houses in Paraguay, too shy and suspicious
to be caught with snares. It has a strong and easy
flight, and readily attacks any large bird passing near,
following it persistently in the air, or, pouncing down,
fastens itself on its enemy’s back. If the Caracara
Eagle (Polyborus) alights in order to shake off its perse­
cutor, the Chopi perches at a distance of a few feet,
112 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

where it assumes an indifferent manner; but no sooner

does the Caracara allow its attention to wander from
its adversary than it is again subjected to fresh insult.
These attacks on so large and powerful a species may
be regarded as mere impertinences, but by practising
them the Chopi is soon able to rid himself of the pre-
sence of any unwelcome bird. From a long distance
he recognises an enemy, by its figure or even its shadow,
and warns all birds of the coming danger with a loud
whistle, which at once sends them into hiding, while
the Chopi goes bravely out to the encounter; and the
result is invariably a victorious song on his part, be­
ginning with the sound of his own ñame, and running
through a variety of whistled notes. He also sings well
in captivity and when his mate is incubating; and his
voice is first heard welcoming the dawn from the eaves
and tiled roofs of houses where he roosts. The pairing-
season is in November; and, Noseda adds, the breeding-
place is a hole in a bank or tree-trunk, or in a wall under
the eaves, and occasionally the nest is made in the small
branches of an orange or other close-leafed tree, and is
built of sticks and straws carelessly disposed, with a few
feathers for lining. The eggs are four, and white.
It may be added that between Azara and his friend
Noseda there was a great controversy respecting the
parasitical habits of the Common Cow-bird (Molothrus),
which were first discovered by the former and dis-
believed in by Noseda, who accounted for the fact
that the Cow-bird is never seen to make a nest by
supposing that species to be the year-old young of the
Chopi, which, he further imagined, took three years
to acquire the adult form and plumage. Such an idea
might seem to discredit Noseda as a naturalist, if we
did not remember that Gilbert White at the same
period was trying to prove the hibernation of Swallows
 CHOPI 113

in England. The whole of the discussion appears in

the Birds of Paraguay, under the description of the
Chopi; and Noseda is there allowed to State his own
case; after which the better observer, Azara, gives
five objections to the theory, any one of which would
be sufficient to demolish it.

CHOCOLATE TYRANT
(Myiotheretes rufiventris)
Above and below smoky grey, clearer on the head and breast;
belly, crissum, and under wing-coverts bright rufous; wings black,
inner secondaries bright chestnut terminated with white, outer
secondaries black, tipped with white; wing-coverts grey, margined
with white; tail black, outer margins of external pair of rectrices
and tips of all whitish; two outer primaries emarginated; bilí and
feet black; length 95 inches. Female similar, but outer primaries
not emarginated.

The Tyrant Birds (Tyrannidae) are a family of in-

sectivorous birds peculiar to America. They are the
Flycatchers of the New World, and in very many
of the smaller species are curiously like the Oíd World
Flycatchers in appearance and habits. But structurally
they are not nearly related to them. They belong to
the sub-order Olygomyodae, the Passerine birds which
are (or ought to be) songless. The songsters, all included
in the sub-order Oscines, rank higher in the scale as
having a developed vocal organ, and the Oíd World
Flycatchers rank with Thrushes and Nightingales in
this división. The fact remains, however, that many
species in this highest sub-order are songless or are mere
croakers or chatterers, whereas some of the Tyrant
Birds have set songs and are sweet singers. The Tyrants
in South America number over 360 known species—
H
114 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

probably 400 would be nearer the right number now.

There is a great variety in the size, form, and habits
of different genera. There are among them birds with
strong legs which seek their food on the ground, like
Thrushes and Chats, which they resemble; and there
are others, also ground feeders, that perch on bushes
and trees and watch the ground below until they spy
an insect, then drop upon and capture it and return
to the same perch. Others watch for flying insects and
capture them in the manner of our European Flycatchers,
and many others have the food-seeking habits of our
Leaf-Warblers.
Of the sixty or seventy species found in the Argentine
country, I am acquainted with twenty-seven, and the
largest of them is the Chocolate Tyrant first described.
There is a striking resemblance to a Thrush in this
species, when one sees it running on the ground with
its beak somewhat elevated; but when it stands or
perches, opening and closing its broad tail with a graceful
fan-like motion, the resemblance to the stiff automatic
Purdus grows less, and when it flies vanishes altogether
—its long wings being as sharply pointed as those of
the Peregrine Falcon, while its motions in the air have
a Gull-like grace and buoyancy.
It is a very pretty bird; the upper plumage is grey
tinged with rufous, the throat puré dark grey, breast
and belly rufous, wing-coverts light silvery grey, remiges
and rectrices dark. Azara classed it under the ñame
of Pepoaza (banded-wing) with the Tanioptera, to which
it comes very near in form, flight, language, and habits,
though it has longer legs and runs more on the ground.
Its summer home is in Southern Patagonia, but its
breeding-habits are not known; in winter it migrates
north, and in May is found scattered over the pampas,
where it is usually called by the country people Chorlo,
 CHOCOLATE TYRANT ii5

a ñame for all Plovers; for while running swiftly about

on the ground, often associating with flocks of Plover,
it has a certain resemblance to them. From the hue
of its plumage it is also called El Chocolate, a ñame I
have thought it best to preserve.
These birds are very sociable, going in small flocks,
usually of from half a dozen to twenty individuáis;
they are restless and active, and quick and graceful
in all their movements, and seek their food on the
ground, chiefly coleopterous insects, on the great level
plains they inhabit. While on the wing they pursue
each other playfully in the air, and also attack and
chase passing birds of other kinds, apparently in a
sportive spirit. Occasionally they perch on a thistle-top
or low bush, but never on trees. Their only language
is a long, low, plaintive whistle, heard usually on warm,
still days in winter.

PEPOAZA TYRANT
(Tanioptera nengetá)
Above cinereous; lores white; wings black, coverts cinereous; a
well-marked speculum at the base of the primaries and the edgings
of the outer secondaries white; tail black, tipped with whitish
cinereous, basal one-third of tail white; below palé cinereous,
middle of throat white, with blackish stripe on each side; middle
of belly, flanks, crissum, and under tail-coverts white; bilí horn-
colour; feet black; length 9 inches. Female smaller.

To this species Azara gives the ñame of Pepoaza, the

Guarani for Barred-wing; and Pepoaza was used by
him as a generic ñame for the small, well-defined group
now placed in the genus Tanioptera, comprising eight
known species. Most of these birds have some con­
spicuous wing-mark. They inhabit the Southern
n6 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

portion of the South American continent, from South

Brazil and Bolivia to the Straits of Magellan, and are
most numerous on the open pampas and in Patagonia.
In size they do not vary greatly, the largest being
about nine inches long, the smallest about seven. In
colour they are grey, or, more frequently, white relieved
with black or grey, one species (T. rubetra) being rufous.
Their legs are long, and they run on the ground like
Myiotheretes rufiventris, feeding to some extent in the
same manner; but they also occasionally pursue and
capture insects on the wing, like the typical Tyrant-
birds that seldom or never alight on the ground. They
have likewise another and a unique preying habit,
intermedíate between the Plover-like habits of Agriornis,
Myiotheretes, and Muscisaxicola, and the Swallow-
or Flycatcher-like habits of the true Tyrants. The bird
perches itself on an elevation—the summit of a stalk
or bush, or even on a low tree—to watch like a Fly-
catcher for its insect prey; only instead of looking
about for passing insects, it gazes intently down at
the ground, just as a Kingfisher does at the water,
and when it spies a beetle or grasshopper darts down
upon it, not, however, to snatch it up with the bilí as
other Tyrants do, but it first grasps it with its feet,
then proceeds to dispatch it, swaying about and open-
ing its wings to keep its own balance, just as an Owl
is seen to do when it grasps a mouse or other small
animal in its claws. After devouring the insect on the
spot, it flies back to its perch to resume its watch.
They are very restless, active, playful birds, and seldom
remain long on one spot, apparently finding it irksome
to do so; but I have seen the T. impero occupy the same
perch for hours every day while looking out for insects.
As an English generic ñame for this small interesting
group might be useful, I would suggest Ground-gazers
 PEPOAZA TYRANT 117

or Ground-watcbers, which describes the peculiar preying

habit of these birds.
The Pepoaza is a swift, active, graceful bird, with
a strong straight beak, hooked at the point, and a
broad tail four inches long, the total length of the bird
being nine inches. The throat and space between
the beak and eye are white; all the rest of the body,
also the wing- and tail-coverts, light grey; tail- and
wing-quills black, with a puré white band across the
base of the primaries. The tertiaries and rectrices are
tipped with palé rufous grey.
It inhabits Brazil south of the equator, Bolivia, and
Paraguay, also the northern provinces of the Argentine
Republic. Mr. Barrows gives the following account
of its lively habits in Entrenos:
They are commonly seen perched on fences or the tops of bushes
or trees in open ground, frequently making sallies for winged insects
or dropping to the ground to catch a grasshopper or worm. When
shot at while perched and watching you, they almost invariably
leave the perch at the flash, pitching forward and downward, and
usually evading the shot, even at short range. Several times I
have secured them by shooting about a foot below and two feet
in front of them as they sat, but they do not always fly in this direc­
tion. The rapidity of their flight when frightened, or when quarrel-
ling, is simply astonishing. I have seen one chase another for three
or four minutes, doubling, tuming, twisting, and shooting, now
brusbing the grass. and now rising to a height of at least two or three
hundred feet, and all the movements so rapid that the eye could
scarcely follow them; and at the end of it each would go back to
the top of his own chosen weed-stalk, apparently without a
feather ruffled.

Azara found this species breeding in a hole in a bank;

and Mr. Dalgleish has described a nest, taken from a
tree in Uruguay, as a somewhat slight structure, four
inches in diameter, formed of sticks and fibres, lined
with fine grass and a few feathers. It contained
three eggs, pear-shaped, white, with large well-defined
spots of reddish brown.
1x8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

BLACK-CROWNED TYRANT
(T¿enioptera coronata)
Above cinereous; rounded summit of head black, broad front
and band encircling the back of the head white; wings blackish,
upper coverts cinereous, edgings of middle and greater coverts and
of outer secondaries whitish; tail blackish; margins of outer webs
of external tail feathers white; beneath white; under wing-coverts
and a large portion of the inner webs of the remiges, except of the
two outer primaries, white; bilí and feet black; length 7-8 inches.

In this species the sexes are alike. The crown is black

and composed of loose feathers; the forehead, and a
broad line over the eye which extends nearly round
the head, also all the under plumage, puré white; neck
and back clear grey; quills black.
This Tyrant is a solitary bird, though often many
individuáis are found within cali of each other, and
they sometimes even unite in a loose flock. It is found
throughout the Argentine country, ranging south to
the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, but abounds most on the
Buenos-Ayrean pampas, where it performs a partial
migration. Most of the 7¿snioptera seek their food by
preference on the bare level ground, or where the
vegetation is most scanty. This species varíes some­
what in habits, and seldom runs on the ground, and
chiefly inhabits the desert plains, where the large
grasses flourish. On one occasion when I was with an
expedition on the pampas for several weeks, every day
a number of these birds would gather and follow us;
perched here and there on the tail grasses with their
bosoms towards us, they often looked at a distance
like large white flowers. Oíd gauchos have told me that
fifty years ago they were abundant all over the pampas,
but have disappeared wherever the giant grasses
 BLACK-CROWNED TYRANT 119

have been eaten down and have given place to a

different vegetation.
Their note is a long, low whistle, the usual language
of the Teznioptera\ but in this species it is very like a
human whistle, on account of which the bird is named
Boyero (ox-driver) on the pampas. One severe winter
great numbers of them appeared in the neighbourhood
of Buenos Ayres, and it was amusing to see the dogs
thrown into a great State of excitement by the low
whistling notes heard perpetually from all sides. Every
few moments they would start up and stare about
them to ascertain where the deceptive cali carne from,
and in spite of many disappointments they would
occasionally all rush away, loudly barking, into the
plantation, convinced that some person there was
whistling to cali them.
The Black-crown makes a somewhat shallow nest
in a bush or large clump of grass, and lays four white
eggs, with large dark red spots, chiefly at the big end.
I cannot refrain from quoting a passage from
Mr. Barrows’ paper, descriptive of the lively temper
and habits of this bird:
This species often persecutes smaller birds in a way^which seems
to imply puré love of mischief. One afternoon in July, when the
river had fallen some feet after an unusual rise, I was walking along
the Unes of drift left by the falling water, and watching the different
birds which were picking up insects or other food from the wind-
rows. A score or two of the little chestnut-backed Centrites were
running about, and here and there a Tanioptera was looking quietly
on. Suddenly I heard a chirp of distress, and looking up saw one of
these small birds apparently making every effort to escape from a
T&nioptera, which was following in full chase. The two birds were
hardly a length apart and both going at full speed, doubling and
dodging in a way that would have done credit to a bat. The chase
lasted perhaps for half a minute, when the smaller bird alighted,
and at once the other also alighted and began running about un-
concemedly and picking up food. But the instant the smaller one
made a start his enemy was at his heels (or more properly his tail)
again, and he was forced to alight. This was repeated so often that
120 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
I was on the point of shooting the pursuer, when, without any
notice, he flew quietly off, and resumed his usual demeanour. It
looked like a case of simple spite, for even if there were twenty other
birds about, one seemed to be followed without regard to the rest.

I have often watched Tanioptera of different species,

also Myiotheretes rufiventris, behaving in a similar way,
and agree with Mr. Barrows that it is “an amusement
in which the larger bird indulges simply for the pleasure
derived from the exercise of his power.”

DOMINICAN TYRANT
(7anioptera dominicana)
Above puré white; wings black, with a broad whitish sub-apical
band across the first six primaries, beyond which the tips are blackish;
tail black; beneath puré white; length 8 inches. Female similar,
but head above and back cinereous.

This bird ranges from South Brazil and Paraguay

to the southernmost pampas of Buenos Ayres. Its
total length is eight inches. The wings and tail are
black, the former barred with white; all the rest of
the plumage in the male is puré white; in the female
the upper parís are grey.
It is to some extent migratory, and usually goes
in flocks of a dozen or twenty birds, and frequents
open situations where there are bushes and trees, also
plains covered with giant grasses. They are more
social in their habits than 7. coronata, but in other
respects closely resemble it, and are exceedingly active,
lively birds, and when the flock is on the wing continu­
ally pursue each other in a playful manner.
Mr. Barrows observed them in autumn on the Pigue
(southern pampas) preparing for their migration.
“Late in March,” he says, “we found them in large
 DOMINICAN TYRANT 121

scattered flocks, which collected in one place towards

evening, and went through a series of aerial evolutions
accompanied with vocal exercises of a varied and
entertaining kind, lasting half an hour or more.
“I presume this was in preparation for their north-
ward (or westward ?) migration, as we did not see them
again after leaving this spot.”

LITTLE WIDOW TYRANT

(T¿znioptera impero)
Above and beneath puré white; wings with the primaries black
except the innermost, which are white at their bases and tipped
with black, and secondaries which have narrow black shafts; broad
end of the tail black; bilí and feet black; two outer primaries
acuminated; length 7 inches. Female similar.

This pretty species is found throughout the Argentine

country, and is well known to the natives, and usually
called Viudita (Little Widow) on account of its mourn-
ing colours. It is also sometimes curiously named
Anjelito de las ánimas, from a superstitious notion due
to the intense whiteness of its plumage and to its
supposed habit of frequenting graveyards.
I have on a few occasions found the Little Widow
in a village graveyard, and supposed that it had chosen
the spot on account of its quietude. The superstitious
notion about it varíes: thus, some think the bird is
a re-incarnation in bird form of a child buried there;
others that it is a little ángel in disguise, whose mission
it is to keep watch and guard over the sleeping souls
of little buried children. In both sexes the entire
plumage is snowy white, except the primaries and the
tip of the tail, which are black. In habits it is more
122 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

sedentary than other ‘Teenio'ptera, and obtains its food

chiefly by patiently watching the surface of the ground
for its insect prey. Its marvellously white plumage,
and the habit of sitting motionless on the summit of
a bush or tree, make it a most conspicuous object, so
that it is strange to find such a bird existing in districts
which abound in raptorial species; for Hawks, I have
frequently noticed, will always single out a white or
conspicuously coloured bird for pursuit, and though
the Little Widow, like the other members of its genus,
is swift and strong of wing, the feeble and the young
must often fall victims to their shining white plumage.
The Little Widow is a solitary bird, and not nearly
so lively and playful in manner as 7". coronata and T.
dominicana, its surpassing whiteness being its most
interesting feature. Its nesting habits are unlike those
of other Fezniofiterce, for it breeds only in holes, usually
in the bole or branch of a tree; but sometimes it takes
possession of the oven of Furnarius to lay in. The nest
is composed chiefly of feathers and contains four eggs,
creamy white, with a few very minute red spots, irregu-
larly distributed. Mr. Dalgleish says,
Some eggs have only two or three spots, none have more than
eight or ten.

Mr. Barrows says:

The adults have several of the primaries remarkably attenuated.
Young birds appear to acquire these attenuate primaries only after
a complete moult. But I took one specimen which showed one or
more primaries with tips of ordinary shape but with a line appar-
ently worn into the vane of the inner web, so as to mark out dis-
tinctly the attenuate tip, and it seemed as if a little more wearing
would cut out a piece which would leave the primary as in the
oíd bird.
 CHAT-LIKE TYRANT 123

MOUSE-COLOURED TYRANT
(T(znioptera murina)
Above sandy cinereous, whitish round the eyes; wings and tail
blackish with whitish edgings; below much paler, throat whitish
with slight black striations; belly and crissum tinged with ochra­
ceous; under wing-coverts and flanks palé ochraceous; bilí horn-
colour; feet black; two outer primaries acuminated; length 7
inches. Female similar, but outer primaries normal.

This species inhabits the Mendoza district, and migrates

south in spring. I met with it on the Rio Negro, in
Patagonia, where it made its appearance in October.
The sexes are alike. The entire upper plumage is dull
grey with a palé rufous tinge; throat, breast, and belly
palé buff tinged with grey. It is a solitary bird, restless
in manner, has a swift flight, and sits on a stalk or other
slight elevation, from which it darts down to seize any
insect it spies on the ground. Its only language is a
very low whistling note.

CHAT-LIKE TYRANT
(Tamio'ptera rubetra)
Above sandy brown, lores and superciliaries white; wings black,
greater coverts and outer secondaries edged with whitish, lesser
coverts like the back, tail black, outer web of the outer tail-feathers
and tips of others white; below white, with black striations on the
sides of the throat and on the breast; flanks, under wing-coverts,
and inner webs of the primaries deep rufous; two outer primaries
acuminated; length 7 5 inches. Female rather paler, throat and
breast washed with ochraceous, and outer primaries not acuminated.

I have met with this bird at all seasons of the year

in Patagonia on the Rio Negro, and think it probable
that it has no migration. It is seen in flocks of twenty
or thirty individuáis, and in its lively actions when
on the wing, and in its habit of perching on a bush or
elevation of some kind, from which it pounces down
124 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

on an insect seen on the ground, it resembles other

7anio'pteríe; but it runs about on the ground a great
deal, and in this respect is more like a Myiotheretes or
Muscisaxicola. In its colour it also diverges widely
from the typical 7¿enio'ptera in their black and white
Dominican plumage. The whole upper parts are light
chestnut, with a white mark on the side of the head;
wings and tail dark, tipped with palé rufous; throat
breast, and belly whitish rufous, with dark lines
on throat and bosom. The chestnut hue in the female is
paler and mixed with grey.

SWALLOW-LIKE TYRANT
(Fluvicola albiventris)
Above black; front half of head, narrow band across the rump,
and slight edgings to wing-coverts and outer secondaries white;
below white; bilí and feet black; length 5-5 inches.

This small black-and-white Tyrant is not uncommon

in the marshes and on the river-margins in the Plata
district, its spring migration extending south to Buenos
Ayres. Like the Kingfisher, it haunts the waterside
and is found nowhere else. It has a shy, retiring dis-
position, concealing itself in the cióse thickets over-
hanging a stream, so that one does not often see it,
notwithstanding its conspicuous white plumage. When
disturbed it emits a series of low ticking notes, or darts
swiftly out from the thicket, showing itself for a moment
over the water before disappearing once more into a
hiding-place. When thus seen darting above the surface
it has a strikingly Swallow-like appearance.
D’Orbigny says it makes a purse-shaped nest, of slender
twigs, moss, and feathers neatly interlaced, and lays
four white eggs, spotted at the large end with brown.
 COCK-TAILED TYRANT 125

COCK-TAILED TYRANT
{Alectrurus tricolor)
Above black, rump greyish; sides of the head, scapularies, lesser
wing-coverts, and outer margins of secondaries white; tail black,
outer rectrix on each side produced, expanded, fan-shaped; below
white, patch on each side of the breast (forming an incomplete
collar) black; bilí hom-colour; feet black; length 7 2 inches.
Female: above brown, rump and lesser wing-coverts palé; beneath
dirty white, sides of breast brown.

This species generally resembles the one next described,

and has, like it, a black, white, and grey plumage.
But the tail, although strange, is constructed on a
different pattern. The total length of the bird is five
and a half inches, the tail being only two and a half.
The two outer tail-feathers have remarkably stout
shafts, with broad coarse webs, and look like stumps
of two large feathers originally intended for a bigger
bird, and finally cut off near their base and given to
a very small one. In the male these two feathers are
carried vertically and at right angles to the plañe of the
body, giving the bird a resemblance to a diminutive
cock; henee the vernacular ñame Gallito, or Little
Cock, by which it is known.
I have not observed this species myself, but Azara
has the following paragraph about its habits:
The male sometimes rises slowly and almost vertically, with tail
raised, and rapidly beating its wings, and looking while ascending
in this way more like a butterfly than a bird; and when it has
reached a height of ten or twelve yards, it drops obliquely to the
earth, and perches on a stalk.

He adds that the males are solitary, but several females

are sometimes seen near together, and that the females
are greatly in excess of the males.
I2Ó BIRDS OF LA PLATA

STRANGE-TAILED TYRANT
(Alectrurus risorius)
Above black, rump grey; front varied with white; wings black;
scapularies, outer margins of wing-feathers and coverts white; tail
black, two outer rectrices much elongated, denuded at the base
with a broad inner and no outer vane; below white, broad band
across the breast black; throat in the breeding season bare of
feathers and of a bright orange; bilí yellowish; feet black; length
ii inches. Female: above brown, wings varied with white; beneath
white; breast-band palé brown; tail with the two outer rectrices
slightly elongated and denuded, terminated with spatulations on
the inner vane.

Azara named this species Cola estraña (Strange-tail)

but mentions incidentally that its Guarani ñame is
Guira-yetapá (Scissor-tail), a term which the Indians
apply indiscriminately to several species having the
same sort of tail.
The Guira-yetapá is a very curious little bird, with
a black, white, and grey plumage and the beak of a
true Tyrant; but it differs from all its congeners in
having the skin of the chin, throat, and sides of the
head bare of feathers, and these parís in the breeding-
season are a bright orange colour. It is a feeble flier,
its wings being very short, while the two outer tail-
feathers are abnormally long and peculiar in form.
Mr. Barrows says:
The remarkable condition of the outer pair of tail-feathers is
interesting. In the male these two feathers reach a length of nearly
ten inches, the rest of the tail being about three inches in length.
The vane on the inner side of each is wanting for the first two inches,
and then suddenly develops to a width of nearly two inches, which
it maintains almost to the tip, when it gradually narrows. The vane
on the outer side of the shaft is only about one-quarter of an inch
wide, and is folded so tightly against the shaft that it is quite in­
conspicuous. In the only two males of this species which I have
seen flying, these long feathers seemed to be carried folded together
 STRANGE-TAILED TYRANT 127
beneath the rest of the tail, and stretched out behind like a rudder
or steering-oar, their vanes at right angles to the plañe of the
rest of the tail.
Mr. Gibson gives a different account, and says the
flight is singularly feeble, resembling the fluttering
passage of a butterfly through the air, while the tail
streams out behind.
It inhabits Paraguay, Uruguay, and the eastern
portion of the Argentine Republic, ranging as far south
as the pampas in the neighbourhood of Patagonia.
It is usually seen singly or in pairs; Azara says he saw
a flock of thirty individuáis, but as they were all Jemales,
it may be that in this species, as in Lichenops perspicil-
lata, the females are sometimes gregarious, and the
males always solitary. It frequents open places, such
as the borders of marshes, or plains covered with tail
grasses, and perches in a conspicuous place, from which
it darts at passing insects like a Flycatcher.
Mr. Gibson found its nest on the ground amongst
herbage, and describes it as a neat structure of dried
grass, containing three white eggs with a faint cream-
coloured tinge.

YELLOW-BROWED TYRANT
(Sisopygis icterophrys)
Above bright olive-green, head rather greyish, lores and super-
ciliary stripes yellow; wings blackish, broad ends of coverts and
outer edges of secondaries dirty white; tail blackish; beneath
bright yellow, sides of breast and flanks olivaceous; under wing-
coverts whitish; bilí dark hom-colour; feet black; length 61
inches.

This small and pretty Tyrant-bird is quite common

in the woods along the Plata, and is also seen a great
deal in orchards and groves in the cultivated districts.
128 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitor, appearing there

in October, and is a shy, solitary bird, which catches
insects on the wing, and rarely visits the ground.
The nest is placed in a tree, ill-concealed, and very
shallow; it is built of fine sticks, and lined with fine
grass, horsehair, and feathers. The eggs are four, pointed,
palé cream-colour, with large dark red spots, chiefly at
the larger end.
The only language of this species is a very low
plaintive whistle, uttered as a faint protest when the
nest is approached.
The upper plumage is olive-green; the entire under
surface and a stripe on the side of the head puré yellow;
wing- and tail-quills dark.

ASHY-BLACK TYRANT
(Cnipolegus anthracinus)
Above dull black, a broad bar across the vanes of the inner webs
of the wing-feathers white; bilí plumbeous; feet black; length
6 3 inches. Female ashy brown; rump, upper tail-coverts, and
basal portions of tail bright fulvous; wings blackish, with two
white transverse stripes; beneath palé fulvous, white on the belly,
bilí and feet black.

Unfortunately very little is yet known about the

habits of these interesting little Tyrant-birds, for
which I should like to suggest the common ñame
“Spectacular,” for reasons I shall say more about
when I come to describe the Lichenofis 'perspicillatus,
a species which undoubtedly belongs to this peculiar
well-defined group. The plumage of the male is, in
most cases, intensely black, and there is a puré white
bar on the remiges, hidden when the bird is perched,
and when it flies made doubly conspicuous by the
 ASHY-BLACK TYRANT 129

peculiar motion of the wings. In all the known species

the female has a dull brown plumage, lined or mottled
with dusky tints, and with some portion of the wing-
quills marked with rufous or chestnut colour.
The Ashy-black Tyrant inhabits the Mendoza dis­
trict, and is also a summer visitor in Patagonia, where
it was obtained by Dr. Doring. Speaking of its habits
he says the male is solitary, perches on the summit of
a bush or dry twig, emits at intervals a song or cali
composed of two syllables, plaintive and flute-like
in character, and uttered while the bird rises up a few
feet into the air. During this performance the white
bands on the wings are displayed conspicuously and a
humming sound is produced.

BLACK TYRANT
(Cñipólegus hudsoni)
Uniform dull black; a broad bar across the bases of the inner
webs of the wing-feathers white; two outer primaries much pointed
at their extremities; bilí plumbeous; feet black; length 6 inches.
At once distinguishable from the preceding species (C. anthracinus)
by its smaller size and the peculiar narrowed outer remiges.

This species is found in the western provinces of the

Argentine Republic, and, like C. anthracinus, which
it closely resembles, is a summer visitor to Patagonia,
where it makes its appearance in October. The plumage
is intense black, with the inner webs of the remiges
at their base white, but the wing-band, which is over
an inch in breadth, shows only when the bird flies.
There is also a small white spot on the flank, scarcely
visible, and excepting for this speck the bird at rest
appears entirely black. When it flies the white band
1
130 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

appears suddenly, producing a curious effect, for the

wings are opened and shut successively and with great
rapidity, making the white band appear like a succession
of flashes. All the movements of the bird are eccentric
to a degree. It selects a dead twig on the summit of a
bush, and this perch it occupies during many hours
every day. Occasionally it darts after a passing insect,
but I believe it feeds principally on the ground, like
Lichenops perspicillatus. At intervals it quits its perch
very suddenly and revolves round it with the rapidity
of a moth whirling round the flame of a candle, the
wings producing a loud humming sound, and the bird
uttering a series of sharp clicking notes. During this
performance the white wing-band appears like a palé
mist surrounding the bird. This fantastical dance over,
it resumes its perch, and, until moved to a second
display, sits as motionless as a bird carved out of jet.
Three more species of this curious genus have been
found in Argentina, but unfortunately their discoverers
have told us nothing of their habits.

SILVERBILL
{Lichenops perspicillatus)
Black; primaries white with black tips and bases; fleshy ring
round eye and bilí palest yellow; length 5-6 inches. Female: above
dark brown with light edging to feathers; remiges chestnut, with
dark brown tips; wing-coverts dark brown with fulvous tips;
beneath fulvous white, breast with dark striations; bilí yellowish.

Naturalists have said a great deal about the well-

known Silverbill (the most important member of
my “Spectacular” group), the question as to whether
the black and red birds are sexes or two distinct species
 SILVERBILL 131

having long remained unsettled. Azara, writing in

the last century, under the heading Pico de Plata,
rightly described the red bird as the female of the
black; but unfortunately, in another part of his work,
he describes the female again as a different species,
naming it Suiriri chorreado. Darwin also separated
the sexes, and gave the ñame of Lichenops erythropterus
to the red-plumaged bird. He made a minute examina-
tion of both, and proved to his own satisfaction that it
was impossible to believe that two birds with so many
structural differences could be one species.
When one considers the habits of the two birds,
even where they are most abundant and seen continu-
ally, it is indeed difficult to believe that they are one
and the same species. They are never seen associating
together, even in the love season, and when I have
watched a pair actually engaged in constructing their
nest, they appeared to keep as far apart as possible.
More than that, the male, while unfriendly towards
all other species, appears to cherish a special antipathy
against the red bird; and when one comes near him
never fails to pursue it with the greatest violence from
the neighbourhood. He is also strictly solitary, but
the red birds frequently unite in small parties, especially
in autumn, when I have often seen as many as a dozen
together. Evidently they have a more social temper
than their black mates.
The native boys have discovered a strange weakness
in the Silverbill. When the bird is running about seek-
ing food on the ground, the boy approaches it and hurls
a stick or clod and at the same time rushes at it, where­
upon the bird as if paralysed remains motionless, and
may be taken by the hand.
Altogether the Silverbill has been a puzzle in the
past, and it would appear, from some observations
132 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

made by Mr. Barrows, that we have not yet got to the

end of all the curious points in its habits. Without
doubt it is migratory. Its range extends from Paraguay
to Patagonia, where it is not common. In Paraguay
and the hotter parts of the Argentine country it is
probably stationary; in Buenos Ayres, where it is
most abundant, many individuáis remain all the year
in sheltered places, and the migration appears to become
more definite the further south we get. Mr. Barrows
travelled south across the pampas in the autumn,
and says:
The species was met with at all points visited, but south of the
Azul not a single male in the black plumage was seen, though the
brown birds (presumably females or young) were met with almost
every day for nine weeks, and frequently in large numbers. Of
course I began to suspect that the males must moult into a brown
suit after nesting, as do our Bobolinks and many other birds, but I
shot specimens at various times, and all pro ved to be either females
or young males, and as I was confident that at Concepción black
males were to be found through the year, I was at a loss for an
explanation, and am so still.

The male Silverbill is entirely black, there is nothing

in nature blacker than its plumage; and, to enhance
the effect, the beak is of a very delicate primrose-
yellow, which at a little distance appears white, henee
the vernacular ñame. The eye, and broad free skin
surrounding it, which is ruffed like an Elizabethan
collar, are of the same faint primrose hue. The secondary
wing-quills are puré white, but the white is only
displayed when the bird flies. The female has the
naked skin encircling the eye, but its colour, as also that
of the beak, is much darker than in the male. Entire
upper plumage dark brown; secondaries chestnut;
lower parts fawn-colour, marked with brown. The young
males are at first like the females in colour, and do not
acquire the black plumage until the end of the summer.
 SILVERBILL 133

The bird ranges over the whole of the Argentine

Republic, and, according to Gay, is also common
throughout Chili, where it is known as the Colegial
(Collegian or learned person), on account of its grave
manner, black dress, and spectacled appearance.
The male is a solitary bird, and feeds chiefly on the
ground, running rapidly about in open places like a
Muscisaxicola. It is also frequently seen perched
conspicuously on the summit of a tail stalk or bush,
and occasionally making a dart into the air after
passing insects, showing in this habit his relationship
with the Tyrant-birds. But he perches on an elevation less
to watch for insects than for the purpose of his curious
spectacular performance. This highly eccentric habit
is strikingly like that of Cni'polegus hudsoni; and I have
no doubt that all the Cnipolegi possess similar habits.
Both birds perch on a conspicuous place, upright,
motionless, and looking more like grotesque little
autómata than living things; they both also leave the
perch suddenly, as if shot from it by means of a Steel
spring. This singularly sudden movement, and the
motion of the wings, rapid as in the Humming-bird,
or shut and opened alternately and exhibiting the white
wing-colour in a series of flashes, seems related to the
conspicuous white mark. In both species also, the
wings make a humming sound during flight. The motions
of the Silverbill are, however, in some respects different
from those of the Cnipolegus. Springing from its perch
at intervals, it darts vertically to a height of about
fifteen yards, then turns a somersault, uttering at the
same moment a shrill-sounding little cry, after which
it drops down again and alights on its perch suddenly,
as if jerked back to it, and there remains stiff, erect,
and motionless as before.
The nest is made of dry grass in a thistle-bush or
134 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
clump of reeds, and is rather deep and cup-shaped.
The eggs are four in number, white, and spotted at
the larger end with dark red.

SHORT-WINGED TYRANT
{Machetornis rixosa)
Above brownish olive; wings and tail brown, the latter terminated
by a yellowish band; middle of cap occupied by a scarlet crest;
beneath bright yellow, paler on the throat; bilí and feet black;
length 7-2 inches. Young without the scarlet crest.

This species, found in the open districts throughout

South America, from Venezuela to Buenos Ayres,
where it is quite common, has very interesting habits.
It is seven inches and a half long, has a plump body,
short wings, and long legs.. The upper plumage is light
brown, the throat, breast, and belly yellow, and the male
has a concealed crest of a bright orange-red colour.
It resembles the true Tyrants in disposition, in its
shrill piercing language, and in the habit of perching
and breeding in trees. On the other hand, like the
long-legged Myiotheretes, that lives on the open plains,
it feeds exclusively on the ground, over which it runs
with a speed possessed by few perching species. The
general impression one forms is that in manners and
appearance the Short-winged Tyrant is quite unlike any
other species, though all its habits are to be found in one
or other of the various groups comprising the Tyrannidae.
These birds have no migration, but pair for life, and
always remain on the same spot, and will continué
to breed in the same hole for many years, even where
they are frequently deprived of their eggs. Azara saw
them sometimes uniting in small flocks in Paraguay;
 SHORT-WINGED TYRANT 135

in Buenos Ayres they are always seen in pairs, or,

after the young have left the nest, in families. They
prefer to live near a human habitation, where there
are trees: even one tree, in which they can breed and
find shelter at night, will be sufficient to attach them
to a dwelling, so great is their partiality for the clean-
trodden ground where they can freely run about and
catch insects. They haunt the cattle-pens, and become
extremely familiar with the cows, horses, and sheep,
following them to the pasture-grounds, where they are
often seen perched on the back of a horse or other
domestic animal, or stationed cióse to its nose on the
ground, watching for insects. On the bare ground
they run about with wonderful swiftness, and are able
to overtake and capture flying insects without rising.
The male and female invariably hunt together, and at
intervals fly to some favourite perch to indulge in a
duet composed of loud, rapid, shrill notes, somewhat
metallic in sound. Though able to fly swiftly when in
pursuit of a passing Hawk or other bird, at other times
their flight is strangely slow; the round body, short
blunt wings and tail giving the bird a somewhat curious
appearance as it progresses laboriously through the
air. I have frequently seen them make the most un-
provoked assaults on birds of an inoffensive kind;
possibly they are in these attacks moved by a playful
rather than by a vindictive spirit. I once saw one
drop like a stone from a height of fifty yards on to a
Pigeon perched on a leafless tree. The Pigeon fell
as if shot to the earth; the Tyrant-bird then released
his hold; the Pigeon rushed away terrified through
the trees, while its persecutor rose up high in the air
and resumed its journey.
I have elsewhere spoken of the wars waged by this
bird against other species, all seeking to gain possession
136 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
of the large nest of Anumbius acuticaudatus. A hole
in the trunk of a tree is also a favourite breeding-place.
The nest is neatly built of slender twigs and leaves,
and lined with horsehair. The eggs are slightly oval,
and densely marked with dark brown spots or stripes
on a white or brownish-white ground.

CHIN-SPOTTED TYRANT
{Muscisaxicola macloviana)
Above cinereous, lores blackish, cap brown; tail-coverts and
tail black, outer margins of outer tail-feathers white; below palé
cinereous, passing into white on lower belly, crissum, and under
wing-coverts; chin-spot brown; bilí and feet black; length 61
inches. Female similar, but chin-spot not so well marked.

This South Patagonian species is one of a small group

of Tyrant-birds which resemble in their habits and
appearance the Saxícola of Europe. They inhabit Pata­
gonia, the Falkland Isles, and Chili, and on the
Pacific side extend their range to Perú and Bolivia.
The plumage is generally grey, with more or less rufous
colour on the crown; they have long legs, and run
swiftly on the ground, frequent open sterile situations,
and perch only occasionally on trees.
The present bird is about seven inches long; the
upper parts are dull grey, except the crown, which
is dark chestnut; under surface light grey, and tail
nearly black. In the month of June I met with these
birds on the Rio Negro, on their arrival there from
the south. They went in flocks of a dozen or twenty
birds; they had a swift easy flight, were shy and rest-
less in their manner, and uttered low plaintive whist­
ling notes. When a flock alights on the ground the
 CHIN-SPOTTED TYRANT 137

birds all instantly scatter, running rapidly about in all

directions over the bare ground. Occasionally one was
seen to perch on some slight elevation, and dart like
a Flycatcher after passing insects.
Darwin saw this bird as far north on the Atlantic
coast as Bahia Blanca. He also found it at Tierra del
Fuego, where it lives entirely on the sea-beaches; and
in the sterile upper valleys of the Chilian Andes, at a
height of ten thousand feet, where the last traces of
vegetation occur and where no other bird lives.

LITTLE BLACK RED-BACK

(Centrites niger)
Intense black; back, except the rump and scapularies, bright
chestnut-red; length 5 inches. Female, above brown; back fulvous
red; tail black; beneath ashy brown.

The Little Red-backed Tyrant comes nearest to Musci­

saxicola mentalis in habits, but does not perch on bushes
and trees, and is less gregarious than that bird. It is
the smallest of all those varied members of the Tyran-
nidae family which have abandoned forests and marshes
and the pursuit of insects on the wing, to live on the
wintry uplands of Patagonia, and on the sterile plains
bordering on the Andes.
The male is only five and a quarter inches long.
The entire plumage of the male is intensely black,
except the back, which is bright chestnut. The inside
of the mouth and tongue are vivid orange-yellow. The
chestnut colour on the female is palé, the rest of the
plumage grey, except the quills, which are dark.
Its summer home is in the Southern portion of Pata­
gonia, but its nesting-habits are not known. In March
138 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

it migrates north, and is very common everywhere

on the pampas throughout the winter. They arrive in
small parties of three or four, or in little loose flocks
of about a dozen individuáis, travelling with a swift,
low flight. Males, females, and young, grey like the last,
arrive together; shortly after arriving the young
males become mottled with black, and before leaving
acquire the adult plumage. They appear to leave in
spring all together, but from a note by Durnford it
would appear that the males travel in advance of the
females. He says:
Males of this species were common at Chupat throughout Septem-
ber and during the first few days of October. On the 5th of the
latter month I observed the first females, which gradually increased
in number.

The Little Red-backs inhabit open unsheltered plains,

and have so great a predilection for bare ground on
which they can run freely about, that on their arrival
on the pampas, where the earth is thickly carpeted with
grass, they are seen attaching themselves to roads,
sheep-pens, borders of streams, Vizcacha villages, and
similar places. They are exceedingly restless, running
swiftly over the ground, occasionally darting into. the
air in pursuit of small flies, and all the flock so scattered
that there will be a dozen yards between every two birds.
Mr. Barrows describes their lively habits very well:
I think this is one of the most restless birds I ever saw. You
cannot depend upon him to be in the same place two consecutive
half-seconds. He runs like a Sanderling, and whenever he keeps
his feet still by accident, his wings are flirted in a way that shows
his anxiety to be off. Several are usually found together, and some­
times a loose flock of a hundred or more is seen. They axe very
strong on the wing, sometimes mounting rapidly for several hundred
feet, if suddenly startled, and after a few moments spent in circling
like a Snipe, they drop again almost as suddenly as a shot, and as
if from the very clouds.
 REED TYRANT 139

REED TYRANT
(Hafialocercus flaviventris)
Above mouse-brown; wings and tail rather darker, with edgings
like the back; vertex more or less tinged with rufous; beneath
yellow; under wing-coverts palé yellow; bilí and feet black;
length 4 inches.

This little bird is rarely met with in the desert pampas,

but throughout the settled portion of the Buenos-
Ayrean province it is one of the most common species
of the Tyrannidae. It arrives from the north in September
and is very regular in its migrations, although
apparently a very feeble flier. It frequents open grounds
abounding in thistles, tail weeds, or bushes, and is
consequently most abundant about houses. It is
extremely active, and occasionally darts after a passing
insect, and captures it on the wing, especially soft insects,
like moths and butterflies, to which it is most partial.
It subsists principally, however, on small caterpillars
and spiders, for which it searches diligently among the
leaves, after the manner of the Wren. Although
belonging to the songless división of the Passeres, this
small Tyrant-bird possesses a formal song, which the
male utters with great frequency, the only other member
of the Tyrant family that I am acquainted with which
really sings being the Scarlet Tyrant {Pyrocephalus
rubineus). The music of the Reed Tyrant is weak but
curious; it is composed of five brief persuasive notes,
distinctly metallic in sound, which may be imitated
by gently and slowly striking Ja la mi sol Ja on the
highest keys of a piano. To utter this quaint little song
the bird perches itself on the summit of a reed or bush
where it solicits attention with a little chirping prelude,
and then jerks its head vigorously with each note,
140 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

delivering its few drops of sound with all the assurance

of a master in the art of melody.
In October it builds a deep elabórate nest of fine
dry grass, thistledown, webs, feathers, and other soft
materials, usually in the fork of a weed or thistle three
or four feet from the ground. It lays four cream-
coloured eggs, the colour deepening to grey at the
larger end.

LITTLE LONG-TAILED TYRANT

(Stigmatura flavo-cinerea)
Above greyish olive, lores and superciliary stripe whitish; wings
blackish, with whitish edgings to the coverts and outer secondaries;
tail blackish; outer web of the external rectrix and broad tips of
the four external pairs white; beneath palé yellow; bilí and feet
black; length 5 8 inches, tail 3 inches.

This little bird inhabits the Mendoza and Patagonian

districts, and does not appear to be migratory, for
on the Rio Negro I found it at all seasons. It is slender
in form, with a long tail, its total length being six inches.
The sexes are alike in colour; the upper parís are
yellowish grey, breast and belly light yellow. They
are found living in pairs, all the year round, in thorn
bushes, and are scarcely ever seen to rest, but hop
incessantly from twig to twig, in a delicate leisurely
manner, seeking on the leaves for the minute cater-
pillars and other insects on which they live. While
thus engaged they utter a variety of little chirping
and twittering notes, as if conversing together, and
occasionally the two birds unite their voices in a shrill
impetuous song.
 CRESTED GREY TYRANT 141

LITTLE CRESTED GREY TYRANT

(Serpophaga subcristata)
Above cinereous, usually with a slight olivaceous tinge on the
rump; crest-feathers white at their bases, tipped with cinereous,
and shghtly varied with black; wings blackish, wing-coverts tipped
with whitish, forming two handsome bands; outer secondaries
extemally margined with the same colour; tail dark ashy; beneath
ashy white, with more or less yellowish tinge on the belly and under
wing-coverts; bilí hom-colour; feet black; length 4 5 inches.

This species is one of the smallest members of our

Tyrannidae, its total length being only four and a half
inches. The sexes are alike; the upper plumage is grey,
with a greenish tinge on the back; the breast paler grey,
becoming palé yellow on the belly. There is a white
concealed spot under the loose feathers of the crown.
It is quite common in Buenos Ayres, and probably
has a partial migration, as it is most abundant in
summer. In its habits it closely resembles the species
last described, being always found in pairs, living
in thickets, where they hop incessantly about, explor-
ing the leaves for small caterpillars, and always
conversing in low chirping and twittering notes. They
also sing together a little confused song. The nest is
fastened to the slender twigs of a low bush, and is a
deep cup-shaped and beautiful structure, composed
of a great variety of soft materials bound together
with spider’s webs, the interior lined with feathers or
vegetable down, and the out side covered with lichen.
The eggs are two, bluntly pointed, and cream-colour.
142 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

LITTLE RIVER-SIDE GREY TYRANT

(Ser'pO'phaga nigricans)
Above dull brownish cinereous; wings and tail blackish, the
coverts and outer secondaries with slight edgings like the back;
crest slight, with a well-marked white basal spot; beneath paler
and rather purer cinereous; under wing-coverts palé cinereous;
bilí and feet dark horn-colour; length 4 7 inches.

This species differs markedly in habits, language, and

appearance from the last. In both sexes the colour
is a uniform slatey grey; the tail, which the bird in­
cessantly opens and flirts like a fan, is black; as in
S. subcristata, there is a hidden spot of white under the
loose feathers forming the crest.
It frequents the borders of running streams, seldom
being found far from a water-course; and it alights
as often on stones or on the bare ground as on plants.
Male and female are always seen together, as it pairs
for life, and the migration, if it has any, is only partial.
It flits restlessly along the borders of the stream it
frequents, making repeated excursions after small
winged insects, taking them in the air, or snatching
them up from the surface of the water, and frequently
returning to the same stand. While thus employed
it perpetually utters a loud, complaining chuck, and at
intervals the two birds meet, and, with crests erect
and flirting their wings and tails, utter a series of trills
and hurried sharp notes in concert.
The nest is generally placed beneath an overhanging
bank, attached to hanging roots or grass, a few inches
above the water; but it is sometimes placed in a bush
growing on the borders of a stream. It is a neat,
cup-shaped, but rather shallow structure, thickly lined
 RIVER-SIDE GREY TYRANT 143

inside with feathers. The eggs are four, pointed,

white or palé cream-colour, with black and grey
spots at the large end.

LITTLE TIT-LIKE GREY TYRANT

(Anteretes parulus)
Above cinereous, with an olivaceous tint on the lower back; head
black, front varied with white, elongated vertical crest black, some­
times varied with white; wings blackish, with slight whitish tips
to the coverts and whitish margins to the outer secondaries; tail
blackish, outer webs of external rectrices whitish; below palé straw-
colour, white on the throat; throat and breast with numerous and
well-marked black striations; bilí and feet black; length 4 inches.

This small bird is only four and a half inches long;

in both sexes the colour on the upper parts is dull grey,
on the throat and breast ash-coloured; the belly palé
yellow. It has the distinction of a slender curling Lap-
wing-like crest, composed of a few narrow, long, black
feathers. The eye is white. It is found in the thorny
thickets on the dry plains of Mendoza, and is also
common in Patagonia. In its habits it closely resembles
Serpophaga subcristata, lives always in pairs, perpetu-
ally moves about in a singularly delibérate manner
while searching through the bush for small insects, the
two birds always talking together in little chirping
notes, and occasionally bursting out into a little shrill
duet. It builds a deep nest of fine dry grass, lined with
feathers, in a low thorn, and lays two white eggs.
This diminutive Tyrant has a wide range on the west
side of the continent, extending from Patagonia to the
Ecuador Andes.
144 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

MANY-COLOURED TYRANT
(Cyanotis azara)
Above dark bronzy green; head black; superciliaries yellow;
vertical spot crimson; wings black; broad tips of the lesser wing-
coverts and broad edgings of some of the secondaries white, forming
a large white bar on the wing; tail black, greater part of outer pair
of rectrices and outer web and broad tip of next pair and narrow
tips of third pair white; beneath bright ochreous yellow; chin
whitish; crissum crimson; incomplete band across the lower breast
black; under wing-coverts white; length 4 8 inches.

This charming little bird is variously called by the

country people All-coloured or Seven-coloured. Azara
calis it “The Ring” — a ñame which this species
deserves, he says, not only on account of the crown of
loose feathers on its head, but because it is exceeded
by few birds in beauty. It is the most beautiful bird
found in Chili, says Gay; and Darwin, who is seldom
moved to express admiration, calis it “an exquisitely
beautiful little bird.” There are many species possess-
ing a more brilliant plumage, none with so great a
variety of distinct colours; for on its minute body,
which is less than that of the House-Wren, are seen
black, white, green, blue, orange, yellow, and scarlet;
and all these hues are disposed and contrasted in such
a manner as to produce a very pleasing effect—the
olive-green and delicate yellow predominating, while
the vivid scarlet is a mere spot, like the bright gem or
ornament which serves to set off and enhance the
beauty of the dress. The whole under plumage is puré
lovely yellow, while a broad mark of velvet-black
extends belt-wise from the bend of each wing, but with­
out meeting in the centre of the bosom. The sides of
the head are deep blue; over the blue runs a bright
yellow stripe, surmounted with the loose, slender,
 MANY-COLOURED TYRANT 145

almost hair-like feathers of the crown, which stand

partially erect, and are blue mixed with black, with
vivid scarlet in the centre. Above, from the back of
the head to the tail, the colour is deep green. The wings
are black, crossed with a puré white band; tail also
black, the two outer quills puré white, and the suc-
ceeding two partially white, the white colour appearing
only when the bird flies. Moreover, as though this
diversity of colour were not enough, the soles of the
black feet are bright orange, the eye of the male delicate
sky-blue, while the female has white eyes.
While on the subject of the colouring of this species,
I will mention a curious phenomenon which I have
observed many times. When the bird is flying away
from the spectator in a strong sunlight, and is at a
distance of from twenty to thirty yards from him, the
upper plumage, which is dark green, sometimes appears
bright blue. At first I thought that a distinct species
of Cyanotis, cerulean blue in colour, existed, but finally
became convinced that the green feathers of the C.
azara appear blue in certain lights. This is curious,
as the feathers of the back are not glossed.
The Many-coloured Tyrant is, apparently, a very
feeble flier, rising reluctantly when frightened from the
rushes, and fluttering away to a distance of a few yards,
when it again drops down. Yet it is strictly migratory.
Darwin met with it at Maldonado in the month of June,
and therefore concluded that it does not migrate; but
he mentions that it was very rare. I have also occasion­
ally seen one in winter on the pampas, but many migra­
tory spécies leave a few stragglers behind in the same
way. At the end of September they suddenly appear
all over the pampas, in every swamp and stream where
there are beds of rushes; for in such situations only
is the bird found: and this migration extends far into
K
146 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Patagonia. They are always seen in pairs amongst the

dense rushes, where they perch on the smooth stems,
not near the summit, but cióse down to the surface
of the water, and perpetually hop from stem to stem,
deftly picking up small insects from the surface of
the water. They also occasionally leave the rushes
and search for insects in the grass and herbage along the
border. They are very inquisitive, and if a person
approach the rush-bed, they immediately come out
of their concealment, both birds uttering their singular
notes—a silvery, modulated sound, not meant for a
song apparently, and yet I do not know any sweeter,
purer sound in nature than this. All through the
close-growing dark rushes these pretty little melodists
may be heard calling to each other in their delicate
gurgling notes.
The nest is a marvel of skill and beauty. As a rule
it is attached to a single polished rush, two or three
feet above the water and about the middle of the stem.
It is cup-shaped inside, and about four inches long,
circular at the top, but compressed at the lower
extremity, and ending in a sharp point. It is composed
entirely of soft bits of dry yellow sedge, cemented
together with gum so smoothly that it looks as if made in
a mould. The eggs are two, oval, and dull creamy white,
sometimes with a ring of colour at the large end.
 BIENTEVEO TYRANT 147

BIENTEVEO TYRANT
(Pitangus bolivianus)
Above brown; head black; front, superciliaries, and line round
the nape white; large vertical crest yellow, tipped with black;
wings and tail brown with rufous margins; beneath sulphur-yellow,
inner margins of wing- and tail-feathers palé rufous; bilí and feet
black; length 9 inches.

The Bienteveo is in its habits the most interesting

member of the Tyrannine family. It would be difficult
to find two species more dissimilar in disposition than
are the Silverbill, already described, and the Bienteveo;
the former being like an automaton, having only a
few set motions, gestures, and instincts, while the other
is versatile in an extraordinary degree, and seems to
have studied to advantage the various habits of the
Kestrel, Flycatcher, Kingfisher, Vulture, and fruit-
eating Thrush; and when its weapons prove weak it
supplements them with its cunning. How strange it
is that these two species, mentally as widely separated
as the Humming-bird and Crow, should be members
of the same family!
The Bienteveo has a wide range in South America,
and inhabits the whole of the Argentine country down
to Buenos Ayres, where it is very common. It is resident
and lives in pairs, the sexes being always faithful. The
body is stout, somewhat large for a Tyrant-bird; the
length being nine and a half inches, including the beak,
which is a little over an inch in length. The wings are
blunt and comparatively short, measuring when spread
fourteen inches. The head is large, and a broad black
band extends from the beak its entire length, and above
this is a puré white stripe; the crown is black, conceal-
ing in its loose abundant feathers a brilliant yellow crest,
which shows only when the bird is excited. The upper
148 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

plumage, including wings and tail, is palé brown; the

entire under-surface sulphur yellow. In both sexes the
plumage is alike.
In Buenos Ayres the Bienteveo is found in every
orchard and plantation; it is familiar with man and
invariably greets his approach with loud notes—
especially with a powerful three-syllabled cry, in which
people fancy there is a resemblance to the words Bién-
te-veo (“I see you well”); while its big head and beak
and strongly contrasted colours, especially the black
and white head-stripes, seem to give it a wonderfully
knowing look, as it turns its head from side to side to
examine the intruder. It is a loud-voiced garrulous
bird, and has a great range of sounds, from grating
screams to long, clear, almost mellow cali-notes. It
has one pretty habit, which brings out an agreeable
feature in its character. Though the male and female
are greatly attached, they do not go far afield to hunt in
company, like the Short-winged Tyrant, but sepárate
to meet again at intervals during the day. One of a
couple (say the female) returns to the trees where they
are accustomed to meet, and after a time, becoming
impatient or anxious at the delay of her consort, utters
a very long, clear cali-note. He is perhaps three or four
fields away, watching for a frog beside a pool, or beating,
harrier-like, over a thistle-bed, but he hears the note
and presently responds with one of equal power. Then
perhaps for half an hour, at intervals of half a minute,
the birds answer each other, though the powerful cali
of the one must interfere with his hunting. At length
he returns; then the two birds, perched cióse together,
with their yellow bosoms almost touching, crests
elevated, and beating the branch with their wings,
scream their loudest notes in concert—a confused
jubilant noise that rings through the whole plantation.
 BIENTEVEO TYRANT 149

Their joy at meeting is patent, and their action corres-

ponds to the warm embrace of a loving human couple.
I have frequently stood for the space of half an hour
concealed amongst the trees where a Bienteveo was
calling to her mate, cheered at intervals by the far-off
faint response, for the pleasure of witnessing in the end
the joyful re-union of the two birds.
Except when breeding the Bienteveo is a peaceful
bird, never going out of its way to make gratuitous
attacks on individuáis of its own or of other species;
but in the pursuit of its prey it is cunning, bold, and
fierce. Like the true Tyrant-birds it preys a great deal
on large insects when they are abundant in the warm
season, and is frequently seen catching its prey in the
air. A large beetle or grasshopper it invariably beats
against a branch before devouring it. But even in
summer, when insect prey is most abundant, it prefers
a more substantial diet whenever such is to be had.
It frequently carries off the fledglings of the smaller
birds from their nests, in the face of the brave defence
often made by the parents. It is also fond of fishing,
and may be seen perched by the hour on a bank or
overhanging branch beside a stream, watching the
water like a Kingfisher, and at intervals dashing down
to capture the small fry. In shallow pools, where there
are tadpoles and other prey, the Bienteveo does not
mind getting a little wet, but alights in the water and
stands belly-deep watching for its prey. I have seen a
Bienteveo standing in the water in the midst of a flock
of Glossy Ibises. They are often seen, as Darwin re­
marks, hovering like a Kestrel over the grass and then
dashing down to seize their prey. Small snakes, frogs,
mice, and lizards all minister to its appetite, and with
a capture of this kind it invariably flies to the nearest
stone or branch, against which it beats out the life of
150 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

its victim before devouring it. I once saw one fly out
of some weeds carrying a little wriggling glass-snake
about eight inches long in its beak. Alighting on a gate
it proceeded to kill its capture, and at the first blow
on the wood the snake flew into two pieces. A mouse
gives it a great deal of trouble, for after it has been
killed it cannot be devoured until reduced by repeated
blows to a soft pulp, after which it is with great labour
pulled to pieces and eaten. Snails and Ampullari# are
also pounded until the shell breaks. In spring they
sometimes join the train of Hooded Gulls, Güira Cuckoos,
Cow-birds, and various other kinds which follow the
plough to pick up worms and larvae; but on the ground
the Bienteveo is awkward in its motions, for it cannot
run like the Tyrant-birds of terrestrial habits, but only
hops. At estancia houses, when a cow is slaughtered,
it comes in with the fowls, Carrion Hawks, and dogs,
for small pickings, being very fond of fresh meat. It
is a common thing to see a Bienteveo following a rural
butcher’s cart, and waiting for an opportunity to dash
in and carry off any small piece of meat or fat it is able
to detach. In the autumn they feed very much on ripe
fruit, preferring grapes, which they can swallow whole,
and figs, which are soft and easily devoured.
In its nidification the Bienteveo also departs widely
from the, so to speak, traditional habits of its con-
geners; for whereas most Tyrants make shallow nests,
this species makes a very big elabórate domed structure,
and sometimes takes five'or six weeks to complete it.
It is placed in a tree, without any attempt at conceal-
ment, and is about a foot deep and eight or nine inches
broad, and composed of a variety of soft materials,
chiefly wool. The entrance is placed near the top.
Outside, the nest has a very disorderly appearance,
as there are always long straws and sometimes rags
 BIENTEVEO TYRANT 151

hanging down; the cavity is deeply lined with feathers,

and is the hottest nest I know. The eggs are five, very
long, pointed, cream-coloured, and spotted, chiefly at
the larger end, with chocolate and purple.
They are bold in defence of their nest; one pair
which bred annually in my orchard always attacked me
with the greatest fury whenever I ventured near the
peach-tree in which they had their big nest of wool,
darting down repeatedly and striking my head with
beak and wings.

SCARLET TYRANT
{Pyroce'phalus rubineus)
Above very dark cinereous, crested head and body below scarlet;
bilí and feet black; length 5-2 inches. Female, above palé cinereous,
below white; breast striated with crimson; belly more or less
rosy red.

The Scarlet Tyrant is about five and a half inches

long; the neck, back, wings, and tail are black; all the
rest of the plumage the most vivid scarlet imaginable.
The loose feathers of the crown, which form a crest,
are especially brilliant, and seem to glow like a live
coal amidst the green foliage. Beside this bright Tyrant-
bird even the Rainbow Tanagers look palé, and the
“Jewel Humming-birds,” seen in the shade, decidedly
sad-coloured. It is not strange, therefore, that in South
America, where it has a very wide range, it is a species
well known to the country people, and that they have
bestowed on it many pretty ñames, most of which have
reference to its splendid scarlet colour. In the Argentine
Republic it is usually called Churincbe, from its note,
also Federal and Fuegero (Fireman); in other countries
152 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Sangre de toro (bull’s blood), and, better still, Sangre

'pura. Little Soldier and Coal of Fire are also amongst
its ñames. The Guaraní tribes cali it Guira-pita (red
bird); but another Indian ñame, mentioned by
d’Orbigny, is the best—Quarhi-rahi, which means a
child of the sun.
The Churinche appears in Buenos Ayres about the
end of September, and is usually first seen in localities
to which Tyrant-birds are partial, such as low grassy
grounds with here and there a stalk or bush, and near
a wood or plantation. Insects are most abundant in
such places; and here the Churinche is seen perched
on a twig, darting at intervals to snap at the flies after
the fashion of the Flycatchers, and frequently uttering
its low, plaintive note. It is very common in the woods
along the Plata; every orchard on the pampas is visited
by a few of them; and they are very abundant about
Buenos Ayres city. Going south they become rarer;
but, strange to say, a few individuáis find their way
to the shores of the Rio Negro, though before reaching
it they must cross a high, barren country quite unsuited
to them. The natives of the Carmen have no ñame
for the Churinche, but speak of it as a bird wonderful
for its beauty and seldom seen. Amongst the dull-
plumaged Patagonian species it certainly has a very
brilliant appearance.
A very few days after their arrival the Churinches
pair; and the male selects a spot for the nest—a fork
in a tree from six to twelve feet from the ground, or
sometimes a horizontal bough. This spot the male
visits about once a minute, sits on it with his splendid
crest elevated, tail spread out, and wings incessantly
fluttering, while he pours out a continuous stream of
silvery gurgling notes, so low they can scarcely be heard
twenty paces off, and somewhat resembling the sound
 SCARLET TYRANT i53

of water running from a narrow-necked flask, but more

musical and infinitely more rapid. Of the little bird’s
homely, grey, silent mate, the observer will scarcely
obtain a glimpse, she appearing as yet to take little
or no interest in the affairs that so much occupy the
attention of her consort, and keep him in a State of such
violent excitement. He is exceedingly pugnacious,
so that when not fluttering on the side of his future
nest, or snapping up some insect on the wing, he is
eagerly pursuing other male Churinches, apparently
bachelors, from tree to tree. At intervals he repeats
his remarkable little song, composed of a succession of
sweetly modulated metallic trills uttered on the wing.
The bird usually mounts upwards from thirty to forty
yards, and, with wings very much raised and rapidly
vibrating, rises and drops almost perpendicularly half
a yard’s space five or six times, appearing to keep time
to his notes in these motions. This song he frequently
utters in the night, but without leaving his perch;
and it then has a most pleasing effect, as it is less hurried
and the notes seem softer and more prolonged than
when uttered by day. About a week after the birds
have arrived, when the trees are only beginning to dis-
play their tender leaves, the nest is commenced. Strange
to say, the female is the solé builder; for she now lays-
by her indifferent mien, and the art and industry she
displays more than compénsate for the absence of those
beauties and accomplishments that make her mate so
pleasing to the sight and ear. The materials of which
the nest is composed are almost all gathered on trees;
they are lichens, webs, and thistle-down: and the dex-
terity and rapidity with which they are gathered, the
skill with which she disposes of them, the tireless industry
of the little bird, who visits her nest a hundred times an
hour with invisible webs in her bilí, are truly interesting
154 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

to the observer. The lichens firmly held together with

webs, and smoothly disposed with the tops outside, give
to the nest the colour of the bark it is built on.
After the Churinche’s nest is completed, the Bien­
teveo (Pitangus bolivianus) and the Common Cow-bird
(Molothrus bonariensis) are the troublers of its peace.
the first of these sometimes carries off the nest bodily
to use it as a material in building its own; the female
Cow-bird is ever on the look-out for a receptacle for her
eggs. Seldom, however, does she succeed in gaining
admittance to the Churinche’s nest, as he is extremely
vigilant and violent in repelling intruders. But his
vigilance at times avails not; the subtle bird has watched
and waited till, seizing a moment when the little Scarlet
Tyrant is off his guard, she drops her surreptitious egg
into his nest. When this happens, the Churinches
immediately forsake their nest. The nest is sometimes
lined with feathers, but usually with thistle-down;
the eggs are four, pointed, and spotted at the broad end
with black; usually each egg has also a few large grey
spots. The young are at first grey, marked with palé
rufous, but soon become entirely grey, like the female.
In about a month’s time the belly of the males begins
to assume a palé mauve-red; this spreads upwards
towards the breast and throat; and finally the crest
also takes this colour. The Churinches raise two
broods in a season—but if the nest is destroyed, will lay
as many as four times.
The Scarlet Tyrant is the first of our summer visitors
to leave us. As early as the end of January and so soon
as the young of the second brood are able to feed them-
selves, the adults disappear. Their going is not gradual,
but they all vanish at once. The departure of all other
migratory species takes place after a very sensible
change in the temperature; but at the end of January
 SCARLET TYRANT 155

the heat is unmitigated—it is in fact often greater than

during December.
When the adults have gone, the silent young birds
remain. Within a month’s time the sexes of these
may be distinguished. After another month the males
begin to sing, and are frequently seen pursuing one
another over the fields. It is only at the end of April,
three months after the oíd birds have disappeared, that
the young also take their departure. This is one of the
strangest facts I have encountered in the migration of
birds. The autumnal coid and wet weather seems to
be the immediate cause of the young bird’s departure;
but in the adults, migration appears to be an instinct
quite independent of atmospheric change.

BLACK-AND-YELLOW CRESTED TYRANT

{Empidonomus aurantio-atro-cristatus)
Above cinereous; cap shortly crested, black, with a large vertical
spot of bright yellow; wings and tail brownish black, wing-coverts
and secondaries slightly edged with whitish; beneath as above but
rather paler, and with a very slight yellow tinge on the crissum;
bilí and feet black; length 65 inches.

Alcide d’Orbigny met with this fine species in Cor­

rientes, and Dr. Burmeister in Entrenos, and again
near Mendoza. In the neighbourhood of Concepción
Mr. Barrows speaks of it as a “not very abundant
summer resident, but one not easily overlooked, owing
to its habit of perching on the topmost twig of any tree
on which it alights, making forays from time to time,
when tempted by its winged prey.”
In the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, which may be con­
sidered the Southern limit of its range, it was far from
156 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

common, two or three pairs being the greatest number

I ever met with during a summer season. Like other
birds of its genus, it has an easy, rapid flight, and
perches on trees or other elevated places, from which
it occasionally makes a dash at passing insects. The
nest, as in T. melancholicus, is a very slight structure
of slender sticks, and the eggs are four, parchment
colour, and spotted at the large end with dark brown or
chocolate. Mr. Barrows found a Cow-bird’s egg in a
nest of this species, which makes me think that it is
less vigilant and warlike than T. melancholicus.
This Tyrant is distinguished (in the books) by the
longest scientific ñame bestowed by ornithologists on
any South American species.

BELLICOSE TYRANT
(Tyrannus melancholicus)
Above grey with a slight greenish tinge; head with a concealed
vertical crest of scarlet and yellow; lores and ear-coverts blackish;
wings and tail brownish black with more or less of paler margins;
beneath yellow, throat greyish white, breast more or less greyish,
under-wing coverts palé yellow; bilí and feet black; outer primaries
attenuated; tail deeply forked; length 8 5 inches.

The violent and bold temper exhibited by most Tyrant-

birds during the breeding-season, a quality from which
is derived the ñame of the family, is perhaps to a greater
degree in this species than in any other; and when one
spends many days or weeks in the marshy, littoral
forests, where the bird is most abundant, and hears
its incessant distressful screams, the specific ñame
melancholicus does not seem altogether inappropriate:
that is the most that can be said of any specific ñame
 BELLICOSE TYRANT 157

invented by Science, which does not merely describe

some peculiarity of form or colour.
Nevertheless it is not the right ñame: the bird’s
temper rather than the effect produced by its voice
on the listener was probably in the French naturalist’s
mind when he bestowed it; better than melancholy
would have been warring, violent, furious, bellicose, or
some such word. It therefore seems best in this as in
several other instances to alter the English ñame I
gave this bird in the Argentine Ornithology (1888). It
was there called “Melancholy Tyrant,” and I have now
re-named it Bellicose Tyrant, and hope that future Anglo-
Argentine naturalists will find some better designation
for this and many other of the hundreds of species I
have had to invent ñames for.
This Tyrant is one of the largest of its kind, its
total length being nearly nine inches. The wings are
long and suited for an aerial life; the legs are exceed-
ingly short, and the feet are used for perching only,
for this species never alights on the ground. The throat
and upper parts are grey, tinged with olive on the
back; the wings and tail dark; the breast yellow tinged
with green; the belly puré yellow. Under the loose
grey feathers of the crown is a fiery orange crest,
displayed in moments of excitement.
In Buenos Ayres these birds arrive in September,
after which their shrill, angry cries are incessantly
heard, while the birds are seen pursuing each other
through the air or in and out amongst the trees—
perpetually driven about by the contending passions
of love, jealousy, and rage. As soon as their domestic
broils are over, a fresh war against the whole feathered
race begins, which does not cease until the business
of propagation is finished. I have frequently spent
hours watching the male, successively attacking, with
158 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

scarcely an interval of rest, every bird, big or little,

approaching the sacred tree where its nest was placed.
Its indignation at the sight of a cowardly Carrion-
Hawk {Milvago} skulking about in search of small
birds’ nests, and the boundless fury of its onset, were
wonderful to witness.
They are extremely active, and when not engaged
in their endless aerial battles, are pursuing large insects
on the wing, usually returning after each capture to
their stand, from which they keep a jealous watch on
the movements of all winged things about them. They
are fond of marshy places and water-courses, where
they perch on a tall stalk to watch for insects, and also
frequently skim over the water like Swallows to drink
and dip their feathers.
A tall tree is usually selected for the nest, which
is not infrequently placed on the very topmost twigs,
exposed to the sight of every creature passing overhead,
and as if in defiance of birds of prey. With such an
aggressive temper as this bird possesses it is not strange
perhaps that it builds in the most exposed places,
from which the female, in the absence of her vigilant
consort, can keep a sharp eye on the movements of
her feathered neighbours; but I have often thought
it singular that they do not make a deeper receptacle
for their eggs, for the nest is merely a slight platform
of slender sticks, and very ill adapted to retain its
burden during high winds. The parasitical Cow-bird
never enters this nest, which is not strange.
The eggs are four in number, small for the bird,
pointed, parchment-white, spotted with dark brown
at the larger end.
 SCISSOR-TAIL TYRANT 159

SCISSOR-TAIL TYRANT
(Milvulus tyrannus)
Above cinereous, rump blackish; cap jet-black, with a concealed
yellow vertical crest; wings dark brown; tail black, outer web
of the outer rectrix white; bilí and feet black; three outer primaries
excised at the tips; length 14 inches. Female similar, but outer
tail-feathers not so long.

The Tijereta (Scissor-tail)—a ñame derived from the

habit the bird has of opening and closing the two outer
long feathers of the tail when flying—is found through-
out South America, and in the summer of the Southern
Hemisphere ranges as far south as Patagonia.
The tail is forked, and the two outer feathers exceed
by over four inches in length the next two. The total
length of the adult male is fourteen inches, the tail
being ten inches long; this species is therefore one of
the longest-tailed we know of. The tail of the female
is about two inches shorter than that of the male. The
head is intense black; the plumage of the crown is
rather long and loose, and when raised displays a vivid
yellow crest. The neck and upper surface is light,
clear grey; the under surface puré white; the tail
black. During flight the two long feathers of the tail
stream out behind like a pair of black ribbons; fre­
quently the bird pauses suddenly in its flight, and then
the two long feathers open out in the form of the
letter V.
The Scissor-tail is migratory, and arrives, already
mated, at Buenos Ayres at the end of September, and
takes its departure at the end of February in families,
oíd and young birds together. In disposition and
general habits it resembles the true Tyrant-birds, but
differs from them in language, its various chirping
i6o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

and twittering notes having a hard percussive sound,

which Azara well compares to the snapping of castanets.
It prefers open situations with scattered trees and
bushes; and is also partial to marshy grounds, where
it takes up a position on an elevated stalk to watch
for insects, and seizes them in the air like the Fly-
catcher. It also greedily devours elderberries and other
small fruits.
The nest is not deep, but is much more elaborately
constructed than is usual with the Tyrants. Soft
materials are preferred, and in many cases the nests
are composed almost exclusively of wool. The inside
is cup-shaped, with a flat bottom, and is smooth and
hard, the thistle-down with which it is lined being
cemented with gum. The eggs are four, sharply pointed,
light cream-colour, and spotted, chiefly at the large end,
with chocolate. In the breeding-time these Tyrants
attack other birds approaching the nest with great
spirit, and have a particular hatred to the Carrion
Hawk, pursuing it with the greatest violence through
the air with angry notes, resembling in sound the
whetting of a scythe, but uttered with great rapidity
and emphasis. How greatly this species is imposed
upon by the Cow-bird, notwithstanding its pugnacious
temper, has already been seen in my account of that bird.
The Scissor-tails have one remarkable habit; they
are not gregarious, but once every day, just before the
sun sets, all the birds living near together rise to the
tops of the trees, calling to one another with loud,
excited chirps, and then mount upwards like rockets
to a great height in the air; then, after whirling about
for a few moments, they precipítate themselves down­
wards with the greatest violence, opening and shutting
their tails during their wild zig-zag flight, and uttering
a succession of sharp, grinding notes. After this curious
 SCISSOR-TAIL TYRANT 161

performance they sepárate in p^tirs, and perching on

the tree-tops each couple utters together its rattling
castanet notes, after which the company breaks up.

RED-BREASTED PLANT-CUTTER
(Phytotoma rutila}
Above plumbeous, washed with olive; front of head and whole
under parts bright red; wings and tail blackish, two well-marked
wing-bars and tips of lateral rectrices white; length 7 inches. Female,
above grey, striated with black; beneath light buff with dense
black striations.

There are four known species of this curious South

American group, the Plant-cutters, the only members
of the family Phytotomidae. The older naturalists
associated them with the Finches on account of their
toothed Fringilline bilí, but they are now placed at a
great distance from that family, quite outside of the
Sub-Order Oscines or Songsters. The Red-breasted
Plant-cutter is the only species found in the Argen­
tine Republic.
I found it quite common in Patagonia, where the
natives cali it Chingólo grande, on account of the super­
ficial resemblance of the female to the common Song-
Sparrow (Zonotrichia pileata). The colouring of the
sexes differs considerably, the forehead and under
surface of the male being deep brick-red; the upper
parts dull grey, with a bar on the wing and the tips of
the rectrices white; while in the female the upper parts
are yellowish grey, obscurely mottled, and the breast
and belly buff, with dark stripes. In both sexes the eye
is yellow, and the feathers of the crown pileated to
form a crest.
L
IÓ2 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

This bird is usually seen singly, but sometimes

associates in small flocks; it is resident, and a very
weak flier, and feeds on tender buds and leaves, berries
and small seed. The male is frequently seen perched
on the summit of a bush, and, amidst the dull-plumaged
species that people the grey thickets of Patagonia, the
bright red bosom gives it almost a gay appearance.
When singing, or uttering its alarm notes when the
nest is approached, its voice resembles the feeble bleat-
ings of a small kid or lamb. When approached it
conceals itself in the bush, and when flying progresses
by a series of short jerky undulations, the wings
producing a loud humming sound.
The nest is made in the interior of a thorny bush,
and built somewhat slightly of fine twigs and lined with
Abres. The eggs are four, bluish-green in colour, with
brownish flecks.
This species is found throughout the Argentine
country, in dry open situations abounding with a scanty
tree and bush vegetation.
The solitary Plant-cutter described comes, in this
book, between two numerous Passerine families, both
also peculiar to America, and both differing widely
from it in structure, appearance, habits, and language
—more widely in fact than a Greenfinch from a Fly-
catcher on one side and a Tree-creeper on the other.
The astonishing thing to the uninformed person is how
such a collocation is possible in any system. With such
questions we are not concerned in this book. One can
only say in passing, that in our linear system of classifi-
cation (and all systems must be linear) a species or a
family unrelated to any other must be given a place
somewhere in the line. The Tyrant-birds, which come
nearest superficially to the Oíd World Flycatchers,
although structurally differing from them, number at
 RED-BREASTED PLANT-CUTTER 163

least 350 species; the Family we now come to, the

Woodhewers or Dendrocolaptidae, count about 250.
Thus, these two South American families alone, both
in the songless sub-order of the Passeres, outnumber all
the species of birds in Europe from the Eagle to the Wren.
In Argentina the Dendrocolaptidae number about fifty
species, and of these I have to describe twenty known
to me from personal observation.

LITTLE HOUSEKEEPER
(Geositta cuniculariá)
Above nearly uniform earthy brown; wing-feathers palé cinna-
mon-red; greater part of the outer webs, excepting the inner
secondaries, blackish; tail palé cinnamon-red, with a broad blackish
band across the terminal half; beneath palé fulvous white, breast
more or less variegated with blackish; under wing-coverts palé
cinnamon; length 5 5 inches.

The country people have a variety of ñames for this

common and well-known species. In Buenos Ayres
it is usually called Manea-cola (Shake-tail), in Pata­
gonia Caserita (Little Housekeeper), and in other places
Minera (Miner), or Caminante (Traveller or Pedestrian),
from its habit of running rapidly along a clean road or
bridle-path before a person riding or walking.
It is a stout little bird, with very short toes quite
unsuited for perching, and it does not, in fact, ever
perch on a tree, though it manages to cling to a per­
pendicular bank very well when engaged in tunnelling.
It is resident and pairs for life, and lives in sterile
places, feeding on small insects and spiders. In manner
it is very lively, and runs swiftly over the bare ground,
stopping very abruptly, then running on again, and at
164 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

every pause slowly moving its half-open tail up and

down. It flies swiftly, cióse to the ground, and always
during its short flight trills out its clear, ringing, rapidly
reiterated cry, which in sound resembles the laughter
of a child.
On the grassy pampas the Mineras invariably attach
themselves to the Vizcacheras—as the groups of great
burrows made by the large rodent, the Vizcacha, are
called; for there is always a space free from grass
surrounding the burrows where the birds can run freely
about. In the sides of the deep pit-like entrance to
one of these burrows the bird bores a cylindrical hole,
from three to six feet long, and terminating in a circular
chamber. This is lined with soft dry grass, and five
white eggs are laid.
Though the birds inhabit the Vizcacha village all
the year, they seem always to make a fresh hole to breed
in every spring, the forsaken holes being given up to
the small Swallow, Atticora cyanoleuca.

OVEN-BIRD
(Furnarius ru/us)
Above earthy brown, with a slight rufescent tinge, wing-feathers
blackish, margined with palé brown; whole of the outer secondaries
palé brown, like the back; tail and upper tail-coverts bright
ferruginous brown; below white, breast and flanks and under
wing-coverts palé sandy-brown; under surface of the wing with a
broad sandy bar across the basal portion; length 8 to 9 inches.

The Red Oven-bird is an extremely well-known species

in Argentina, and, where found, a great favourite on
account of its familiarity with man, its loud, ringing,
cheerful voice, and its wonderful mud nest, which it
prefers to build near a human habitation, often on a
 OVEN-BIRD 165

cornice, a projecting beam, or on the roof of the

house itself.
It is a stout little bird, with a slender, slightly-curved
beak nearly an inch in length, and strong legs suited
to its terrestrial habits. The upper plumage is uniform
rufous-brown in colour, brightest on the tail; the
under surface very light brown. It ranges throughout
the Argentine Republic to Bahia Blanca in the south,
and is usually named Hornero or Casera (Oven-bird
or Housekeeper); in Brazil, Jodo de los barrios (John of
the Mud-puddles) or John Clay, as Richard Burton
translates it. In Paraguay and Corrientes it is Alonzo
Garda or else Alonzito, the affectionate diminutive.
Azara, that sensible naturalist, losing his mind for a
moment, solemnly says that he can give no reason for
such a ñame! He might have found the reason in his
own country in Europe, where as a boy he knew the
wild bird life and where a bird which inspires affectionate
admiration in the country people is sometimes called
by a human ñame. As a rule it is a Christian ñame,
as in the case of our Robin, in England, which in Norway
is called Peter, and our Jack—we have several Jacks—
and our Margaret or Mag, and our Beggy and Kitty
and Jenny. The Alonzo Garda is specially favoured in
having both a Christian and a súmame. I have often
been assured by natives that the Hornero is a religious
bird and always suspends his labours on a Sunday and
on all holy days.
It is resident, pairs for life, and finds its food, which
consists of larvae and worms, exclusively on the ground.
It delights in open places, where it can move freely
about on the ground; and is partial to courtyards,
clean garden-walks, etc., where, with head thrown
back and bosom prominent, it struts along with an air
of great gravity, lifting its foot high at each step, and
i66 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

holding it suspended for a moment in the air before

setting it firmly down. I once saw one fly down on to
a narrow plank about ten feet long lying out on the
wet grass; it walked gravely to the end of the plank,
then turned, and deliberately walked back to the other
end, and so on for about twenty times, appearing to
take the greatest pleasure in the mere act of promenad-
ing on a smooth, level surface. When disturbed, the
Oven-bird has a loud monotonous note of alarm or
curiosity, which never fails to bring all its fellows within
hearing distance to the spot. The movements of a fox,
weasel, or cat in a plantation can always be known
from the noisy turmoil among the Oven-birds. At
frequent intervals during the day the male and female
meet and express their joy in clear, resonant notes
sung in concert—a habit common to a very large number
of Dendrocolaptine birds, including, I think, all those
species which pair for life. In a majority of species
this vocal performance merely consists of a succession
of confused notes or cries, uttered with great spirit
and emphasis; in the Oven-bird it has developed into
a kind of harmonious singing. Thus, the first bird, on
the appearance of its mate flying to the place of meeting,
emits loud, measured notes, sometimes a continuous
trilling note with a somewhat hollow, metallic sound;
but immediately on the other bird joining, this intro-
ductory passage is changed to rapid triplets, strongly
accented on the first and last notes, while the second
bird utters a series of loud measured notes perfectly
according with the triplets of the first. While thus
singing they stand facing each other, their necks out-
stretched, wings hanging, and tails spread, the first
bird trembling with its rapid utterances, the second
beating on the branch with its wings. The finale consists
of three or four notes uttered by the second bird alone,
 OVEN-BIRD 167

and becoming successively louder and more piercing

until the end. There is an infinite variety in the tone
in which different couples sing, also in the order in which
the different notes are uttered, and even the same
couple do not repeat their duet in precisely the same
way; but it is always a rhythmical and, to some extent,
an harmonious performance, and as the voices have
a ringing, joyous character, it produces a pleasing effect
on the mind.
In favourable seasons the Oven-birds begin building
in the autumn, and the work is resumed during the
winter whenever there is a spell of mild, wet weather.
Some of their structures are finished early in winter,
others not until spring, everything depending on the
weather and the condition of the birds. In coid, dry
weather, and when food is scarce, they do not work
at all. The site chosen is a stout horizontal branch,
or the top of a post, and they also frequently build on
the roof of a house; and sometimes, but rarely, on the
ground. The material used is mud, with the addition
of horsehair or slender fibrous rootlets, which make
the structure harder and prevent it from cracking. I
have frequently seen a bird, engaged in building, first
pick up a thread or hair, then repair to a puddle, where
it was worked into a pellet of mud about the size of a
filbert, then carried to the nest. When finished the
structure is shaped outwardly like a baker’s oven, only
with a deeper and narrower entrance.
It is always placed very conspicuously, and with
the entrance facing a building, if one be near, or if at
a roadside it looks toward the road; the reason for this
being, no doubt, that the bird keeps a cautious eye on
the movements of people near it while building, and so
leaves the nest opened and unfinished on that side
until the last, and there the entrance is necessarily
i68 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

formed. When the structure has assumed the globular

form with only a narrow opening, the wall on one side
is curved inwards, reaching from the floor to the dome,
and at the inner extremity an aperture is left to admit
the bird to the interior or second chamber, in which
the eggs are laid. A man’s hand fits easily into the
first or entrance chamber, but cannot be twisted about
so as to reach the eggs in the interior cavity, the entrance
being so small and high up. The interior is lined with
dry, soft grass, and five white pear-shaped eggs are
laid. The oven is a foot or more in diameter, and is
sometimes very massive, weighing eight or nine pounds,
and so strong that, unless loosened by the swaying of
the branch, it often remains unharmed for two or three
years. The birds incúbate by turns, and when one
returns from the feeding-ground it sings its loud notes,
on which the sitting bird rushes forth to join in the
joyous chorus, and then flies away, the other taking
its place on the eggs. The young are exceedingly garru-
lous, and when only half-fledged may be heard practising
trills and duets in their secure oven, in shrill tremulous
voices, which change to the usual hunger-cry of young
birds when the parent enters with food. After leaving
the nest, the oíd and young birds live for two or three
months together, only one brood being raised in each
year. A new oven is built every year, and I have more
than once seen a second oven built on the top of the
first, when this has been placed very advantageously,
as on a projection and against a wall.
A very curious thing occurred at the estancia house
of a neighbour of mine in Buenos Ayres one spring.
A pair of Oven-birds built their oven on a beam-end
projecting from the wall of a rancho. One morning
one of the birds was found caught in a Steel trap placed
the evening before for rats, and both of its legs were
 OVEN-BIRD 169

crushed above the knee. On being liberated it flew up

to and entered the oven, where it bled to death, no
doubt, for it did not come out again. Its mate remained
two days, calling incessantly, but there were no other
birds of its kind in the place, and it eventually dis­
appeared. Three days later it returned with a new mate,
and immediately the two birds began carrying pellets
of mud to the oven, with which they plastered up the
entrance. Afterwards they built a second oven, using
the sepulchre of the dead bird for its foundation, and
here they reared their young. My neighbour, an oíd
native, had watched the birds from the time the first
oven was begun, feeling greatly interested in their
diligent ways, and thinking their presence at this house
a good ornen; and it was not strange that, after
witnessing the entombment of the one that died, he
was more convinced than ever that the little House-
builders are “pious birds.”

PATAGONIAN EARTH-CREEPER
(Upucerthia dumetoria)
Above earthy brown; long superciliary stripe palé ochraceous;
wings blackish, with a broad transverse cinnamon bar; tail blackish,
lateral rectrices tipped with palé cinnamon; beneath dirty white,
clear white on the throat and middle of the belly; breast feathers
margined with blackish; under wing-coverts palé cinnamon; bilí
dark hom-colour, palé at the base; feet horn-colour; length 9
inches.

These birds are common in Patagonia, being resident

there; some individuáis, however, migrate north in
winter, and I once obtained a pair, male and female,
near Buenos Ayres city in the month of June.
Their legs are short, but on the ground their move­
ments are very rapid, and, like the Miner (Geositta)
170 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

already described, they fly reluctantly, preferring to

run rapidly from a person walking or riding, and at
such times they look curiously like a pigmy Curlew with
an extravagantly long beak. They are active, lively
birds, and live in pairs, sometimes uniting in small,
loose flocks; they are partial to places where scattered
bushes grow on a dry, sterile soil, and have a swift, low
flight; when flying they frequently utter a shrill,
trilling, or rapidly reiterated note, in sound resembling
laughter. In manners, flight, language, and colouring
this bird closely resembles the smaller short-beaked
Geositta cunicularia, and like that species it also breeds
in deep holes in banks; but I am not able to say whether
it excavates the breeding-hole or takes possession of
one already made. Durnford found it breeding in a
hole four feet deep in the bank of a dry lagoon. The
nest was of dry grass and lined with the fur of the cavy.
It contained three white eggs.

BROWN CINCLODES
(Cinclo des fuscus)
Above dark, earthy brown, lores and superciliaries whitish;
wings blackish, with a broad transverse cinnamon-coloured bar;
outer tail-feathers blackish, broadly tipped with palé cinnamon
white; beneath palé cinereous, with a cinnamon tinge; throat white,
slightly spotted with blackish; bilí and feet horn-colour; length
7 3 inches.

This homely little species differs considerably from

most Dendrocolaptine birds in colour and habits; and
being of a uniform dull fuscous hue, its appearance is
not strikingly interesting. It inhabits Patagonia, but
is migratory, possessing, what is rare in this family,
a powerful flight. In winter it is common all over the
 BROWN CINCLODES 171

pampas and the Plata district, ranging north to Para­

guay. It is always found near water, its favourite hunt­
ing ground being the borders of a stream. On the ground
its motions are quick and lively, but when perching on
a tree it sits motionless in one position, and when
attempting to move appears to lose its balance. These
birds cannot be called strictly gregarious, but where
abundant they are fond of gathering in loose flocks,
sometimes numbering one or two hundred individuáis,
and when thus associating are very playful, frequently
pursuing and wheeling about each other, and uttering
a sharp, trilling noté. On a warm day in winter they are
occasionally heard attempting to sing, the bird darting
up vertically into the air and pouring out with great
energy a confused torrent of unmusical sounds.
Their habits, so much less sedate and strikingly in
contrast with those of most of the birds in this family,
are no doubt due to the greater powers of flight
possessed by Cinclodes.

RUSH-LOVING SPINE-TAIL
(Phiceo crypies melanops)
Above, forehead brown, crown blackish, broad superciliaries buffy
white; upper half of back black; marked with a few grey stripes;
lower back and rump, also sides of back and neck, light brown;
wings blackish, mottled with light chestnut on the coverts; and a
broad band of the same colour occupying the basal half of the wing-
feathers; tail blackish, the two middle feathers brownish grey, the
others shghtly tipped with the same colour; beneath white, more or
less tinged on the throat, flanks, and under tail-coverts with palé
brown; under wing-coverts fulvous; length 5 8 inches.

This is one of our few strictly migratory species in

the family Dendrocolaptidae. Probably it winters in
South Brazil, as in the northern parts of the Argentine
172 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

country it is said to be a summer visitor. On the pampas

it appears in September, and all at once becomes very
abundant in the rush-beds growing in the water, where
alone it is found. The migration no doubt is very
extensive, for in spring I found it very abundant in the
rush-beds in the Rio Negro valley, and Durnford met
with it much further south on the river Sanguelen, a
tributary of the Chupat. Migratory birds are, as a rule,
very little given to wandering; that is to say, they do
not go much beyond the limits of the little coppice,
reed-bed, or spot of ground which they make their
summer home, and this species is no exception. It
spends the warm season secluded in its rush-bed; and
when disturbed flies with great reluctance, fluttering
feebly away to a distance of a few yards, and then
dropping into the rushes again, apparently quite in-
capable of a sustained flight. How a bird so feeble on
the wing, and retiring in its habits, is able to perform a
long annual migration, when in traversing vast tracts
of open country it must be in great peril from rapacious
kinds, is a great mystery. No doubt many perish while
travelling; but there is this circumstance in their
favour: an incredible number of birds of various kinds,
many as weak and exposed to attack as the Phlceo-
cry'ptes, migrate simultaneously; Hawks are but thinly
scattered along their route, and as a rule these birds
feed only once or twice a day, if the meáis are large
enough to fill the stomach, so that while the Hawk is
inactive, digesting his meal, thousands of migrants
have sped by on their journey and are beyond his
reach for ever.
The Spine-tail seldom ventures out of its rush-bed,
but is occasionally seen feeding in the grass and herbage
a few yards removed from the water. Its language is
peculiar, this being a long cicada-like note, followed by
 RUSH-LOVING SPINE-TAIL 173

a series of sounds like smart taps on a piece of dry

wood. It frequents the same places as the small Many-
coloured Tyrant {Cyanotis azara), and these little neigh­
bours, being equally inquisitive, whenever a person
approaches the rushes often emerge together, one
uttering wooden-sounding creaks and raps, the other
liquid gurgling notes—a little brown bird and a little
bird with many bright colours, both, in very different
tones, demanding to know the reason of the intrusión.
The nest is a very wonderful structure, and is usually
attached to three upright stems; it is domed, oval-
shaped, about nine inches deep, and the small circular
aperture which is cióse to the top is protected by a
sloping tile-like projection. It is built of tough grass-
leaves, which are apparently first daubed with wet
clay and then ingeniously woven in, with the addition,
I think, of some kind of mucilage: the whole nest is,
when finished, light but very strong, and impervious
to wet. Until the rushes die and drop the nest remains
securely fastened to them, and in winter affords a safe
and comfortable retreat to the small rush- or reed-
frogs, of which sometimes as many as three or four are
found living in one nest. The interior is very thickly
lined with feathers; the eggs are three, pear-shaped,
and a bright, beautiful blue colour, sometimes with a
slight greenish tinge.
The bird is so abundant in extensive marshes that
I have on several occasions, during a half-day’s
ramble, found as many as forty or fifty nests, some­
times a dozen or more being placed cióse together,
but I have never taken more than three eggs from
one nest. I mention this because I have seen it stated
that four or five eggs are sometimes found.
I trust that no reader of this sketch imagines that
I robbed all the eggs contained in so many nests. I
174 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

did nothing so barbarous, although it is perhaps “ prat-

tling out of fashion” to say so; but with the destructive,
useless egg-collecting passion I have no sympathy. By
bending the pliant rushes downwards the eggs can be
made to roll out into the hand; and all those which I
thus took out to count were put back in their wonderful
eradles. I had a special object in examining so many
nests. A gaucho boy once brought me a nest which
had a small circular stopper > made of the same texture
as the body of the nest, attached to the aperture at
the side and when swung round into it fitting it as per-
fectly as the lid of the trap-door spider fits the burrow.
I have no doubt that it was used to cióse the nest when
the bird was away, perhaps to prevent the intrusión of
reed-frogs or of other small birds; but I have never
found another nest like it, ñor have I heard of one
being found by any one else; and that one nest, with
its perfectly-fitting stopper, has been a puzzle to my
mind ever since I saw it.

TIT-LIKE SPINE-TAIL
(Leptasthenura eegithaloides)
Above palé earthy brown; crown black, striped with clear brown;
lores, sides of head, and throat white, with minute black spots;
wings blackish, the edges of the outer webs of the primaries and the
basal part of the secondaries light rufescent brown; tail black,
lateral rectrices tipped and margined with palé grey; beneath palé
grey, throat white; length 6 8 inches.

This is a restless little bird, seen singly or in parties

of three or four. In manner and appearance it resembles
the Long-tailed Titmouse (Parus), as it diligently
searches for small insects in the trees and bushes,
frequently hanging head downwards to explore the
 TIT-LIKE SPINE-TAIL 175

under surface of a leaf or twig, and while thus engaged

continully uttering a little sharp querulous note. They
are not migratory, but in winter seem to wander about
from place to place a great deal; and in Patagonia,
in the coid season, I have frequently seen them uniting
in flocks of thirty or forty individuáis, and associating
with numbers of Spine-tails of other species, chiefly
with Synallaxis sórdida, and all together advancing
through the thicket, carefully exploring every bush
in their way.
D’Orbigny says that it makes a nest of rootlets and
moss in a bush; but where I have observed this bird
it invariably breeds in a hole in a tree, or in the nest
of some other bird, often in the clay structure of the
Oven-bird. But in Patagonia, where the Oven-bird is
not known, this Spine-tail almost always selects the
nest of the Synallaxis sórdida. It carries in a great deal
of soft material — soft grass, wool, and feathers — to
re-line the cavity, and lays five or six white, pointed eggs.

CHICLI SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis spixi)
Above, crown chestnut; lores and sides of head dark cinereous;
hind-neck, back, also wing- and tail-feathers olive brown; upper
wing-coverts chestnut; beneath dark cinereous, becoming whitish
on the belly, throat blackish; under wing-coverts fulvous chestnut;
length 67 inches.

I like Azara’s ñame Chicli, which, to one acquainted

with the habits of this and of the following species,
seems very appropriate, suggesting, as I imagine it
does, a small creature possessing a sharp two-syllabled
note; for although Hartlaub, in his Nomenclature 0/
Azara, gives 5. rujieapilla as the species meant by
176 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
Chicli, the account of its habits in the Birds of Paraguay
seems to point to 5. spixi or to S. albescens.
Azara says:
I give it this ñame because it sings plainly, in a loud sharp
tone, which may be heard at a distance, repeating it so frequently
that the pauses last no longer than the sound. It is resident (in
Paraguay), solitary and not abundant: inhabits thickets of aloes
and thorn, without rising more than two yards above the surface,
or showing itself in open places. It moves about incessantly, but
does not leave its thicket to visit the woods or open ground, its
flight being only from bush to bush; and though it is not timid,
it is hard to detect it in its stronghold, and to hear it one would
imagine that it was perched overhead on a tree, when it is hidden
all the time in the brushwood at the roots.
This habit of concealing itself so closely inclines me
to think that this species, rather than S. albescens,
was the bird described by Azara, although in both
species the language is nearly the same. I have nothing
to add to the above account from Azara, except that
in the love-season this species has a low, strange-
sounding little song, utterly unlike its usual strident
cry. When singing, it sits motionless on the summit
of a low bush in a dejected attitude with head drawn in,
and whispers its mysterious little melody at intervals
of half a minute.

WHITE-THROATED SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis albescens}
Above, forehead grey, crown palé chestnut; sides of head and
neck, back, and tail palé earth-brown; upper wing-coverts palé
chestnut, wing feathers olive-brown; beneath white, faintly washed
with earthy brown, under wing-coverts fulvous; length 5 3 inches.

This species, although by no means abundant in

Buenos Ayres, is met with much more frequently
than the 5. spixi, which it closely resembles in size,
 WHITE-THROATED SPINE-TAIL 177

colour, habits, and language. It is indeed an unusual

thing for two species so closely allied to be found in-
habiting the same district. In both birds the colours
are arranged in precisely the same way; but the chest­
nut tint on S. albescens is not nearly so deep, the browns
and greys are paler, and there is less black on the throat.
I am pretty sure that in Buenos Ayres it is migra­
tory, and as soon as it appears in spring it announces
its arrival by its harsh, persistent, two-syllabled cali,
wonderfully strong for so small a bird, and which it
repeats at intervals of two or three seconds for half
an hour without intermission. When cióse at hand it
is quite as distressing as the grating song of a Cicada.
This painful noise is uttered while the bird sits concealed
amid the foliage of a tree, and is renewed at frequent
intervals, and continúes every day until the Spine-
tail finds a mate, when all at once it becomes silent.
The nest is placed in a low thorn-bush, sometimes only
two or three feet above the ground, and is an oblong
structure of sticks, twelve or fourteen inches in depth,
with the entrance near the top, and reached by a tubular
passage made of slender sticks, and six or seven inches
long. From the top of the nest a crooked passage leads
to the cavity near the bottom; this is lined with a
little fine grass, and nine eggs are laid, pear-shaped
and palé bluish white in colour. I have found several
nests with nine eggs, and therefore set that down as the
full number of the clutch, though I confess it seems very
surprising that this bird should lay so many. When
the nest is approached, the parent birds remain silent
and concealed at some distance. When the nest is
touched or shaken, the young birds, if nearly fledged,
have the singular habit of running out and jumping to
the ground to conceal themselves in the grass.
I have no doubt that this species varies greatly in
M
i?8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
its habits in different districts, and probably also in
the number of eggs it lays. Mr. Barrows, an excellent
observer, says it lays three or four light blue eggs. He
met with it at Concepción, in the northern part of the
Argentine Republic, and writes that it is “ an abundant
species in thorny hedges or among the masses of dwarfed
and spiny bushes, which cling to each other so tena-
ciously amid the general desolation of the sandy
barrens.” The nests which he describes vary also in
some particulars from those I have seen. “Entrance
is gained by the bird,” he says, “through a long tube,
which is built on to the nest at a point about half way
up the side. This tube is formed by the interlocking
of thorny twigs, and is supported by the branches and
twigs about it. It may be straight or curved; its
diameter extemally varies from two to four inches,
and its length from one to two feet. The passage-way
itself is but just large enough to admit the birds one
at a time, and it has always been a mystery to me how
a bird the size of a Chipping-Sparrow could find its way
through one of these slender tubes, bristling with thorns,
and along which I found it difficult to pass a smooth
slender twig for more than five or six inches. Yet they
not only pass in and out easily, but so easily that I was
never yet able to surprise one in the nest, or to see the
slightest disturbance of it by the bird’s hurried exit.”
The bird has a very wide range in South America,
and Mr. Salmón observed its breeding-habits in Antio-
quia in Colombia. There also the bird varies the form
of its nest, making it as large as that of an English
Magpie, and roofing the top with a mass of large leaves
to protect it from the heavy rains. The eggs, he says,
are very palé greenish blue, nearly white; but he does
not give the number.
 BLACK-AND-YELLOW SPINE-TAIL 179

BLACK-AND-YELLOW THROATED SPINE-TAIL

{Synallaxis 'phrygano'phila)
Above, front brown, crown chestnut, superciliaries white; sides
of head, neck, back and tail palé fulvous brown, with broad blackish
striations on the neck and back; upper wing-coverts palé chestnut;
wing feathers blackish, the outer webs edged with palé fulvous
brown; beneath, upper half of throat sulphur-yellow, lower half
black, with a white patch on each side of the black; breast and
belly whitish, washed with earthy brown, slightly fulvous on the
breast and flanks; under wing-coverts fulvous white; length
8 5 inches.

This pretty Spine-tail is nowhere common in the

Argentine country, and in Buenos Ayres it is exceedingly
scarce. It is rather large for a Synallaxis, the total
length being nine inches. The two middle feathers of
the acuminated tail greatly exceed the others in length,
measuring five inches. The plumage is palé brown,
marked with fuscous; the crown and wing-coverts
rufous. The beauty of the bird is in the throat, which
has three strongly contrasted colours, distinguishing
it from all other Synallaxes. In the angle of the beak
the colour is sulphur-yellow, under this is a patch of
velvet black, and on each side of the yellow and black
a puré white patch.
Mr. Barrows has the following interesting note on
its nesting-habits:
A nest containing four white eggs, faintly tinted with blue, was
found in a thorny tree, and some eight feet from the ground. The
nest was quite similar to the one just described (of S. albescens),
but the cavity in which the eggs were laid was near the top of the
body of the nest, while the passage-way descended from it to the
base of the nest, and there becoming external, rose gradually to
the level of the eggs at a distance of almost three feet.
i8o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

STRIPED SPINE-TAIL
(Synallaxis striaticefis}
Above earthy brown, darker on the crown, which has slight
greyish striations; broad superciliaries white; upper wing-coverts
palé chestnut; wing feathers blackish, glossed with olive; tail palé
chestnut; beneath white; under wing-coverts palé fulvous; length
5 9 inches.

This species has a wide range south of the Equator,

being found in Bolivia, Uruguay, and throughout
the Argentine Republic, including Patagonia. In its
habits it differs widely from other Synallaxes, and in
structure and coloration is also unlike its relatives.
The beak is longer, and more curved, the claws more
crooked, and the tail stiffer than in other Synallaxes,
and this difference in structure corresponds to a different
mode of life. The Striped Spine-tail creeps on the trunk
and larger branches of trees, seeking its insect-food in
the crevices of the bark, and when seen clinging to the
trunk, supported by its tail in a vertical position, with
head thrown far back, and progressing upwards by short
quick hops, it looks wonderfully like a small Picolaptes
with shortened beak. Or it might be taken for a very
near relation of Certhia familiaris by a visitor from
Europe. It is very restless, and while searching for
insects constantly utters a short, trilling, querulous-
sounding note.
It builds an open nest in the fork of a branch, of soft
grasses and hair, thickly lined with feathers, and lays
four or five puré white eggs.
 SORDID SPINE-TAIL 181

MODEST SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis modesta)
This species so closely resembles the following in size
and dull earthy-brown colour, that when seen in the
thickets it is impossible to distinguish them. In habits
they also seem alike; but this bird is, I think, less
retiring, for I have seen it associating with other species
of Synallaxis.
On comparing the specimens together, however, it is
easy to sepárate the present bird from 5. sórdida by
noticing the colour of the external rectrices, which
are black, externally edged with rufous, instead of
being wholly rufous.

SORDID SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis sórdida)
Above earthy brown; wing feathers blackish brown, their basal
parts palé chestnut-brown, forming a transverse bar; tail blackish,
the three outer rectrices and outer web of the fourth rectrix on each
side wholly palé chestnut-brown; beneath palé earthy brown,
clearer on the belly, and with a bright fulvous spot on the throat;
under wing-coverts palé cinnamon; length 6 9 inches.

This species, which, on cióse comparison, is at once

distinguishable from 5. modesta by the absence of
any black colour on the three exterior pairs of tail-
feathers, ranges from the extreme north of the Argen­
tine Republic to Patagonia, where it is quite common,
and is invariably found in dry situations abounding in
thorny vegetation.
It does not migrate, and lives with its mate in thorny
i8a BIRDS OF LA PLATA

bushes, but does not attempt to conceal itself, and

sits much on the summit of a bush, where the male
in spring utters at intervals a clear, trilling cali. In
its inactive disposition, slow delibérate movements,
also in its language, it strikingly resembles the Phacello-
domus ruber. In its nidification it also comes nearest
to that species. The nest is a large structure of sticks,
eighteen inches to two feet long, placed upright among
the twigs at the summit of a bush. From the top where
the entrance is placed, a winding passage leads down
to the chamber at the bottom of the nest; this is lined
with soft dry grass and feathers, and four puré white
eggs are laid.

YELLOW-SPOT SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis sulphurifera)
Above brown, slightly olivaceous; wings blackish; lesser wing-
coverts, margins of the feathers of the greater wing-coverts, and
outer webs of the basal halves of the wing-feathers palé chestnut;
tail-feathers chestnut-brown, ends much elongated and pointed;
beneath white, throat and breast mottled with grey, spot in middle
of throat sulphur-yellow; flanks washed with brown; bend of wing
and under tail-coverts fulvous; length 65 inches.

I have found this Synallaxis, which was first described

by Prof. Burmeister from specimens obtained near
Buenos Ayres, in the swamps along the Plata river;
also on the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, where, however,
it is rare. It inhabits the dense sedge- and rush-beds
growing in the water, where the Limnornis curvirostris
is also found. It closely resembles that species in habits
and language, and is also like it in colour and in the
rather long, curved beak, sharp claws, stout body, and
short stiff tail. It is stationary, pairs for life, and lives
 YELLOW-SPOT SPINE-TAIL 183

always closely concealed in its chosen bed of close-

growing sedge. When a person approaches their hiding-
place the two birds creep up to the summit of the sedges,
protesting in peculiar, loud angry, rattling notes. The
Limnomis^ which also pairs for life, has precisely the
same habit.
Durnford describes the nest, found in a rush-bed,
as a circular or domed structure of grass, with the
aperture at the side; the eggs white.

PATAGONIAN SPINE-TAIL
(Synallaxis patagónica)
Above greyish earthy brown; wing-feathers blackish brown,
basal halves of secondaries very palé clear brown, forming a trans­
verse band; tail blackish, edged with greyish brown; outer web of
outer feathers on each side palé brown; beneath cinereous, with an
obscure blackish spot on the throat; belly and flanks dull buff;
under wing-coverts cinnamon; length 6 inches.

This dull-coloured little bird, which is found in Pata­

gonia, and also near the Andes in the north-western
provinces of the Argentine Republic, is one of those
species which diverge greatly in habits from the typical
Spine-tails. The body is stout, the tail, square and
short, is carried vertically as in the House-Wren.
The Patagonian Spine-tail is a resident in the Rio
Negro district. It is a silent, shy, solitary little bird,
which lives on the ground and seeks its food after the
manner of the Cachalote (Homorus). Being small and
feeble, however, it does not hunt about the roots of
trees and large bushes like the larger and more powerful
Homorus, but keeps under the diminutive scrubby plants
in open, sterile situations. About the roots of these
wiry little bushes, only twelve to eighteen inches high,
184 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the bird searches for small insects, and when disturbed

has a feeble jerky flight, which carries it to a distance
of about twenty yards. It flies with great reluctance,
and when approached runs swiftly away, leaving a
person in doubt as to whether he has seen a mouse or
a little obscure bird. The only note I have heard it utter
is a faint creaking sound when alarmed or flying.

HUDSON’S SPINE-TAIL
(Synallaxis budsoni)
Above fulvous brown, mottled with black, each feather being
marked with a large black spot; on the upper part of the back the
feathers are faintly edged with whitish grey; wings blackish, basal
halves of feathers palé clear brown, forming a transverse bar, the
terminal part of the feathers slightly edged on the outer webs and
tips with ochraceous; tail blackish, the outer pair of rectrices and
broad tips of the next two pairs on each side very palé brown, the
two middle feathers broadly margined on both webs with palé
greyish brown; beneath palé ochraceous brown, with a palé sulphur-
yellowish guiar spot; flanks with a few black marks; under wing-
coverts light cinnamon; length y8 inches.

This Spine-tail, which Sclater named after me, is the

Argentine representative of S. humicola of Chili. It
is common on the pampas, and is sometimes called by
the gauchos Tíru-ríru del campo, on account of its
resemblance in the upper plumage and in language to
Anumbius acuticaudatus, which is named Títu-títu in
imitation of its cali-note. The addition of del campo
signifies that it is a bird of the open country. It is,
in fact, found exclusively on the grassy pampas, never
perching on trees, and in habits is something like a
Pipit, usually being taken for one when first seen. It
is quite common everywhere on the pampas, and speci-
 HUDSON'S SPINE-TAIL 185

mens have also been obtained in Cordova, Uruguay,

and Patagonia.
This Spine-tail is resident, solitary, and extremely
timid and stealthy in its movements, living always
on the ground among the long grass and cardoon-thistles.
At times its inquisitiveness overcomes its timidity, and
the bird then darts up three or four yards into the air,
and jerking its tail remains some moments poised aloft
with breast towards the intruder, emitting sharp little
notes of alarm, after which it darts down again and
disappears in the grass. This is a habit common to most
Pipits. When driven up it has a wild zig-zag flight,
and after reaching a considerable height in the air darts
down again with astonishing swiftness, and comes back
to the very spot from which it rose. It is, however,
incapable of sustained flight, and after being flushed
two or three times refuses to rise again. In spring the
male perches on the summit of a cardoon-bush, or
other slight elevation, and at regular intervals utters a
pleasing and melancholy kind of song or cali, which
can be heard distinctly at a distance of a thousand yards,
composed of four long clear plaintive notes, increasing
in strength, and succeeded by a falling trill. When
approached it becomes silent, and dropping to the
ground conceals itself in the grass. Under a cardoon-
bush or tussock it scoops out a slight hollow in the
ground, and builds over this a dome of fine dry grass,
leaving a small aperture arched like the door of a baker’s
oven. The bed is lined with dry powdered horse-dung,
and the eggs are five, bluntly pointed and of a very palé
buff colour. The interior of the nest is so small that
when the five young birds are fledged they appear to
be packed together very closely, so that it is difficult
to conceive how the parent bird passes in and out.
The nest is always very cunningly concealed, and
i86 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

I have often spent days searching in a patch of cardoon-

bushes where the birds were breeding without being
able to find it. Something more will be said about the
nesting-habits of this species in the account of the
Carrion-Hawk, Milvago chimango.

WREN-LIKE SPINE-TAIL
{Synallaxis maluroides)
Above, front and middle of crown chestnut; hind-head, neck,
and back palé fulvous brown, thickly marked with longitudinal
black shaft-spots; lores white; wings blackish, the feathers edged
with palé ochraceous, the basal part of secondaries very palé
brown, forming a transverse bar; tail palé chestnut-brown, the
two middle feathers with a broad black mark on the inner web;
beneath white breast and flanks washed with palé brown, and
freckled with very small dark brown spots; under wing-coverts
white; length 61 inches.

D’Orbigny discovered this small Spine-tail near Buenos

Ayres city, but did not record its habits. Like the species
just described it is abundant on the pampas, but in its
habits resembles a Wren of the genus Cistothorus rather
than a Pipit, being partial to moist situations, where
there is a rank growth of grass and herbage. The wings
are very short, and the flight so feeble that the bird
refuses to rise after being pursued a distance of one or
two hundred yards. And yet I am not prepared to say
that it does not migrate, as I have found that in spring
it all at once becomes very abundant, while in the coid
season it is rarely seen. It is solitary, and in spring
sits on a thistle or stalk, uttering at short intervals
its small grasshopper-like song or cali. The nest is
a slight open structure of grass, lined with a few
feathers, placed in a tuft of grass or reeds. The
eggs are puré white in colour.
 FIREWOOD-GATHERER 187

FIREWOOD-GATHERER
{Anumbius acuticaudatus)
Above earthy brown, forehead chestnut, superciliaries white;
head, neck, and back marked with black striations; primaries
blackish, secondaries palé chestnut-brown; tail black, all the feathers
except the middle pair broadly tipped with cream-colour; beneath
palé ochraceous brown, white on the throat, the white bordered on
each side by numerous black spots; length 8 5 inches.

This is a common and very well-known species through­

out the Argentine country and Patagonia, also in
Uruguay and Paraguay, and is variously called Espinero
(Thorn-bird), Líru-ríru, in imitation of its note, and
Añumbi (the Guaraní ñame); but its best-known ñame
is Leñatero, or “Firewood-gatherer,” from the quantity
of sticks which it collects for building purposes.
The Firewood-gatherer is a resident in Argentina,
and pairs for life. Sometimes the young birds remain
with their parents for a period of three or four months,
all the family going about and feeding in company,
and roosting together in the oíd nest. The nest and the
tree where it is placed are a favourite resort all the
year round. Here the birds sit perched a great deal,
and repeat at intervals a song or cali, composed of four
or five loud ticking chirps, followed by a long trilling
note. They feed exclusively on the ground, where
they creep about, carrying the body horizontally and
intently searching for insects. When disturbed they
hurry to their usual refuge, rapidly beating their very
feeble wings, and expanding the broad acuminated
tail like a fan. When the male and female meet at their
nest, after a brief separation, they sing their notes in
concert, as if rejoicing over their safe re-union; but
they seldom sepárate, and Azara says that when one
i88 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

incubates the other sits at the entrance to the nest, and

that when one returns to the nest with food for the
young the other accompanies it, though it has found
nothing to carry.
To build, the Añumbi makes choice of an isolated
tree in an open situation, and prefers a dwarf tree with
very scanty foliage; for small projecting twigs and
leaves hinder the worker when carrying up sticks.
This is a most laborious operation, as the sticks are
large and the bird’s flight is feeble. If the tree is to its
liking, it matters not how much exposed to the winds
it may be, or how cióse to a human habitation, for the
bird is utterly unconcerned by the presence of man.
I have frequently seen a nest in a shade or ornamental
tree within ten yards of the main entrance to a house;
and I have also seen several on the tail upright stakes
of a horse-corral, and the birds working quietly, with
a herd of half-wild horses rushing round the enclosure
beneath them, pursued by the men with lassoes. The
bird uses large sticks for building, and drops a great
many; frequently as much fallen material as would fill
a barrow lies under the tree. The fallen stick is not
picked up again, as the bird could not rise vertically
with its load, and is not intelligent enough, I suppose,
to recover the fallen stick and to carry it away thirty
yards from the tree and then rise obliquely. It con­
sequently goes far afield in quest of a fresh one, and
having got one to its liking, carefully takes it up exactly
by the middle, and, carrying it like a balancing-pole,
returns to the nest, where, if one end happens to hit
against a projecting twig, it drops like the first. The
bird is not discouraged, but, after a brief interview with
its mate, flies cheerfully away to gather more wood.
Durnford writes wonderingly of the partiality for
building in poplar trees shown by this bird in Buenos
 FIRE WOOD-GATHERER 189

Ayres, and says that in a tail tree the nest is sometimes

placed sixty or seventy feet above the ground, and that
the bird almost invariably rises with a stick at such a
distance from the tree as to be able just to make the
nest, but that sometimes failing it alights further down,
and then climbs up the twigs with its stick. He attri-
butes the choice of the tail poplar to ambitiorr, but the
Añumbi has really a much simpler and lowlier motive.
In the rich Buenos-Ayrean soil all trees have a super­
abundare of foliage, and in the slim Lombardy poplar
alone can the nest be placed where the bird can reach
it laden with building-material, without coming in
contact with long projecting twigs.
The nest of the Añumbi is about two feet in depth,
and from ten to twelve inches in diameter, and rests
in an oblique position amongst the branches. The
entrance is at the top, and a crooked or spiral passage-
way leads down to the lower extremity, where the
breeding chamber is situated; this is lined with wool
and soft grass, and five white eggs are laid, varying
considerably in form, some being much more sharply
pointed than others.
The nest, being so secure and comfortable an abode,
is greatly coveted by several other species of birds to
breed in; but on this subject I have already spoken
in the account of the genus Molotbrus. When deprived
of their nest, the birds immediately set to work to make
a new one; but often enough without being ejected
from the first they build a second nest, sometimes
demolishing the first to use the materials. I watched
one pair make three nests before laying; another pair
made two nests, and after the second was completed
they returned to the first and there elected to remain.
Two or three nests are sometimes seen on one tree,
and Azara says he has seen as many as six. Mr.
igo BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Barrows observed the bird at Concepción, where it is

very common, and writes that in that district the nest
is sometimes four feet long with an average diameter of
two feet, and that the same nest in some cases is used
for several seasons successively; also that several nests
are sometimes joined together and all occupied at
the same time.

CURVED-BILL RUSH-BIRD
{Limnornis curvirostris)
Above rufous-brown, brighter on the ramp; lores and super-
ciliaries white; wings and tail chestnut-brown; beneath white;
flanks and under tail-coverts palé brown; under wing - coverts
white; length 7 inches.

This species is found everywhere in marshy places

in the eastern part of the Argentine Republic, and is
also common in Uruguay, where Darwin discovered it.
It inhabits dense rush-beds growing in the water, and
is not found in any other situation. It pairs for life,
has a feeble flight, and flies with great reluctance, but
lives always in cióse concealment in one spot. It is,
however, very inquisitive, and when approached the
two birds creep up to the summit of the rushes and
utter peculiar loud, rattling, and j arring notes, as if
angrily protesting against the intrusión.
The rush-bird has a stout body and short graduated
tail, strong claws, and a slender curved beak three-
fourths of an inch long. The upper plumage is brown,
the tail rufous, the under surface and a mark
over the eye white.
 RED THORN-BIRD 191

RED THORN-BIRD
(JPhacellodomus ruber)
Above olive-brown, front chestnut; tail brownish chestnut;
beneath whitish, throat, breast, and flanks washed and mottled
with bright reddish brown; under wing-coverts and inner margins
of wing-feathers bright cinnamon; length 7 3 inches.

This is a common species throughout the eastern

portion of the Argentine country, and extends as far
south as the Southern boundary of the Buenos-Ayrean
province.
It is resident, living in pairs in places where there
are scattered thorny trees and bushes, and is never
found in deep woods. It never attempts to conceal
itself, but, on the contrary, sits exposed on a bush and
will allow a person to approach within three or four
yards of it. Ñor has it the restless manner of most
Synallaxine birds which live in the same places with
it, but moves in a slow, delibérate way, and spends a
great deal of time sitting motionless on its perch, occa­
sionally uttering its cali or song, composed of a series
of long, shrill, powerful notes in descending scale and
uttered in a very leisurely manner. It builds a large
oblong nest of sticks, about two feet deep, and placed
obliquely among the thorny twigs of a bush or low tree.
Mr. Barrows writes:
There are commonly two cavities in the nest, one being half open
to the weather, and forming the entrance, the other further back
and connected with the former by only a short passage-way, which
in many cases is reduced to a simple hole through a broad partition,
which alone separates them.

The eggs are four and of a puré white.

The bird described is one of a group of four species
found in Argentina. Of these the smallest and most
 192 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

interesting in its nesting habits is the Whistling Thorn-

bird, Phacellodomus sibilatrix.
It inhabits the thorny woods of the northern districts
of the Argentine country, but I have no reason to regret
that I have not personally observed this species, since
Mr. Barrows’ careful account of its nesting-habits leaves
nothing to be desired. He writes:

An abundant species among the open woods along the Uruguay,

and hardly distinguishable at ten paces from half a dozen others.
Its nest, however, is unmistakable. The birds begin by fixing a
few crooked and thorny twigs among the terminal sprays of some
slender branch which juts out horizontally from a tree, or rises
obliquely from near its base, and around these twigs as a nucleus
more are gathered, until by the time the nest has reached the proper
size, its weight has bent the branch so that its tip points directly
to the earth. Nests which are thus begun at a distance of fifteen
or twenty feet from the ground are often only two or three feet
from it when finished, and a thorough soaking by a heavy rain will
sometimes weigh them down until they actually touch. They are
more or less oval or cylindrical in shape, and commonly about two
feet long by twelve or fifteen inches in diameter, and contain from
a peck to a bushel of twigs and thoms. The nest-cavity within is
small in proportion to the size of the nest, and occupies its upper
part. It is reached by a more or less direct passage-way from below,
the external opening being very nearly at the lowest part of the nest,
though sometimes a little shelf, or even a pocket, is built on to the
side, forming a resting-place in front of the door.
The nests vary interminably in shape and size, but are pretty
constant in the material used; this being almost always irregular
and thorny twigs of various trees growdng in the neighbourhood,
while the interior is formed of less thorny twigs and with some wool
and hair. Usually, also, if the material be at hand, a quantity of
oíd dry horse-droppings is placed loosely on the top of the nest,
and gradually becomes felted into it, rendering it more nearly
waterproof. In place of this I have frequently found quantities
of broken straw, weed-stalks, grass, and even chips; all doubtless
collected from the ridges of drift which the last overflow of the river
had left near at hand. So compactly is the whole nest built, that it
often lasts more than one year, and may sometimes serve the same
pair two successive summers. More often, however, a new nest is
built directly above the oíd one, which serves as a foundation, and
occasionally as many as three nests are seen thus on the same
branch-tip, two of them at least being occupied. When other
 RED THORN-BIRD 193
branches of the same tree are similarly loaded, and other trees cióse
at hand also bear the same kind of fruit, the result is very picturesque.
The eggs, which are white, are laid from ist October to ist January,
but many of the birds work at nest-building all the winter, sometimes
spending months on a single nest.

RUFOUS CACHALOTE
(Homorus lophotes)
Above bright brown, with olive tinge on the back; crest feathers
dark brown; quills blackish; tail bright chestnut; beneath duller
brown, throat rufous; bilí bright blue, eye white; length 9-8 inches.

This interesting species inhabits the north and north-

western parts of the Argentine territory; in the province
of Buenos Ayres its presence is confined to the narrow
strip of subtropical wood fringing the low shores of the
Plata river.
When surprised, its white eye, blue dagger-like beak,
and raised crest give it a strikingly bold and angry
appearance, the effect of which is heightened by the
harsh, rasping, jay-like scream it utters when disturbed.
This resentful look is deceptive, however, for the bird
is the shyest creature imaginable. Its language has the
shrill excited character common to this most loquacious
family; and at intervals throughout the day two birds,
male and female, meet together and make the woods
echo with their screaming concert. For many weeks
after I had become familiar with these loud-sounding
notes, while collecting in the littoral forest where it
is found, the bird was still to me only a “wandering
voice”; but I did not give up the pursuit till I had seen
it several times and had also secured two or three speci­
mens. I found one nest, though without eggs, a rough-
looking domed structure, made with material enough
to fill a barrow. I also discovered that the bird feeds
N
194 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

exclusively on the ground, cióse to the boles of low-

branching trees, where there is usually an accumulation
of fallen bark, dead leaves, and other rubbish. Here
the bird digs with its sharp beak for the small insects
it preys on. When approached it does not fly away, but
runs swiftly to the nearest tree, behind the trunk of
which it hides, then scuttles on to the next tree, and so
escapes without showing itself.
Mr. Barrows, who observed the Cachalote at Con­
cepción, says that it is a bird which cannot be over-
looked, with an outrageous disposition and voice, and
a nest the size of a barrel. He gives the following account
of its nidification:
His nest is built entirely of sticks, and many of them of goodly size,
frequently as large round as your little finger and two feet or more
long. These are disposed in such a way as to form a structure three
or four feet in length by about two in breadth at the widest part,
the whole very much resembling a gigantic powder-flask lying on
its side among the lower branches of a spreading tree. It is quite
loosely built and the nest-cavity is rather indefinite, being any
portion of the floor of the nest which the bird selects for the re-
ception of the eggs. These are usually three or four in number,
puré white, and are laid from October until January. They can
usually be counted through the loose floor of the nest, though
sometimes its thickness prevenís this.

LAUGHING CACHALOTE
{Homorus gutturalis)
Nearly uniform earthy grey, faintly tinged with olivaceous brown
above, and much paler beneath; lores and upper part of throat
puré white, lower part of throat black, or white and black mixed;
under wing-coverts white, faintly tinged with palé cinnamon; beak
and feet bluish grey; length 9-4 inches.
I found this bird quite common on the dry open plains
in the neighbourhood of the Rio Negro in Patagonia.
In size, form, and crest it is like the northern Cachalote,
 LAUGHING CACHALOTE 195

but has a white throat, while the rest of the plumage

is of a palé earthy brown instead of rufous. Like the
Rufous Cachalote it is also shy in disposition, and,
being so dull in colour and without the bright beak
and eye tints, has not the bold, striking appearance
of that species; still I do not think any ornithologist
can meet with it and fail to be strongly impressed
with its personality, if such a word can be applied
to a bird.
Dendrocolaptine birds are, as a rule, builders of big
nests and very noisy; H. gutturalis is, I believe, the
loudest screamer and greatest builder of the family.
Male and female live together in the same locality all
the year; the young, when able to fly, remain with
their parents till the breeding-season, so that the birds
are found occasionally in pairs, but more frequently
in families of five or six individuáis. When feeding
they scatter about, each bird attaching itself to a large
bush, scraping and prodding for insects about the roots;
and at intervals one of the oíd birds, ascending a bush,
summons the others with loud shrill cries, on which
they all hurry to the place of meeting, and from the
summits of the bushes burst forth in a piercing chorus,
which sounds at a distance like screams of hysterical
laughter. At one place where I spent some months,
there were some bushes over a mile and a quarter from
the house I lived in, where these birds used to hold
frequent meetings, and in that still atmosphere I could
distinctly hear their extravagant cries at that distance.
After each performance they pursue each other, passing
from bush to bush with a wild jerky flight, and uttering
harsh excited notes.
They select a low, strong, wide-spreading bush to
build inj^the nest, which is made of stout sticks, is
perfectly spherical and four to five feet deep, the chamber
196 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

inside being very large. The opening is at the side, near

the top, and is approached by a narrow arched gallery,
neatly made of slender sticks resting along a horizontal
branch, and about fourteen inches long. This peculiar
entrance no doubt prevenís the intrusión of snakes
and small mammals. The structure differs from all the
domed nests of other species of Wood-hewers in the
spaciousness of the cavity where the eggs are laid.
The dome removed, an eagle or vulture could breed
in it quite comfortably. So strongly made is the nest that
I have stood on the dome of one and stamped on it with
my heavy boots without injuring it in the least, and to
demolish one I had to forcé my gun barrel into it, then
prize it up by portions. I examined about a dozen of
these enormous structures, but they were all met with
before or after the laying season, so that I did not see
the eggs.

CLIMBING WOOD-HEWER
(Picolaptes angustirostris)
Above, head and neck blackish, with oblong whitish shaft-spots
on the crown and neck; broad superciliaries white, extending nearly
to the back and broken at their lower ends into shaft-spots; rest
of upper surface dull brown, brighter on the rump; wing-feathers
palé obscure chestnut; outer webs and broad tips of primaries
blackish; tail chestnut; sides of breast and belly thickly marked
with faint blackish stripes; under wing-coverts cinnamon; length
8 2 inches.

This is the only member of the genus Picolaptes as yet

met with within the limits of the Argentine Republic.
Azara found it abundant in Paraguay, and on this ac-
count named it the Common Climber, Trepador común.
In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitant, appearing
at the end of September. It is a solitary bird, never
 CLIMBING WOOD-HEWER 197

seen away from the woods, and invariably utters a loud

melancholy cry when passing from one tree to another.
It always alights on the trunk cióse to the ground,
clinging to the bark in a vertical position, supported
by the tail, and with head thrown far back in order to
give free play to the extremely long beak. Having
thus alighted, it progresses upwards by short hops,
exploring the crevices in the wood for small insects,
until it reaches the branches, when it flies off to the
next tree. It is in fact a Tree-creeper in its manner of
seeking its food.

RED-CAPPED BUSH-BIRD
(jThamno'philus ruficapillus)
Above olive-brown tinged with rufous; lores yellowish-white;
superciliaries and sides of head whitish grey; quills olive-brown;
tail black, the rectrices, except the middle pair, tipped and broadly
spotted on the inner webs with white; beneath whitish grey, every
feather transversely barred with black; length 6 2 inches. Female
like the male except that the tail is rufous brown and the markings
beneath scarcely perceptible.

The Red-capped Bush-bird, or Bush-lover, is one of

four species of its genus, which range as far south as
the Argentine country and are the only representatives
in it of the Family Formicaridae or Ant-birds. Like the
Tyrants and Wood-hewers it is confined to America,
but less diffused than those two families, being mostly
birds of the tropical forest región.
The present species is quite common in the eastern
provinces of Argentina, and extends south to Buenos
Ayres. It is a shy, solitary bird, found in woods and
thickets along the shores of La Plata; and utters occa­
sionally a singular low rasping note, its only language.
198 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

The nest is a slight shallow structure placed in a low

tree; the eggs are white, thinly spotted with reddish
brown. Probably this species is to some extent migratory,
as I have only observed it in the summer season.
Azara’s account of another species, the Larger
Bush-bird, Thamno'philus major, which inhabits Para­
guay and North Argentina, is prefaced by the follow­
ing interesting remarles on the birds of this genus
known to him:
These birds inhabit only the dense and tangled thickets, and never
show themselves outside of their hiding-place, except for a few
moments in the early morning and in the evening; but at no time
do they perch high on the trees, but keep always within a few feet
of the earth. They live in pairs; feed solely on insects caught in
the bushes which they frequent, or on the ground, on which, however,
the bird alights only to pick up its prey, and then returns to the
twig to aevour it. They are stationary, and fly only from one
thicket to another. Many of the species have a similar voice or
song, which is singular, powerful, and heard only in the love-season.
The cali is a trill of a single note rapidly reiterated, and loud enough
to be heard half a mile away; the cry being accompanied by
vibratory motions of the wings.

LITTLE COCK
(Rhino cryfita lanceolata)
Above, head and upper neck reddish brown with a fine white
shaft-stripe on each feather, the stripes being most conspicuous on
the crest-feathers; lower neck, back, rump, and wings greyish
olive; tail blackish; beneath, throat and upper part of breast
grey, becoming puré white on the middle of the belly; sides of
belly and flanks bright chestnut; lower part of belly and flanks
and under tail-coverts like the back; bilí horn-colour, feet black;
length 9 inches.

The last Passerine species to be described is the only

one known to me belonging to the singular South
American Family, Pteroptochidae. They are mostly
 LITTLE COCK 199

natives of Chili and the south-western extremity of the

South American continent, but have representatives
in the Andes of Ecuador and Columbia and the high
plateau of Central Brazil.
The vernacular ñame Gallito, or “Little Cock,” by
which this species is familiarly known in Patagonia,
cannot fail to strike everyone who sees the bird as
appropriate, for it struts and runs on the ground with
tail erect, looking wonderfully like a minute domestic
fowl. In the neighbourhood of Carmen, on the Rio
Negro, it is very abundant, and when I went there its
loud deep chirrup, heard from every side in the thicket,
quickly arrested my attention, just as the perpetual
chirping of the Sparrows did when I first landed in
England. In the interior of the country it is not nearly
so abundant, so that man’s presence has probably in
some way affected it favourably. Its habits amuse
and baffle a person anxious to make its acquaintance;
for it scarcely possesses the faculty of flight, and cannot
be driven up, but it is so easily alarmed, so swift of
foot, and so fond of concealment, that it is most difficult
to catch a sight of it. At the same time it is extremely
inquisitive, and no sooner does it spy an intruder in
the bush than the warning note is sounded, whereupon
every bird within hearing hops up into a thick thorn-
bush, where it utters every three or four seconds a loud
hollow chirp, and at intervals a violent scolding cry,
several times repeated. When approached they all
scuttle away, masked by the bushes, with amazing
swiftness, to take refuge at a distance, where the loud
protest is again resumed; but when the pursuer gives up
the pursuit in disgust and turns away, they immediately
follow him, so that he is perpetually encircled with
the same ring of angry sound, moving with him, coming
no nearer and never allowing its cause to be seen.
200 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

On three or four occasions I have seen one rise from

the ground and fly several yards with a feeble fluttering
flight; but when closely pursued in an open place they
seem incapable of rising. They generally fly down
from the top of a bush, but always ascend it by hopping
from twig to twig.
The nest is made in the centre of a thorny bush
two or three feet from the ground; and is round and
domed, with a small aperture at the side, and built
entirely of fine dry grass. The eggs are four in number
and puré white.

GLITTERING HUMMING-BIRD
(Chlorostilbon splendidus)
Head, upper parts, and wing-coverts golden bronze, inclining
to green on upper tail-coverts; wings purplish brown; tail black
glossed with green; throat and breast glittering emerald-green;
beak bright red; length 3 5 inches. Female bronze-green above and
grey beneath.

The Trochilidae, or Humming-birds, a distinctly South

American form, are one of the most numerous families
of birds on the globe, numbering over four hundred known
species, and ranging over the entire continent down to
Tierra del Fuego. How surprising then to find that of
this multitude of species no more than about a dozen are
found in the entire Argentine country! It only adds
to the surprise when it is found that humming-birds of
these few species are common enough throughout the
country. Even on the almost treeless grassy pampas
of Buenos Ayres which are unsuited to the habits of
this feathered forest sprite, one species at all events is
found everywhere. Personally I was acquainted with
 GLITTERING HUMMING-BIRD aoi

only three species, and I recall that when living on the

open pampas, every season when the white acacia at
my home was in flower we had an invasión of Humming-
birds. The plantation was divided by avenues of large
acacia trees, about a thousand in all, and as long as
the blossoms lasted the little glittering birds were to
be seen all over the place, in almost every tree, revel-
ling in the fragrant sweetness; but no sooner were the
flowers faded than they were gone, and thereafter two
or three pairs only remained to breed and spend the
summer months in the plantation. All these birds were
of one species—the Glittering Humming-bird, but on
going a few miles from home to the marsh and forest
on the low shores of the Plata river I would find the
other two species. I spent a summer bird-watching
in a herdsman’s hut in the marshy forest, and used to
go out at sunset to a small open space overgrown with
viper’s-bugloss in flower. There is no flower the Hum­
ming-bird likes so well, and he is most busy feeding
just before dark. Here, standing among the flowers, I
would watch the shining little birds coming and going,
each bird spending a minute or two sucking honey,
then vanishing back into the shadowy trees, and from
fifty to a hundred of them would always be in sight
all around me at a time. Here all three species were
feeding together; but I was familiar with the habits
of only one, the bird I describe here.

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 plan­
tations on the pampas, where there are flowers to which
it is partial, like those of the acacia tree, and its just
202 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

as sudden departure when the flowers have fallen, have

led me to conclude that its migration extends much
further south, probably into mid-Patagonia. Like most
Humming-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 move­
ments must seem idle. In the life-habits of the Trochi-
lidae 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 sepárate
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 cióse 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 bilí
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 sus­
pended to the thatch overhanging the eaves of a cottage,
 GLITTERING HUMMING-BIRD 203

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 tenuous and squeak-
ing notes, uttered in rapid succession when the bird is
perched. It is a song like that of the European Gold-
crest in shape, and resembles it in sound, but is less
musical, and more squeaky.

NACUNDA GOATSUCKER
(Podager nacundá)
Above brown with black vermiculations and blotches; wings
black with a broad white bar across the base of the primaries; four
outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with white; breast brown varie-
gated with black; chin fulvous; band across throat and belly white;
length 11, wing 95 inches. Female similar but without white on tail.

The specific ñame of this Goatsucker is from the

Guarani word Nacundá, which Azara tells us is the
Indian nickname for any person with a very large
mouth. In the Argentine country it has several ñames,
being called Dormilón (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 cali, 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
204 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
taking flight emits the syllable kuf in a hollow voice.
When flushed the bird rushes away with a wild zigzag
flight, cióse to the ground, then suddenly drops like
a stone, disappearing at the same time 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
somewhat less nocturnal than other species that seek
the shelter of thick woods or herbage during the hours
of light.
The Nacundá 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
oí the Night-jar, 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 individuáis, and will spend
months on the same spot, returning to it in equal num­
bers every year. One summer a flock of about two
hundred individuáis 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 cióse
together, until they disappeared from sight. Next
morning I found that they had gone.
 NACUNDA GOATSUCKER 205

In Entrenos, 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
Night-hawk (Chordeiles virginianus), somewhat, but are
of course much larger, and have a distinct reddish
tinge. “We found the birds not uncommon near Bahia
Blanca, iyth February, 1881, but elsewhere on the
Pampas we did not observe them.”
There are altogether cióse on fifty species of Goat-
suckers in South America; of these, six are found in
Argentina. I only knew two; the one here described
and the small species Antrostomus parvulus, which is
rare in Buenos Ayres.

RED-CRESTED WOODPECKER
(Chryso'ptilus cristatus)
Above black barred with white; rump white with black spots;
top of head black, nape scarlet; sides of head white, bordered with
black; beneath white, yellowish on the neck, covered with round
black spots; throat white striped with black; tail black, lateral
rectrices slightly barred with yellow; length 10 5 inches. Female
similar.

South and Central America has not fewer than one

hundred and twenty species of Woodpeckers; in Argen­
tina there are only thirteen species known, and most
of these are confined to the northern and forest districts.
Five species range as far south as Buenos Ayres; of
these I was acquainted with the following four.
The Red-crested Woodpecker ranges as far south as
the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, and is not uncommon
2OÓ BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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, Colantes
agrícola. 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 a paper by Mr. Gibson:
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 exca-
vated to a depth of nearly a foot. Occasionally it is sufficiently wide
to admit of one’s hand, but such is not always the case. No pre-
paration 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 anyone 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 another 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
exclusión of the rightful owners.
 RED-CRESTED WOODPECKER 207

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
Entrenos. The latter tells us it is “abundant in the
woods everywhere, and conspicuous for its activity,
bright colours, and large size.”

PAMPAS WOODPECKER
(Colantes agrícola)
Above greyish white, transversely barred with black; wings
black with golden-yellow shafts, and white bars on the outer webs;
rump white with small black cross-bars; crested head black; sides
of head and neck in front yellow; malar stripe red; length 13
inches. Female similar, but without the red malar stripe.

The species commonly called Carpintero in the Argen­

tine 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 verti­
cally 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
Speciesin his chapter on Instinct^ these birds have, to
some slight extent, been modified structurally in accord-
ance with their less arboreal habits, the beak being
weaker, the rectrices less stiff, and the legs longer than
in other Woodpeckers. In South Brazil and Bolivia
208 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the Colaptes campestris represents this group, in Chili

C. pitius, and in the Argentine country C. agrícola.
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 quote it in full.
Though this ñame (Campestre) seems inappropriate for any
Woodpecker, no other bettes describes the present species, since it
never enters forests, ñor 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 concealed, 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, on the trunks or branches, whether horizontal
or upright, sometimes in a clinging position, and sometimes cross-
wise 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, highly polished
shells, and breeds in holes which it excavates in oíd walls of mud
or of unbaked brick, adso on the banks of streams; and the eggs are
laúd 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 oíd mud-walls suitable for breeding-places, the bird
resorts to the big solitary ombú tree (Pircunia dioica),
which has a very soft wood, and excavates a hole seven
to nine inches deep, inclining upwards near the end,
and terminating in a round chamber.
This reversal to an ancestral habit, which (consider-
ing the modified structure of the bird) must have been
lost at a very remóte 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 ombú trees growing
 PAMPAS WOODPECKER 209

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 Concepción,
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 cióse at hand, and easily heard a mile or more
away. They spend much time on the ground, and I often found
the bilis oí those shot quite muddy. A nest found near Concepción,
6th November, 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 región about the Sierra da la Ventana we saw this bird
about holes on the banks of the stream, where it doubtless had nests.

RINGED KINGFISHER
(fieryle torquata}
Above greyish blue with narrow black shaft-stripes and small
round white spots; wings black with a portion of the inner webs
towards the base white, tail black barred with white; beneath
chestnut-red; throat and belly white; length 15 inches. Female
similar but with broad blue pectoral band.

This beautiful bird, the largest of the American King-

fishers, is found throughout the greater portion of South
and Central America. In Argentina it is not common
but is widely distributed and is known both in Buenos
Ayres and Patagonia. In Southern Patagonia it varies
in colour and is of a slatey grey-blue on the upper
parts, thickly sprinkled like a guinea-fowl with minute
round white spots, henee the specific ñame stellata,
bestowed on it by some ornithologists who regard it
as a sepárate species.
o
210 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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, however,
is placed very much deeper in the bank than in the case of the last-
named bird, the hole being from four to six feet in depth, with a
chamber at the end sufficiently large for the young birds when
nearly full-grown.

Two other species of Kingfishers range as far south

as the Buenos Ayres pampas. The first, a third less
in size than the Ringed Kingfisher, is the Amazonian
Kingfisher, Ceryle amazona, its colour above dark
green, beneath white with a broad chestnut pectoral
band. In Buenos Ayres this bird was fairly common
and was usually seen in pairs. Its cry is exceedingly
loud, hard, and abrupt, and so rapidly reiterated as
to give it a sound resembling 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 surprise. 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.
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 culti­
vated lands. These canals are in places bordered with
brushwood and trees, and are tolerably deep, with a
swiftly flowing current, and abound in small fishes, so
 RINGED KINGFISHER 211

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 some­
times ascends the smaller streams a short distance. It
is much more easily approached than C. torquata.
The other species, the smallest of its family in South
America, the Little Kingfisher, Ceryle americana, is
about the size of the European Kingfisher, and re­
sembles the last one described in its colouring. In its
habits and language it also resembles the C. amazona.
It should be noted that the Kingfishers are poorly
represented in South America, there being but eight
species known in the entire continent, and these all of
the one genus Ceryle. In the Oíd World there are one
hundred and twenty species known, and many genera.

GÜIRA CUCKOO
{Güira piririgua)
Above dark brown with white shaft-stripes; head brown; wings
reddish brown; rump white; tail white, crossed by a broad black
band, the two central feathers uniform brown; beneath dull white;
throat and breast with long linear black shaft-stripes; bilí and feet
yellow; length 15 inches. Female similar.

Piririgua, the specific term adopted by naturalists

for this bird, is, according to Azara, the vernacular
ñame of the species in Paraguay. He says 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 ñame is Urraca
212 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

(Magpie). In the last-named country it is not yet quite

in harmony with its environment. Everywhere its habit
is to feed exclusively on the ground, in spite of possess­
ing feet formed for climbing; but its very scanty
plumage, slow laborious flight, and long square tail, so
unsuitable in coid boisterous weather, show that the
species is a still unmodified intruder from the región of
perpetual summer many degrees nearer to the equator.
The Güira 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 deep fuscous, marked with white and palé
brown. Under surface dull white, with hair-like black
marks on the throat and breast. The tail is square,
nine to ten 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 its tail, spread out like a
fan, forms a conspicuous and beautiful object.
During the inclement winter of Buenos Ayres the
Güira Cuckoo is a miserable bird, and appears to suffer
more than any other creature from coid. In the evening
the flock, usually composed of from a dozen to twenty
individuáis, gathers on the thick horizontal branch of
a tree sheltered from the wind, the birds crowding cióse
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 to­
gether a severe frost is sure to prove fatal to one or
more birds in the flock; and sometimes several birds
that have dropped from the branch stiff with coid are
found under the trees in the morning. If the morning
 GÜIRA CUCKOO 213

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 spiritless
attitude they spend an hour or two warming their
blood and drying 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 its fecundity and to an abundance of food
that the Güira Cuckoo is able to maintain its existence
so far south in spite of its terrible enemy the coid.
With the return of warm weather this species becomes
active, noisy, and the gayest of birds; the flock con­
stantly 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, composed of a series of
long modulated whistling notes, two-syllabled, the first
powerful and vehement, and becoming at each repeti-
tion 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 rattling 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
314 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

plucked from the trees. The eggs are large for the
bird, and usually six or seven in number; but the
number varíes 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 may be easily washed off with coid 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, Pichón 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 unpleasant both to sight and smell. There is some­
thing 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 cióse to
my home, and every time we heard the parent bird
hastening to her nest with food in her beak, and utter­
ing her plaintive cries, we used to’run to the door to
hear them. As soon as the oíd bird reached the nest
they would burst forth into such wild extravagant peáis
and continué them so long that we could not but think
it a rare amusement to listen to them.
According to Azara the Güira Cuckoo in Paraguay
has very friendly relations with the Ani (Crotophaga
ani), 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.
 GÜIRA CUCKOO 315

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 Tinamu 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 individuáis passed
the winter in the trees about my home, and in spring
scattered about the plantation, screaming and chatter-
ing 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
in 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.
When taken young the Güira 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
2l6 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

State resemble the Magpie. I knew one tame Cuckoo

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.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO
(Coccyzus metanocorypbus)
Above palé greyish brown; head cinereous, a black stripe through
the eyes; beneath white, tinged with ochreous; tail black, tipped
with white, the two central feathers like the back; length 115
inches. Female similar.

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 individuáis re-appear
faithfully every spring in every orchard or plantation on
the pampas. At intervals its voice is heard amidst the
green trees—deep, hoarse, and somewhat human-like in
sound, the song or cali 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 insects and caterpillars, for which it searches
amongst the weeds and bushes near the ground.
The nest is the flimsiest structure imaginable, being
 BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO 217

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 fíat is it that 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.
There are three more species in Argentina of the
characteristic American genus Coccyzus; one of these
which I discovered to be an Argentine species being
the common Yellow-billed Cuckoo of North America,
Coccyzus americanus. I met with it in plantations on
the pampas, but always in the late summer or autumn
months—February to April—and am therefore unable
to say whether or not it breeds in that district. It
may be that this Cuckoo, like some of the Sandpipers
and other shore birds of North America, extends its
annual migration south to the pampas and Patagonia.
But it is hardly believable that any Cuckoo could make
that journey. If not, one must suppose that this
Cuckoo, like the Purple Martin, has two races, which
may have their meeting-ground in the tropics; at all
events both winter in the tropics, and to breed one
flies north in May, the other south in September.
Another interesting species is the Cinereous Cuckoo,
Coccyzus cinereus, of a nearly uniform ashy grey colour
with black bilí. This 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,
2l8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 cali, 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
cali, which it repeats at short intervals all day long
during the love-season, resembles the song of our little
Dove (Columbula -picuí), 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.
Of the thirty species of Cuckoos inhabiting South
America eight are found in Argentina. Four of the five
species described above were known to me; the remain-
ing three did not range so far south as Buenos Ayres
—“my parish of Selborne,” as I have ventured to cali
it in the Naturalist in La Plata—but they are such
interesting birds that I cannot resist the temptation of
giving a brief account of their habits in this place.
The Ani, Crotophaga ani, is about the size of our
Magpie, and is one of the strangest of this strange
family, with the plumage and some of the habits of a
crow, being almost entirely of a 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 Román nose,
occupying 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 Paraguay,
 BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO 219

and goes in flocks, associating with the Güira 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 out­
wardly 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.
The second species is the Brown Cuckoo, Diplopterus
navius, called Crispin in the vernacular and found
throughout the hot portion of South America, and in
different districts varying considerably in size and
colouring. It is about twelve inches long, the beak
much curved; 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 at the opposite side of the tree
when approached, and when seen having the head and
crest raised in an attitude of alarm. In the northern
220 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

part of the Argentine country it is called Crispin, from

its note which clearly pronounces that ñame. Mr.
Barrows found it common at Concepción on the Uruguay
river, and has written the following notes about it:
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 or behind you — even when the
note itself is distinctly 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 sprang 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 who
enters them, calling after him “Crispin, Crispin” if by
chance it should be her lost brother.
The last species is the Chestnut Cuckoo, Piaya cayana.
This is a widely spread form of Cuckoo in Central and
South America, and reaches the northern territories of
 BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO 221

the Argentine Republic, having been obtained by Durn-

ford near Tucuman, and by White in Misiones. The
whole bird is about eighteen inches long, and the tail
very long in proportion, about eleven 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 Pájaro
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 cali
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 Güira.
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.

PATAGONIAN PARROT
{Conurus patagonus}
Above dark olive-green; wings edged with bluish; lower part of
back yellow; beneath olive-green, darkest on throat; whitish
band across the neck; belly yellow, with patch in the middle and
thighs dark crimson; length 18, wing 92, tail 10 5 inches. Female
similar.
This Parrot, called in La Plata the Bank- or Burrowing-
Parrot, from its nesting-habits, is the only member of
222 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 Euro­
peans. 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 Paraná 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 oíd gauchos
that half a century before my time they invariably
appeared in immense flocks in winter, and have since
gradually diminished in numbers, until now in that
district the Bank-Parrot is almost a thing of the past.
Two or three hundreds of miles south of Buenos Áyres
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 Empetrum 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
 PATAGONIAN PARROT 223

that pandemónium 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
excávate in a perpendicular cliff or high bank, are placed
cióse 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 colony. The burrow is
three to five feet deep, and four white eggs are de-
posited on a slight nest at the extremity. I have
only tasted the oíd 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 individuáis
I have seen tame were unable to articúlate.
Doubtless these Parrots were originally stray colonists
from the tropics, although now resident in so coid 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 crim­
son; and when seen flying at a distance, or in cloudy
weather, they look as dark as crows.

GREEN PARRAKEET
(Bolborhynchus monachus)
Green; front grey; wings blackish with slight bluish edgings;
beneath grey; bilí whitish; length n inches. Female similar.

The Common Green Parrakeet, called Cotorra or Catita

in the vernacular, is a well-known resident species in
the Argentine Republic. It is a lively, restless bird,

X
224 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 intelligence 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 the Atlantic coast, there
is still a large colony of these birds inhabiting the Tala
woods (Celtis tala), and I take the following facts from
one of his papers, contributed many years ago to the
Ibis, 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 communities.
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 follow a whirring
of wings and an outburst of screams that spread 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,
 GREEN PARRAKEET 325

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 (the Carrion Eagle and Car-
rion Hawk), but mob any other bird of prey appearing
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 inter-
woven, form the only material, and there is no lining
in the breeding-chamber, even in the breeding-season.
Some oíd 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 over-
hanging eave to prevent the intrusión 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 are 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 Parra­
keets 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
p
226 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 ist November, 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 Con­
cepción through the entire year. It is commonly seen in flocks of
twenty and upwards, visiting grain-fields, gardens, etc., and some­
times, if I was correctly informed, completely stripping the grain-
fields. They nest in communities, many pairs uniting in the build­
ing of a large common nest or mass of nests. I only saw these nests
on two occasions, and had no opportunity of examining their struc­
ture. 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 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 articúlate a few simple words.

SHORT-EARED OWL
{Asió brachyotus}
Above variegated with fulvous and blackish brown; face whitish,
with black centre; wings palé tawny, with irregular broad blackish
cross-bars; tail whitish, with four or five broad black cross-bands;
beneath as above, but paler; bilí black, eyes orange; length 15,
wing 13, tail 6 inches. Female similar but larger.

There are but six Owls known in Argentina, a very

small number in so vast a country when we remember
that England alone has five species without counting
the occasional visitants. It is also surprising to find
that two of the Argentine Owls are well-known British
 SHORT-EARED OWL 227

species—the Barn Owl and the wide-ranging Short-

eared Owl. Of the six species I was acquainted with
five, and will describe the two I knew most intimately,
the Short-eared and the Burrowing Owls. The White
or Barn Owl I occasionally saw in Buenos Ayres city,
but always at night: the noble Magellanic Eagle Owl
and the small Pigmy Owl I met with on the Rio Negro
in Patagonia.

The Short-eared Owl is found throughout the Argen­

tine country, where it is commonly called Lechuzón
(Big Owl) in the vernacular. Like 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
Cañada down to the Straits of Magellan. Such a very
wide distribution would seem to indicate that it
possesses some advantage 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 I am sure is a great mistake, for it seems
to me to be 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 due in some 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 unoccupied or favourable ground.
The bird loves an open country, and sits by day on
the ground concealed amongst the herbage or tail grass.
An hour before sunset it quits its hiding-place and is
seen perched on a bush or tail stalk, or sailing about a
228 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 intrusión 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 individuáis 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 to
five, white, and nearly spherical.
The Short-eared Owl was formerly common every­
where on the pampas, where the coarse indigenous
grasses afforded the shelter and conditions best suited
to it. When in time this oíd 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 Tinamu
(Rhynchotis rufescens), the Red-billed Finch (Embernagra
platensis), and various other species; for the smooth
level plains afforded it no shelter. Now, however,
with the spread of cultivation, it has re-appeared, and
is once more becoming a common bird in the more
settled districts.
 BURROWING-OWL 229

BURROWING-OWL
(S'peotyto cunicularia)
Above dark sandy brown, with large white oval spots and small
spots and freckles of palé brown; wings with broad whitish cross-
bars; facial disk greyish brown; beneath white; length 10, wing
75, tail 3 5 inches. Female similar, but larger.

The Burrowing-Owl is abundant everywhere on the

pampas of Buenos Ayres and avoids woods, but not
districts abounding in scattered trees and bushes. It
sees much better than most Owls by day, and never
affects concealment ñor 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 intrusión. By day it flies near
the surface with wings continuously flapping, and
invariably before alighting glides upwards for some
distance 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 or
twenty minutes. As a boy I have myself taken many.
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 cióse together as to be almost touching;
when alarmed they both fly away, but sometimes the
230 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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,
and 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 widespread supersti-
tions regarding the Owl. “Sister of the Evil Spirit”
is one of their ñames 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 tenacious of the spot they live in, and
are not easily driven out by cultivation. 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
 BURRO WING-OWL 231

hot November days multitudes of a large species of

Scarab&us appear, and the bulky bodies and noisy
bungling flight 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 for the wounds inflicted by
the claws to do their work.
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 individuáis responding to each other.
In the evening they are often seen hovering like a
Kestrel 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 overeóme 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
232 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 themselves with their wings.
They prey largely on the common Coronelía anómala,
but I have never seen one attacking a venomous species.
When they have young many individuáis become de­
structive 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 oíd 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 (Lagostomus trichodactylus) and occasion­
ally breed in one of their disused burrows, as a rule
they excávate 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, however,
varies, and I have frequently found six or seven eggs
in a nest. After the female has begun laying the birds
continué 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 abundant, the floor and ground about the
entrance being often littered with castings, green beetle-
shells, pellets of hair and bones, feathers of birds, hind-
 BURRO WING-OWL 233

quarters of frogs in all stages of decay, great hairy

spiders (Mygale), 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. Oíd 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 mammals 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 oíd ones as
had become choked up with rubbish, to deepen such
as were too shallow, and ultimately to excávate for
itself. The mining instinct varíes 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. Gener­
ally 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 some­
times the female has no assistance from her partner,
234 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
and the burrow then is very short. Some pairs work
expeditiously 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 September they all have their burrows made.
I can only account for Azara’s unfortunate statement,
repeated by scores of compilers, that the Owl never
constructs its own habitations, by assuming that a
century ago, when he lived and when 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.

ARGENTINE HEN-HARRIER
(Circus cinereus)
Above light bluish grey with darker mottlings; primaries blackish;
tail grey with four black cross-bands and tipped with white; beneath
thickly banded with white and rufous bars; bilí black, eyes and feet
yellow; length 18, wing 12 inches. Female large; above dark
brown, with light brown spots.

There are two species of Harriers in Argentina, the

Broad-winged Harrier, C. macropterus, with a black
upper and white lower plumage, and the present species,
named Cinereous Harrier in Argentine Ornothology, but
I prefer now to cali it the Argentine Hen-Harrier, as
at a distance it closely resembles the European Hen-
Harrier, although a handsomer bird.
This hawk is found throughout the Argentine
 ARGENTINE HEN-HARRIER 235

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 abun­
dant 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 carease 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, while if its quarry should
double it loses no ground, for it turns something 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 individuáis,
however, remain all the 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.
236 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

VOCIFEROUS HAWK
(Asturina Qucherani)
Above dark brown; upper tail-coverts fulvous, barred with
brown; wings chestnut barred and broadly tipped with black;
tail fulvous, crossed with four black bars; beneath palé ochraceous,
barred with rufous; bilí black, feet yellow; length 18 inches.
Female larger.
This brown-plumaged, short-winged, and exceedingly
vociferous Hawk is common in the woods along the
shores of the Plata and its tributarles, 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.

WHITE-TAILED buzzard
(Buteo albicaudatus)
Above greyish black, scapulars and upper wing-coverts ferru-
ginous; rump and tail white, the latter with a broad black band;
throat black, beneath white; bilí black, feet yellow; length 21,
wing 18 inches. Female similar but larger.
This Buzzard does not breed on the pampas, where
I have observed it, but appears there in the spring
 WHITE-TAILED BUZZARD 237

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 sometimes 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 coleopterous 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 plan­
tation trees, and passing the day scattered about the
adj acent plain, feeding on grasshoppers and beetles.
This flock left when the weather turned coid; but at
another estancia a flock appeared later in the season
and remained all the winter. The birds became so
reduced in flesh that after very coid 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.
238 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

RED-BACKED BUZZARD
(Buteo erythronotus)
Above slatey blue; wing feathers slatey with narrow black bars;
upper tail-coverts and tail white, the latter crossed with narrow
grey bars and broad black band; beneath white; bilí dark horn-
colour; feet yellow; length 25, wing 18 5 inches. Female similar,
but back deep chestnut.

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 puré 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 región 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, cali it the “White Horse,” owing to its
conspicuous white colour often deceiving them when
they are out searching for strayed horses on the hills.
It is a wary bird, and when approached has the habit
 RED-BACKED BUZZARD 239
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 individuáis 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 towards the
large end, with two shades of umber-brown.

GREY EAGLE
(Geranoaétus melanoleucus)
Above black, wings grey with narrow transverse black bars; tail
black; throat grey; breast black with round whitish spots; abdomen
white; bilí horn-colour, feet yellow; length 26, wing 19 inches.

The Grey or Chilian Eagle, like most diurnal birds of

prey, undergoes many changes of colour, the plumage
at different periods having its brown, black, and grey
stages: in the oíd 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 its resemblance to that
240 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

bird. Cavíes and small mammals are its usual prey;

and in the autumn and winter, when the Pigeons
congrégate 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 re-appear 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,
careases of seáis, 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 inaccessible rock or precipice, but not infrequently
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
palé reddish blotches.
Mr. Gibson compared its cry to a “wild human
laugh,” and also writes:
Its whereabouts may often be detected by an attendant flock
of Caranchos (Polyborus Iharus), 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 Cbili, describes the
affectionate and amusing habits of an Eagle of this
species which he had tamed. It took great delight in
 GREY EAGLE 241
playing with his hand, and would seize and pretend
to hite 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.

CROWNED EAGLE
(Harpyhaliaetus coronatus)
Above ashy brown, with a long crest of darker feathers; wings
grey with blackish tips; tail black with a broad white median band
and white tip; beneath palé ashy brown; length 33, wing 22
inches. Female similar but larger.

I met with this fine Eagle on the Rio Negro, in Pata­

gonia, where d’Orbigny also found it; the entire
Argentine territory comes, however, within its range.
Having merely seen it perched on the tail 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 pesti-
lential 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 dispatches. It would
not matter at all whether the Eagle dropped from a
Q
242 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

great or a modérate height, for in either case the skunk

would receive its enemy with the usual pestilent
discharge. D’Orbigny’s account is, however, puré
conjecture, and though he does not tell us what led him
to form such a conclusión, 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
oíd 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 con-
sidering 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 effect on the lower animáis
as on man, very quickly makes it abandon the contest.
It is certain that pumas make the same mistake 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. We 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
 CROWNED EAGLE 243

birds. If skunks could be easily conquered by Eagles,

they would not be so numerous or so neglectful of
their safety as we find them.

PEREGRINE FALCON
{Falco peregrinus)
Above plumbeous, lightest on the rump, more or less distinctly
barred with black; head and cheeks black; beneath white tinged
with cinnamon; abdomen and thighs traversed by narrow black
bands; cere and feet yellow; length 20, wing 14 inches. Female
similar; a third larger.

The Peregrine Falcon is found throughout the Argen­

tine Republic, but is nowhere numerous, and is not
migratory; ñor 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 motion­
less, 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 birds, 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
244 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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
vertebra 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 with 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.

ARGENTINE HOBBY
{Falco fusco-carulescens)
Above dull slatey black, rump variegated with white; superciliaries
prolonged and meeting behind, rufous; beneath throat and breast
palé cinnamon with black shaft-stripes on the breast; belly black
with white transverse Unes; wings and tail blackish with transverse
white bars; bilí yellow tipped with black, feet orange; length
13 5, wing io inches. Female similar but larger.
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
 ARGENTINE HOBBY 345
of the hotter región. It is a Patagonian bird, the most
common Falcon in that country, and is migratory,
wintering in the Southern and central Argentine
provinces. In its winter home it is solitary, and fond
of hovering about farmhouses, where it sits on a tree or
post and looks out for its prey. Compared with the
Peregrine it has a 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:
Surface rough with white projecting points; colour nearly uni-
form dirty wood-brown; general appearance as if it had been rubbed
in brown mud.

ARGENTINE KESTREL
(Tinnunculus cinnamominus)
Above reddish cinnamon with irregular black cross bands on the
back; 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; tail cinnamon red with broad black band and white
tip; beneath white with buff tinge, and irregular oval black spots;
length 10-5, wing 7-7 inches. Female similar but larger.

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 individuáis, however, do not migrate, as I found
when residing at the Rio Negro, where some pairs
246 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 Parrakeet. It lays
four eggs, large for the size of the bird, oval in shape,
and white, 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 frolic-
some spirit, which is more probable.
Thus I have seen one drive up a flock of Glossy
Ibises and pursue them some distance, striking and
buffeting them with the greatest energy. I saw another
pounce down from its perch, where it had been sit­
ting for some time, on a female skunk quietly seated
at the entrance of her burrow, with her three half-
grown young frolicking around her. I was watching
them with extreme 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.
 WHITE KITE 247

WHITE KITE
{Elanus leucurus}
Above palé grey; lesser wing-coverts and scapulars black; tail
white, the two middle feathers grey; beneath white; bilí black,
eyes crimson; feet yellow; length 14-5, wing 11, tail 7 inches.
Female similar but larger.

This interesting Hawk is found throughout the Argen­

tine Republic, but is nowhere numerous. It also inhabits
Chili, where, Gay says, it is called Bailarín (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
Martins, 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 recover-
ing itself, it shoots back to its original position. Where
there are tall Lombardy poplar-trees these birds amuse
themselves by perching on the topmost slender twigs,
balancing themselves with outspread wings, each bird
on a sepárate tree, until the tree-tops are swept by the
wind from under them, when they often remain poised
almost motionless in the air until the twigs return
to their feet.
When looking out for prey, this Kite usually main-
tains a height of sixty or seventy feet above the ground,
and in its actions strikingly resembles a fishing Tern,
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.
248 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

The nest is placed upon the topmost twigs of a tail

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 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 and exceedingly fragile, a
rare thing in the eggs of a Raptor.
An approach to the nest is always greeted by the
birds with long distressful cries, and this cry is also
uttered in the love-season, when the males often fight
and pursue each other in the air. The oíd and young
birds usually live together until the following spring.

SOCIABLE MARSH-HAWK
(Rostrohamus sociabilis)
Deep slatey grey; wing feathers black; rump white; tail white
with a broad grey band; eyes crimson, bilí and feet orange; length
17, wing 13 inches. Female similar but larger.

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 ñame 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
individuáis, 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
(Ampzillaria), on which they feed exclusively. Each
 SOCIABLE MARSH-HAWK 349
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 motion-
less 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 plañe 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 vertebrae of the tail must have been somewhat
modified by such a habit.
Concerning its breeding habits Mr. Gibson writes:
In the year 1873 I was so fortúnate 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 “ cañadon.” 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.
350 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

PIGMY FALCON
(S'pizia'pteryx circumcinctus)
Above brown with black shaft-stripes; head black with brown
stripes and white superciliaries which join round the nape; rump
white; wings black with white oval spots on the outer and white
bars on the inner webs; tail black, all but the central feathers
crossed by five or six broad white bars; beneath white, the breast
marked with narrow black shaft-stripes; beak plumbeous, lower
mandible yellow; feet greenish; length n, wing 6-5 inches. Female
similar, rather larger.

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 conspicuous in the air
and well known to the natives, who cali it Rey de los
Pájaros (King of the Birds) and entertain a very high
opinión of its energy 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 Güira Cuckoos, all excitedly screaming
and bent on dislodging it from its position. So long
as they kept away five or six feet from it the Hawk
remained motionless, only hissing and snapping occa­
sionally 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 after­
wards to its own stand.
 CHIMANGO 351

CHIMANGO, OR COMMON CARRION

HAWK
(Milvago chimango)
Upper plumage reddish brown; greater wing-coverts white with
slight brown cross-bars; tail greyish white, banded and freckled with
greyish brown. Under plumage grey, tinged with rufous on throat
and breast; length 15, wing 11, tail 6 5 inches. Sexes alike.

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 Chimango, which has
probably the largest bilí 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 vegetable-eater. On
the same day you will see one bird in violent Hawk-
like pursuit of its living prey, with all the instincts
of rapiñe hot within it, and another less ambitious
individual engaged in laboriously tearing at an oíd
cast-off shoe, uttering mournful notes the while, but
probably more concerned at the tenacity of the material
than at its indigestibility.
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 sub-family of
which even grave naturalists have spoken slightingly,
calling them vile, cowardly, contemptible birds; and
the Chimango is nearly least of them all—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
352 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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
extinction 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 bone or skin
—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
continúes until 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 individuáis, when they spend several
 CHIMANGO 253

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 on 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 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 oíd birds vanish also I
believe that the Chimango 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 among the hot ashes on roasted cavies and
other small mammals, and boldly pursuing the scorched
fugitives from the flames.
At all times and in all places the Chimango is ever
354 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 circumstance
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 lightning on a
Spur-wing Lapwing, which was pursuing it, and, grap-
pling it, bear it down to the ground and dispatch 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 off
or mutilated by these omnipresent robbers. One winter
day I carne across a fine Myiotheretes rufiventris, a pretty
and graceful Tyrant-bird, rather larger than the Com­
mon 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 was 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
 CHIMANGO 355
bush. There I captured it, and when skinning 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 them-
selves 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 him carry
off a young Tyrant-bird {Milvulus tyrannus) in the
face of such an attack from the parent birds that one
would have imagined not even a true Hawk could have
withstood. Curiously enough, like one of the boldest
of our small Hawks (Jlinnunculus cinnamominus), they
sometimes attack birds so much too strong and big for
them that they must know the assault will produce
356 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 deliber-
ately 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 inefflcient 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 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. Cióse 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 that path the male bird, which,
contrary to the rule with birds of prey, is larger and
 CHIMANGO 257
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 dis­
covered 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 rodé 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 diñe 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, Güira Cuckoos, and Tyrant-
birds, and clumsily gleans amongst the fresh-turned
mould for worms and larvae. He also attends the pigs
R
258 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

when they are rooting on the plain to share any succu-

lent treasure 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 days, 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 undisturbed by
any sense of incongruity.
Before everything, however, the Chimango is a vul­
ture, 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 has gone to
pasture, tearing at the eyes and tongue of a dead lamb
in the sheepfold. 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 neg-
lected, 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
meal. In winter a carcass attracts a great concourse
of the Black-backed Gulls; for with the coid weather
these Vultures of the sea abandon their breeding-places
 CHIMANGO 259
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, however, 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, re-
minding one of a public orator mounted on a rostrum
and addressing harrowing appeals to a crowd of atten-
tive listeners. When the carcass has been finally aban-
doned by foxes, armadillos, Gulls, and Caranchos, 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 ex­
clusively 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 Tíru-ríru del
campo by the natives, is excessively shy and mouse-
like in habits, seldom showing itself, and by means of
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, melancholy, trilling cali-
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 con­
cealed that I have searched every day for it through
26o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

a whole breeding-season without being rewarded with

a single find. Yet they are easily found by the Chi­
mango. 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 Tíru-ríru.
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 Dendro­
colaptine 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 ap­
proaches the solid fabric of the Oven-bird {Furnarius
rufus) when there are young in it, he will hear shrill
laughter-like notes and little choruses, like those uttered
by the oíd 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 these bring before us with startling vivid-
ness 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
 CHIMANGO 261

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 de-
struction through this one petty oversight—the irre-
pressible garrulity of the fledglings in their nest! It is,
however, no oversight at all; since the law of natural
selection is not prophetic in its action, and only pre­
serves such variations as are beneficial in existing
circumstances, without anticipating changes in the con­
ditions. 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 ex­
poses 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
eradle has called down an unlooked-for destróyer 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 re-adjust 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 forcé.
2Ó2 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

CARANCHO OR CARACARA
(Polyborus tharus)
Dark brown with whitish mottlings; head black; wings and tail
greyish white with greyish brown cross-bars and black tips; beneath
dark brown; throat and sides of head yellowish white; beak yellow;
cere orange. Sexes alike.

This bird, which combines the raptorial instincts of

the Eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the
Vulture, has already had so many biographers that it
might seem superfluous to speak of it again at any
great length; only it happens to be one of those very
versatile species about which there is always some­
thing fresh to be said; and, besides, I do not altogether
agree with the very ignoble character usually ascribed
to it by travellers. It is, however, probable, that it
varíes greatly in disposition and habits in different
districts. In Patagonia 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 coid, 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 sepárate lines, stronger than the composite and
less specialised Carancho. In Patagonia he is truly a
“miserable bird,” with a very frail hold on existence.
How different on that illimitable grassy ocean farther
north, where he is the lord of the feathered race, for
Eagles and Vultures, that require mountains and trees
to breed and roost on, do not come there to set him
aside; there the conditions are suited to him and have
 CARANCHO 263

served to develop in him a wonderfully bold and savage

spirit. When seen perched on a conical ant-hill, standing
erect above the tail 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 Vultures, 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 be­
lieve, Caracara. South of Paraguay the Spanish ñame
is Carancho, possibly a corruption of Keanché, the
Puelche ñame for the allied Milvago chimango, in imi-
tation of its peevish cry. The Indian ñame for the
Carancho in these regions is Irarú (from its harsh cry),
misspelt Iharú by Molina, a Spanish priest who wrote
a book on the birds of Chili in the eighteenth century;
henee the specific ñame ‘Iharus.
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 follow­
ing spring; and at all times several individuáis 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 continué 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 cali his mate to him and make her a present
264 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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.
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 congré­
gate to feed on its flesh within half an hour, although
not one had been previously visible. D’Orbigny de­
scribes the bird as a parasite on man, savage and
civilised, following him everywhere to feed on the
leavings when he slays wild or domestic animáis, 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 meat, 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
 CARANCHO 265

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 its claws, the beak being invariably
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 squeal-
ing prey to a height of twenty feet, then drop it from
his beak and gracefully catch it in his talons. Yet
when it pursues and overtakes a bird in the air it
invariably uses its 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 fallow field near my home one
day I carne on a Pigeon feeding, and at once recog-
nised it as one which had only begun 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 puré white
individuáis, but with very little success, for the Pere­
grines invariably singled them out for attack. A
Carancho was circling about at some distance over­
head, 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 mount-
ing aloft and now plunging downwards cióse to the
surface, the Carancho hotly following all the time.
266 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

At length, evidently in great terror, the hunted

bird flew down, alighting within a yard 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 cióse 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 continué
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 wings 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 continúes
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 cióse, 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 cióse by
and then passed on before it, the Hawk quickened its
 CARANCHO 267

flight in the most wonderful manner and was seen in

hot pursuit of its tormentar. 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
crowd about it and screaming their loudest. But the
Carancho was not to be 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 cap-
tive. Át 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 dis­
tance, 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 sepárate
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 the
Tinamu, the “Partridge” of South America; they prey
by preference on the young and ailing, on small lambs
and pigs left at a distance by their dams; and they
also frequently attack and kill oíd and weakly sheep.
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
268 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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
cali 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
Paraná 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 carease 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
carease, and cióse 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 soli­
tary White Egret. Presently four Caranchos appeared,
two adults and two young birds in brown plumage,
and alighted on the ground near the carease. The young
birds advanced at once and began tearing at the flesh;
while the two oíd birds stayed where they had alighted,
as if disinclined to feed on half-putrid meat. Presently
 CARANCHO 269

one of them sprang 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, first one then the other
Carancho also emerged from the cloud, evidently pur­
suing the Egret, and only then the two brown birds
sprang into the air and joined in the chase. For some
minutes I watched the four birds toiling upwards with
a wild zig-zag flight, while the Egret, still rising verti­
cally, 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
upwards 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 cióse 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
270 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

yards from the starting-point. Scarcely had it touched

the ground before the hungry quartet were tearing it
with their beaks. They were all equally hungry no
doubt, and perhaps the oíd birds were even more hungry
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 puré 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 white waterfowl, while, com­
pared with Swans, Storks, and the Wood-Ibis, 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. The scene was
witnessed by a beloved oíd gaucho friend of mine,
a good observer, 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 the spot; and
at once conjectured that some large animal had fallen
 CARANCHO 271

there, or that a traveller had been thrown from his

horse and was lying injured among 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 rodé into the open space of
ground, the oíd Ostrich sprang 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 difficulty 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 Caranchos were pursuing, knocking down, and
killing them. Meanwhile the oíd Ostrich was frantically
rushing about trying to save them; but the Caranchos,
when driven from one bird they were attacking, would
merely rise 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 strug­
gling to get the better of his horse, was then forced to
leave the place, and did not therefore see the end of
the 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 on the small of the neck just behind
 272 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the head, while in some cases the head had been

completely wrenched off.
The Gauchos when snaring Partridges (Tinamus)
frequently bribe the Caranchos to assist them. The
snarer has a long slender cañe with a small noose at
the extremity, and when he sights a Partridge he
gallops round it in circles until the bird crouches cióse
in the grass; then the circles are narrowed and the
pace slackened, while he extends the cañe 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, bare-faced 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 contests I have witnessed, the birds have
not been so blinded with passion as to fall the whole
distance before separating. Besides these single com-
bats, in which unpaired or jealous males engage in the
love-season, there are at all times occasional dissensions
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
 CARANCHO 273

cry of great power. This singular gesture of the

Carancho, unique among birds, seems to express very
forcibly a raging spirit.
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 tail 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 continué 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.

BLACK VULTURE
(Cath artes atratus)
Whole plumage black; head bare and black; length 25 inches,
wing 17-5 inches.

Three species of Vulture inhabit Argentina, all of the

American family Cathartidae; the first being the Great
Condor, Sarcorham'phus gryphus, found in the Andean
región and in Patagonia. Of this great and often-
described bird I can say next to nothing from personal
observation, as I met with it but once, and that was
on the sea-shore south of the Rio Negro. The second
s
274 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

is the well-known Turkey Buzzard of Southern North

America, Cathartes aura. His range extends south to
Patagonia, where I met with it and could always dis-
tinguish it from the common Black Vulture at a great
distance by its bright red, bare head and neck. It is,
however, far from common.
The Black Vulture, according to Dr. Burmeister,
is found throughout the Argentine pampas, but is
commoner in the east and north. It is known as the
Gallinazo at Mendoza, and Cuervo (Crow) in Tucuman.
Mr. Barrows tells us that he did not see it during his
residence at Concepción, 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 excursión through the sierras of
the pampas south of Buenos Ayres.
On the Rio Negro in Patagonia I found these Vul-
tures abundant, especially near the settlement of El
Carmen, where, attracted by the refuse of the cattle-
slaughtering establishments, they congregated in im­
mense 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. Edin., vi. 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
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.
 BRAZILIAN CORMORANT 275

BRAZILIAN CORMORANT
{Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
Black, glossed with metallic green; bilí and naked skin of the
face yellow; length 30 inches, wing 12 inches. Female similar;
young brown, cheeks whitish and breast white.

This appears to be the only Cormorant met with on

the coasts and inland waters of South America north
of Buenos Ayres; but two other species are found in
Southern Chili and Patagonia, which may probably like­
wise occur in the Southern provinces of the Republic.1
Azara tells us that this Cormorant is not uncommon
in Paraguay, and Mr. Barrows found it an “abundant
resident” at Concepción in Entrenos.
In the vicinity of Buenos Ayres several well-known
authorities have met with it, and Durnford found it
common and resident in Chupat.
The ñame 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 ñame for it is Vigua, 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 rises
reluctantly and with great labour, and has a straight
rapid flight, the wings beating incessantly. By day it
is a silent bird, but when many individuáis congrégate
1 Namely, P. imperialis and P. albiventris. See Zool. Chali. (Birds),
p. 121. It was probably one of these two species that Durnford found
nesting on Tombo Point, south of Chupat (cf. Ibis, 1878, p. 399).
276 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

to roost on the branches of a dead tree overhanging

the river, they keep up a concert of deep, harsh, power­
ful 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.

COCOI HERON
{Ardea cocoi)
Above grey; head, wings, and tail slatey black; beneath white;
neck and sides striped with black; length 36 inches, wing 18 inches,
tail 7 inches. Sexes alike.
This fine Heron is found throughout South and some
parts of North America. In size, form, and colour it
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, ñor does it breed in heron-
ries; but this may be owing to the circumstance that
in the températe 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 fish-
ing 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 they are rare, they go in pairs and breed in trees.
On the pampas it makes its solitary 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.
 COCOI HERON 277
I have observed Herons of several species a good
deal, but chiefly the Cocoi, and think there is some­
thing to be said in support of Buffon’s opinión that
they are wretched, indigent birds, condemned by the
imperfection of their organs to a perpetual struggle
with want and misery. In reality the organs, and the
correlated instincts, are just as perfect as in any other
creature, but the Heron is certainly more highly special­
ised and lives more in a groove than most species.
Consequently when food fails him in the accustomed
channels he suffers more than most other species.
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 pos­
sess 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 puré adaptation.
A curious circumstance has come under my obser­
vation 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 región (the
Argentine Republic) Herons are generally very poor,
a good-conditioned bird being a very rare exception;
a majority of individuáis are much emaciated and in­
fested with intestinal worms; yet I have never found
a bird infested with lice, though the Heron would seem
a fit subject for them, and in the course of my rambles
I have picked up many individuáis apparently perishing
from inanition. I do not wish to insinúate a belief that
this immunity from vermin is due to the pectinated
278 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 cali the attention of ornithologists
to the fact that in the región where I have observed
Herons they are exempt in a remarkable 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 phos-
phorescent light which someone has afíirmed 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 founda­
tion of fact; but real facts regarding habits of animáis
have not infrequently 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
 COCOI HERON 279

only a slightly embellished account of a common habit

of the Flamingo.
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 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 unfavourable circumstances with­
out some such extraneous aid to visión 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
zig-zag 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 cióse 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,
lacérate, and grasp its prey; the Heron to anchor itself
28o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 perpetual 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, every­
where 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, Spoonbill, etc., will
continué with their necks stretched to their utmost
capacity watching an intruder for an hour at a time
rather than fly 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. There­
fore the effort to straighten the neck, invariably the
 COCOI HERON 381

first expression of alarm and curiosity, must be a pain-

ful 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 continúes 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 in its turn 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 readiness for assuming at all times, and an
involuntary falling into, these peculiar attitudes and
gestures appears to become hereditary; and the species
in which they are the most noticeable seem incapable
of throwing the habit or manner off, even when placed
in situations where it is useless or even detrimental.
Tringce 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 utilised to assist it in rising ?
282 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Grebes on land walk erect like Penguins and have a

slow, awkward gait; and whenever they wish to accel-
erate 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 water; 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 move­
ments 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 peculiar form.
Two interesting traits of the Heron (and they have
a necessary connection) are its tireless watchfulness
and its insatiable voracity; for these characteristics
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
 COCOI HERON 283

his food so rapidly that, however much he devours, he

is always ready to gorge again; consequently he is not
benefited so much by what he eats, and appears in the
same State of semi-starvation when food is abundant as
in times of scarcity. An oíd 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 com-
pelled 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 región 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, compared with
them, the Heron is the mere ghost of a bird. In no
extraneous circumstances, but in the organisation of
the bird itself, must be sought the cause of its ano-
malous 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 provisión for a rainy day, and the misery of
the bird (if it is miserable) consists in its perpetual,
never-satisfied craving for food.

WHITE EGRET AND SNOWY EGRET

{Ardea egretta : A. candidissima)
Entire plumage snow-white in both species. Length of White
Egret 35 inches; length of Snowy Egret 24 inches.
These two species are found in South, Central, and
North America; but the larger bird has a greater
range, being found from Nova Scotia to Patagonia.
284 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

The small Snowy Egret abounds most in the hot and

warm regions, and is quite common on the pampas
but rare in Patagonia. It is more gregarious and social
in its habits than the White Egret and is usually seen
in flocks and associates with Ibises, Spoonbills, and
other aquatic birds.
On the pampas, owing to the absence of forests,
the nesting habits, like those of the Cocoi and other
Herons, have been modified, for there it nests among
the bulrushes and sedges. I take the following account
of a heronry on the pampas from a paper by Mr.
Ernest Gibson. He was so fortúnate as to find both
species breeding together in considerable numbers.
In November 1873 I found a large breeding colony of Ardea
egretta, A. candidissima, and Nycticorax obscuras 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. obscuras, 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 cióse together, at one side of the
colony, where the reeds were taller and less broken.
The nests of N. obscuras much resembled the latter in construc-
tion and material; but very few were interspersed amongst those
of the other species, being retired to the side opposite A. candidis­
sima, 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 Egrets first flew up on to the reeds, and then immediately
took to flight, not returning; while N. obscuras rose and sailed
away uttering a deep squawk, squawk, long before one carne near
the nest.
 WHITE EGRET AND SNOWY EGRET 285
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 omithological sights I ever saw:
all around a wildemess of dark green rushes, rising above my head
as I sat on horseback; the cloud of graceful snow-white birds
perched everywhere, 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. obscuras lays and
hatches out three. The eggs of all three species are of the same
shade of light blue.

WHISTLING HERON
{Ardea sibilatrix)
Above grey; cap, crest, and wings greyish black; a rufous patch
behind the eye; upper wing-coverts rufous; beneath white, with
yellowish tinge on breast; beak reddish. Length 22 inches. Female
similar.

This is a beautiful bird, with plumage as soft as down

to the touch. Its colours are clear blue-grey and palé
yellow, the under surface being nearly white. In some
specimens that I have obtained the rump and tail-
coverts had a puré primrose hue. There is a chestnut
mark on the side of the head; the eye is white, and
legs dark green in life.
Azara named this Heron Flauta del Sol (Flute of the
Sun), a translation of the Indian term Curahiremimbi,
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,
286 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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.
I saw less of the Whistling or “Fluting” Heron than
any of the seven species I was acquainted with in
La Plata. About its habits I found out nothing, and
on that account I should have omitted all mention
of it—that being the rule in this book—if its strange
beauty had not charmed and made a lasting impression
on my mind. The stuffed specimens, from which the
description is taken, do not show the colours of the
living bird—the soft clear grey and primrose-yellow—
most delicate colours and rarely seen in a bird of this
size. In the museum specimens the primrose-yellow
fades to white with a dull yellowish tinge.

LITTLE BLUE HERON

(Butorides cyanurus)
Above blue-grey; beneath ash-colour; black crest with greenish
gloss; ferruginous spots on the neck; length 14 inches.

The Little Blue Heron, though widely distributed, is

not anywhere a common bird. I have always seen it
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 tail
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 haunts
 LITTLE BLUE HERON 287

it erects the feathers of its head and neck, looking

strangely alarmed or angry, and flies away uttering a
powerful, harsh, grating cry.

LITTLE RED HERON

(Ardetta involucris)
Above light fulvous, a black stripe on the nape; front, stripe on
back of the neck, bend of wing and outer secondaries, chestnut-red;
back striped with black; wing-feathers ash-grey with red tips;
beneath yellowish white striped with brown; beak yellow, feet
green; length 13, wing 5 inches.

The Little Red, or Variegated, Heron which inhabits

Paraguay and Argentina, is the least of the family
to which it belongs, its body being no bigger than
that of the Common Snipe; but in structure 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 perch­
ing 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 prob­
ably 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 polished
pipe-stems, vertically from water too deep for the bird
 288 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 rush- and sedge-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 flappers, 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 assimilating to that of the dead yellow and
 LITTLE RED HERON 289

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
conformation and imitative colour far more advan-
tageous than they could be of themselves.
One day in November when out shooting, I noticed
a Variegated Heron stealing off quickly through a bed
of bulrushes, 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 had missed my aim. The bird, however, dis­
appeared 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 impos­
sible for the bird to escape without being perceived;
and yet, dead or alive, he was not to be found. After
vainly searching and re-searching 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 rush, 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 rush 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
T
290 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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
paralysed 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 experiment
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 myself this question,
and stepped round to get a side view, when, mirabile
cLictu, 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 de-
light and admiration possessed me as I have never before
experienced during my researches, much as I have
conversed with wild animáis 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
 LITTLE RED HERON 291

admirable than this; and for some time I continued

experimenting, pressing down the bird’s head and try­
ing to bend it by main forcé 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
miuutes before again finding him, and was astonished
that a creature to all appearances so weak and frail
should have strength and endurance sufficient to keep
its body rigid and in one attitude for so long a time.

Some recent or at all events later observations appear

to show that some species of Bittern possess a similar
instinct to that of the bird described—the faculty of
effacing themselves as it were in the presence of an
enemy. Doubtless any Bittern, its colouring being what
it is, would make itself invisible among partially decayed
and dead vegetation by extending and stiffening its
body and keeping its breast towards its intruder. The
peculiar thing in the case of the small Heron is that
the whole action of the bird appears to be framed and
designed expressly to make it look exactly like a dead
yellow tapering bulrush.
But what can one say of such an instinct—if we can
cali it an instinct ? It is in its essence a weakness in
the creature similar to that of many mammals, birds,
fishes, batrachians, reptiles and insects that become
293 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

paralysed with fear, or rather hypnotised, in the pre-

sence of an enemy. A strange flaw in the animal, since
it brings to naught all the admirable instincts of self-
preservation it has been endowed with, and gives it,
without a struggle, a prey to its enemies, even to those
of a slow, sluggish disposition.
In this particular instance the weakness or fault of
nature has been taken advantage of by that principie
which we cali natural selection and has resulted in a
more perfect protection than if the bird had been in­
capable of losing its mind, as one may say. In other
words, the creature’s liability to the hypnotic or cata-
leptic State on certain occasions is its best protection.
This however, is not the only case in which a seemingly
fatal weakness has been turned to good account, as we
see in the death-like swoon, or “pretending to be dead,”
of many creatures when overeóme by or in the presence
of an enemy. I have observed it in the pampas fox
and opossum, in the Tinamu, the Partridge of South
America, in our Corncrake, and other Rails, and I have
captured small birds by giving them a sudden fright.
By a strange chance I discovered that my Little
Bittern was also subject to this weakness. A gaucho
boy of my acquaintance, knowing that I was interested
in this bird, one day brought me a dead specimen.
He said he had flushed it from a rush-bed, and as the
bird flew away over dry land, he gave chase, and soon
ran it down and captured it; but though perfectly
uninjured it quickly died in his hand. As it was too
late in the evening for me to deal with it I put it in a
cage which had once been used to keep a Cardinal Finch
in and hung it up under the veranda where it would
be safe from cats. Next morning to my very great
astonishment it was gone! A long-dead bird in a closed
cage hung high up out of the way for safety, and now
 LITTLE RED HERON 293

it was not there! How explain such a thing? There

was no possible explanation, and it made me perfectly
miserable for days thinking of it. Then at last it dawned
on my weary brain that my dead bird had been alive
all the time, that life had at all events come back to it,
and that by squeezing its thin body edgeways through
the wire it made its escape. Yet the wires were cióse
enough to keep a Cardinal in confinement!

NIGHT-HERON
(Nycticorax obscurus)
Above ashy; front white; head, neck, and scapulars greenish
black; long crest plumes white; beneath palé; length 26, wing
12 inches.

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-qua 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
cióse together, usually where the rushes are thickest,
and serve the birds for an entire winter.
The breeding habits of the Night-Heron have been
described in the account of an Egrets’ heronry.
294 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

MAGUARISTORK
(Euxenura maguari)
Plumage white; wings and upper tail-coverts black; naked lores
and feet red; bilí hom-colour; length 40, wing 20 inches.
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 Jabirú, 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
Jabirú, and are absolutely dumb, unless the clattering
they make with the bilí when angry can be called
a language.
The laying-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-
ing lively account of a young Maguari:
One, which I took on 5th October, 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
 MAGUARI STORK 395
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 oí raw meat would have horrified an English
housekeeper. Snakes it seized by the nape of the neck, and passed
them transversely through its bilí by a succession of rapid and
powerful nips, repeating the operation two or three times before being
satisfíed 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 swallowed 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 whole-
some 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 produced a demoniacal row with his bilí. It was amusing
to see his victim dodging him all over the place, or sometimes, in
desperation, tuming 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 fulñlled) to make personal
and pointed remarks with his formidable bilí.
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;
bilí 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.

WOOD-IBIS
(Tantalus loculator)
White; greater wing-coverts and wing- and tail-feathers black
with bronze reflections; head and upper part of neck naked, dusky;
vertex covered with a homy place; sides of head purplish; feet
slatey; length 44, wing 17 inches. Female similar.
Most people in the Plata región are familiar with this
bird of the marshes, its lofty stork-like figure and white
plumage making it a very conspicuous object.
296 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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
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.
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 tail decayed cypress, its neck drawn in
upon its shoulders, and its enormous bilí resting like
a scythe upon its breast.”
It there nests on tail trees, sometimes in company
with Egrets, and lays three white eggs.

There are three species of Stork in Argentina, the two

described and the famous Jabirú, Mycteria americana.
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 puré
white, the head and six inches of the neck covered with
a naked black skin; from the back part extend two
scarlet bands, the skin being glossy and exceedingly
loose, and runs 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 ñame Jabirú is doubtless due to
this circumstance, for Azara (who gives the Guaraní
 WOOD-IBIS 297

ñame of the Stork as Aiaiai) says that the Indian word

Tabirú signifies “blown out with the wind.”
The Jabirú is but rarely found near Buenos Ayres,
but occurs more frequently in Misiones, and in other
districts on the northern frontier of the Republic. It
nests on high trees, as has been recorded by Brown,1
and is said to lay a blue-green ” eggs.

WHITE-FACED IBIS
(Plegadis guarauna)
Head, neck, and upper surface purplish chestnut, with a white
band round the base of the bilí; back with metallic reflections;
wings and tail green with bronze reflections; band across wing-
coverts chestnut; length 22, wing 9 inches.

This form of the well-known “Glossy Ibis” of Europe

is one of the most abundant waterfowl on the pampas,
and appears in spring in flocks; but as their movements
are somewhat irregular and many individuáis remain
with us through the winter, their migrations probably
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 congrégate about the
carease of a dead horse or cow, to feed on the larvae
1 Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana, p. 272.
298 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

of the flesh-fly, in company with the Milvago and the

Hooded Gull.
Their flight is singularly graceful; and during migra­
tion the flocks are seen to follow each other in rapid
succession, each flock being usually composed of from
fifty to a hundred individuáis, 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 reflections 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 re-form to continué 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 accomplishments.
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 vio­
lent zig-zag flight; in a few moments the mad fit
leaves them, they rise again, reassemble in the air,
and resume their journey.
 BLACK-FACED IBIS 299

BLACK-FACED IBIS
(Theristicus caudatus)
Sides of throat and lores bare, skin black; top of head and lower
part of neck in front reddish chestnut; neck white; back and wings
grey with green reflections; tertiaries and outer webs of secondaries
for two-thirds of their length white, remainder dark green; primaries
dark green; rump light green, bronzed; tail dark bronze-green; under
parts black; length 33, wing 16-25 inches.

This very fine Ibis, called Mandurria ó Curucáu by

Azara and Vandúria 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 Perú. On the east side of the continent it is
most abundant (during the coid season) about latitude
37 deg. or 38 deg. Its summer home and breeding
ground appears to be in the extreme south of the con­
tinent, its eggs having been obtained on the Straits
of Magellan by Darwin, and later 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 re­
sembling 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 píate. On the pampas this Ibis appears in
May, frequents dry grassy situations, and goes in flocks
of a dozen to forty or fifty individuáis. 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
300 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

members of a flock often scatter in all directions, and

wander quite out of sight of each other; when this
happens they occasionally utter loud vehement cries,
as if to cali 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 verti­
cally, to remain for fifteen or twenty seconds in this
curious attitude. At sunset they all 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 precipi-
tates 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
scattering wide apart in all directions. This exercise
they keep up for some time, and while it lasts they make
the air resound for miles with theirloud percussive screams.
In Patagonia I first discovered this Ibis roosting on
tail 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 tail 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
customary 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 palé 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.
 BLUE IBIS 301

BLUE IBIS
{Harpiprion carulescens)
White forehead joined to white bar above and behind the eye;
top of head and crest dark brown, with greenish tinge; throat and
neck covered with long narrow feathers, light brown with pinkish
tinge in certain lights; upper parts bluish bronzy green; wings like
the back, in some lights the feathers have a silvery gloss; primaries
dark blue; tail dark green; under parts brownish grey, with pink
reflections in some lights; length 33, wing 15 5 inches.

This noble Ibis ranges from Brazil, south of the

Amazons, to the pampas of Buenos Ayres. It is a bird
of the marshes, nowhere abundant, and yet is exceed­
ingly 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 Vandúria, with the addition
of aplomado, or barroso, or de las lagunas, to distinguish
it from the Winter Vanduria. The word is also fre­
quently spelt Mandúria or Bandúria, but it does not
come from bandada (flock), as Mr. Barrows imagines
when he gives this vernacular ñame 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 symbolise
poetic inspiration, especially in mock heroic com-
positions. Thus Iriarte:
Atención! que la vandúria 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 cali of this Ibis—
a voice of the desoíate marshes, which competes in
302 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
power with the outrageous human-like shrieks of
the Ypecaha Rail, the long resounding wails 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
eels, frogs, fish, etc. After examining the well-filled
stomachs of a few individuáis 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 speci­
mens 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 South-east Brazil.

WHISPERING IBIS
(JPhimosus infuscatus)
Dark bronzy green, glossed with purple; fore-part and sides of
head and neck naked, red; bilí and feet red; length 24, wing
115 inches.

Of this Ibis, which ranges from Colombia to the Argen­

tine Republic, a few individuáis come as far south as
the pampas of Buenos Ayres.
The unfeathered State of the forepart of the head
and throat suggested to Azara the ñame of Afeytado,
qt “shaved,” but about its habits he has nothing to say,
 WHISPERING IBIS 303

ñor 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 individuáis together; at other times I have
seen one or two associating with the Glossy Ibis.
Azara’s ñame, “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 shock-
ing in that language; but for an English ñame 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 ñames in the tropics—curri-curri—is said to be
an imitation of its usual note.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL
(Ajaja rosea)
Head bare; neck, back, and breast white; tail orange-buff with
the shafts deep pink; rest of plumage palé rose-pink; lesser wing-
coverts and upper tail-coverts intense carmine; neck with a tuft
of twisted plumes, light carmine; head greenish, space round the
eye and guiar sac orange; eyes crimson, feet red; length 30, wing
15 inches. Female similar. Young with head completely feathered.

The Roseate Spoonbill is found in both Americas and

ranges south to the Straits of Magellan, but in Patagonia
304 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 on 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 individuáis
which all feed near together, wading up to their knees
and sweeping their long flat beaks from side to side as
they 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.
Formerly, when I wrote the bird biographies for
Argentine Ornithology I believed that there were two
species of Spoonbill in Argentina, but I found that I
was alone among ornithologists in that belief. I can,
therefore, only repeat here a part of what I wrote in
that work, 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 excrescences
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 a
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
 ROSEATE SPOONBILL 305

long out of the nest; but the head was bare of feathers,
and it had the knobs on the upper mandible, 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.
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, ñor did it, in seven years,
acquire any of the characteristic marks of P. ajaja.

ARGENTINE FLAMINGO
(Phcenicopterus ignipalliatus)
Plumage rosy red; wing-coverts crimson; wing-feathers black;
bilí palé red, apical half black; length 39, wing 15 inches. Female
similar but smaller.

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 of the body
projecting from the nest, and the long legs dangling
down in the water, and not tucked up under the bird.
u
306 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

On the Rio Negro I found the birds most abundant

in winter, which surprised me, for that there is a move­
ment of Flamingoes to the north in the autumn I am
quite sure, having seen them passing overhead in a
northeiiy 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 coid 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 carne 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 apparently much astonished,
do not fly away. They are silent birds, but not
actually dumb, having a low, hoarse cry, uttered some-
 ARGENTINE FLAMINGO 307

times 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 motion­
less, their tail rose-coloured forms mirrored in the dark
water, but chiefly when they rise in a long crimson
train or phalanx, flying low over the surface.

CRESTED SCREAMER
{Chauna chavaría)
Slatey grey, darker on the back; chin, neck, and cheeks whitish;
a naked ring round the neck; nape crested; belly palé grey; feet
red; length 32, wing 19 inches.

This majestic bird, called Chaja in the vernacular,

is common throughout the Plata district, in marshes
and on the open level country abounding in water
and succulent grasses, and ranges south to the neigh­
bourhood 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
308 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

habit and ponderous structure—strikes one more

forcibly where the view is so unobstructed and the
atmosphere so puré.
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 inhabit­
ants 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 in the shallow water, and
occasionally swimming to feed on the seeds and succu-
lent leaves of water-loving plants. After the oíd 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 their 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 per-
mitted 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
 CRESTED SCREAMER 309

invariably seen methodically ranged in pairs. Another

curious thing is that, notwithstanding the formidable
weapons they possess (each wing being armed with
two large spurs), they are extremely 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, however,
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 sus-
picion of them, and sometimes raising a loud alarm
at a stranger’s approach. Towards dogs and cats they
are often unfriendly; and when they are breeding it
is dangerous 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 laboriously, 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 and
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
3io BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 ring-
ing. 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 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 moorings. The eggs are five,
pointed at one end, puré 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.
 BARRED UPLAND GOOSE 311

BARRED UPLAND GOOSE

(Bernicla dispar)
White; neck behind and body beneath banded with black;
primaries, greater wing-coverts, tertiaries, and scapulars cinereous;
rump and tail-feathers ashy black; bilí black, feet plumbeous;
length 26, wing 16 inches. Female, head and neck cinnamon-
brown; abdomen similar, barred with black; upper part also
barred; rump and tail-feathers brownish black.

This bird is a northern form of the well-known “Up-

land Goose” of the Falkland Isles and Southern Pata­
gonia, 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 was recognised by Dr. Bur-
meister 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 scare-
crows, set up by the farmers to frighten them. While
committing their depredations they are exceedingly
wary and difficult to shoot, but at night, when they
congrégate by the water-side, they give the sportsman
312 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

a better chance. I have succeeded in killing as many

as 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
bonking note, while the male responds with a clear
whistling, like the Sanderling’s note etherealised.

ASHY-HEADED UPLAND GOOSE

(Bernicla 'polio cephala)
Head, neck, and scapulars leaden grey; breast and upper back
chestnut, banded with black; abdomen, under wing-coverts, and
bend of the wing white; primaries black; secondaries white;
greater wing-coverts black, edged with green and tipped with
white; lower back and tail black; bilí black, feet yellow; length
24, wing 13-5 inches. Female similar.

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; prob­
ably 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.
 BLACK-NECKED SWAN 3i3

BLACK-NECKED SWAN
(Cygnus nigricollis)
White; head and neck black; postocular stripe and chin white;
lores naked; bilí plumbeous, cere red. Length 48, wing 17 inches.
Female similar.

To my perhaps partial mind this species is pre-eminent

for beauty among the Swans, although it is considerably
smaller than the bird of the Oíd World, and does not,
it must be admitted, comport itself so majestically.
In questions of this kind it is natural for everyone 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 in beauty—the other
two being, of course, the domesticated Swan of Europe
and the Australian Black Swan (the most graceful
of Swans).
This Swan is very abundant on the pampas of Buenos
Ayres and in Patagonia, and ranges south to the Magel-
lan Straits and the Falklands. As a rule they are seen
in small flocks, but sometimes as many as two or three
hundred congrégate 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
314 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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.
According to Mr. Gibson, who has observed their
breeding-habits, they began 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, in some instances
four or five feet deep, 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.

COSCOROBA SWAN
{Coscoroba candida)
White; tips of primaries black; bilí coral red, feet red; length
40, wing 17-5 inches.
This Swan is considerably smaller than the black-
necked species, and also inferior in beauty on account
of its shorter neck. It is, nevertheless, a very hand­
some bird, being entirely of a puré 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 cali it Ganso (Goose), probably
pn account of its Qoo§e-like habit of sometintes feeding
 COSCOROBA SWAN 315

away from the water, or because its flesh has the flavour
of Wild Goose. Oddly enough, the scientific orni­
thologists are just beginning to find out that the
common people were right in describing it as a Goose; at
all events they are finding out that it has more Goose
than Swan in its composition. As a rule they go in small
parties of five or six individuáis, but sometimes flocks
numbering two or three hundred are seen in the coid
season. Their migrations are very irregular, and some­
times they are excessively abundant 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.

FULVOUS TREE-DUCK
(Dendrocygna fulva)
Chestnut-red, top of head darker, with black line down the nape;
back black on the upper portion, banded with chestnut; wings and
tail black; lesser wing-coverts dark chestnut; upper tail-coverts
white; flanks chestnut, banded with black and white; bilí and feet
black; length 18, wing 8 5 inches.

This Duck, the well-known Pato silvon (Whistling

Duck) of the eastern Argentine country, is found
abundantly along the Plata and the great stre^ms
5i6 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

flowing into it, and northwards to Paraguay. Along

this great water-way 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. Northwards this Duck extends
to Central Brazil; from the northern half of the Southern
continent and from Central America it is absent; but
it re-appears in México. Commenting on these facts
Messrs. Sclater and Salvin write:
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 península of India and is also found
in Madagascar!

The Whistling Duck, in its chestnut and fulvous

plumage, is a handsome bird and somewhat singular
in appearance, especially when seen in a large body
on the ground. When out of the water they crowd
cióse 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
 FULVOUS TREE-DUCK 317

numbers of nests are found cióse together, as in a gullery.

The eggs are puré 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 convinced it is a not an uncommon
thing for two or three females to occupy one nest.

WHITE-FACED TREE-DUCK
(Dendrocygna viduata)
Face and spot on throat white; nape, neck in front, middle of
abdomen, tail, rump, and wings black; hind neck chestnut; middle
of back and scapulars brown, feathers with fulvous margins; wing-
coverts olive-black; flanks banded with black and white; bilí and
feet black; length 17, wing 9 inches. Female similar.

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. One of its vernacular
ñames is Pato viuda (Widow Duck) from its dark
plumage relieved by white in front. Compared with
Dendrocygna fulva it is a rare species, and goes always
with its mate, but I have seen as many as half a dozen
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.
3i8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

BLUE-WINGED TEAL
(¿Querquedula cyanoptera)
Plumage red; crown black; lesser wing-coverts blue; wing-
speculum green, margined above with white; wing-feathers black;
bilí black, eyes golden, feet orange; length 18; wing 7 6 inches.
Female: blackish above, feathers margined with whitish; beneath
dull white variegated with brown; throat white with black freckles.
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 quarrelsome in disposition; but this
species, I think, exceeds them all in pugnacity, and
when two pairs come together the males almost in­
variably begin fighting.

YELLOW-BILLED TEAL
(¿Querquedula flavirostris)
Above slatey brown; head barred with narrow blackish bands;
middle of back rufescent, with centres of the feathers black and
narrowly margined with ochraceous; a broad wing-speculum, black,
margined with ochraceous above and below and a bronzy green
blotch in the centre; wing-feathers slatey; margins of secondaries
palé rufous; beneath whitish, spotted with black; bilí yellow, feet
dark; length 15, wing 7 5 inches. Female similar.
In the Southern part of the Argentine Republic this
is one of the commonest species, and is almost invari­
ably found in every marsh, stream, and pool of water
 YELLOW-BILLED TEAL 319

on the pampas. It is resident, and usually goes in

flocks of from a dozen to thirty individuáis. 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 cióse 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.

GREY TEAL
(QuerquecLula versicolor)
Above grey with narrow black cross-bands; top of head blackish
brown, sides of head and throat white; beneath whitish, tinged
with ochraceous and spotted with black on the breast; wings greyish
brown, speculum purplish green, margined with white above and
below and a subterminal black band; flanks barred with black and
white; bilí black with an orange patch on each side at the base of
the mandible; feet dark; length 16 5, wing 76 inches. Female
similar but colours less bright.

This prettily variegated blue-grey Teal with its strongly

marked black and orange bilí is perhaps the most abund­
ant of the genus in the Argentine Republic, especially
320 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 muífled stridu-
lating of the mole-cricket.

RING-NECKED TEAL
(Querquedula torquata)
Above dull brown; head above and neck, expanding to a half
collar, also lesser wing-coverts, lower back, and tail, black; scapulars
puré chestnut; wings brownish black, with a large white patch on
coverts of the bronze-green secondaries; beneath, sides of head and
throat dull white, streaked with brown; breast tinged with rosy
red, sparingly spotted with black; belly and flanks white, narrowly
barred with grey; length 14, wing 72 inches. Female brown;
superciliaries, stripe on each side of head, throat, and sides of neck,
white; beneath white, banded with brown; wings and tail black;
secondaries bronze-green; a white patch as in the male.

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 ñames, 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 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
 RING-NECKED TEAL 321

and sounding like a strange laugh; but on the water,

especially in the evening, the male emits a long
inflected note, plaintive and exquisitely puré in sound—
a more melodious note it would be difficult to find
even among the songsters.

BRAZILIAN TEAL
(Querquedula brasiliensis)
Above brown; head more rufous; lower back, tail, and lesser
wing-coverts black; wings brownish black; outer webs of inner
primaries and the secondaries shining bronze-green; broad tips of
outer secondaries white, divided from the green area by a black band;
beneath paler, breast washed with rusty red; bilí and feet orange;
length 15 5, wing 7 inches.

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 horizontal 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 puré and sweet in sound, and heard usually
in the evening.
It is a rather curious coincidence that the ver­
nacular ñame of this Teal in La Plata should be Pato
Portugués, which means, as things are understood in
that región, Brazilian Duck,
x
322 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

BROWN PINTAIL
(Z)afila S'pinicauda)
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; bilí black, at the base yellow; feet
plumbeous; length 19, wing 97 inches.

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 Perú to the Magellan Straits and the Falk-
lands; 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
 BROWN PINTAIL 323

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 plenti-
fully lined with down plucked from the bosom of the
sitting bird. The eggs are seven or eight in number
and of a deep cream-colour.

WHITE-FACED PINTAIL
(Dafila bahamensis)
Above reddish brown; feather centres blackish; tail and upper
tail-coverts fawn; wings slatey black; broad speculum bronze-
green, with fawn margin above and below; edging of external
secondaries fawn; beneath brownish fawn, covered with concealed
black spots; throat, cheeks, and front white; bilí dark with a
crimson patch at the base in each side; feet dark; length 18, wing
8-4 inches. Female similar.

Someone in the eighteenth century picked up a dead

Duck of an unknown species on the seashore in the
Bahama Islands; it was then sent to a naturalist in
Europe who had the naming of all the creatures, and
quite naturally he gave it the ñame of Bahamensis.
And although we know that the Duck does not inhabit
the Bahamas, but is found throughout South America
from British Guiana to Patagonia, and that it is one
of the commonest Ducks in Brazil, there is a wise
ornithological rule which forbids us, while the world
endures, to cali it anything but the Bahama Duck or
324 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

Pintail. I was obliged to give it that ñame in Argentine

Ornithology, but I think readers of this book in South
America will henceforth prefer to cali it by the ñame
I have given it here. Doubtless there are other Pin­
tail Ducks with white faces, but this has not given a
ñame to any other species. The Brown Pintail is our
most abundant species in Argentina, and I have noticed
in flocks of great size, sometimes of many thousands,
of that duck, that a single White-faced Duck in the
flock could be detected at a long distance by means of
that same snowy whiteness of the face.
On the Pampas and Patagonia it is not a common
Duck and is almost invariably seen in pairs. I have,
however, sometimes seen three or four together.

CHILOE WIGEON
(Mareca sibilatrix)
Above black, on the neck barred across with white; feathers
of the back and scapularies margined with white; head above
and cheeks puré 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; bilí and feet black; length 20,
wing 10-3 inches. Female similar, but not so bright in colour.

The Chiloe Wigeon, as this duck has been usually

called since its introduction and acclimatisation in
England as an ornamental water-fowl, 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 pieaso 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
 CHILOE WIGEON 325

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 congrégate together. They are wary and
loquacious, strong on the wing, and frequently engage
in a peculiar kind of aerial pastime. A small flock
will rise to a vast height, often until they seem mere
specks in the sky, or disappear from sight altogether;
and at that great altitude they continué hovering or
flying, sometimes keeping very nearly in the same place
for an hour or more, alternately separating and closing,
and every time they cióse 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 puré white and eight or nine in number.

RED SHOVELLER
{Spatula platalea)
Above and beneath reddish, with round black spots; head and
neck lighter and spots smaller, lower back blackish, barred with
rufous, rump 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; bilí dark, feet yellow; length 20 inches, wing
8 inches. Female, above blackish brown, edged with rufous; lesser
wing-coverts bluish; beneath buffy rufous, varied and spotted with
blackish except on the throat.

There is but one Shoveller Duck in South America,

the present species, which is confined to the Southern
326 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
part of the continent, from Paraguay to Patagonia,
and is familiar to sportsmen in the Plata as the Red
Duck, or Espátula. It is seldom met with in flocks of
more than twenty or thirty individuáis, and a large
number of birds appear to pair for life, 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 shal­
low 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 curiously 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.

ROSY-BILLED DUCK
(Metopiana peposacd)
Above black, back of head and neck glossed with purple, back
finely striated with white; speculum white; primaries greyish
white; belly minutely vermiculated with white and grey; bilí rosy
red, enlarged at the base, feet yellow; length 19, wing 94 inches.
Female: above brown, bend of wing, speculum, and belly white;
bilí and feet dull blue.

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
 ROSY-BILLED DUCK 327

to the fact that it is the only freshwater Duck in the

sub-family Fuligulinae, in which it is classed. With
the exception of the Loggerhead Duck (Tachyeres
cinereus), found in the Falklands and the Magellan
Straits, all the other sea-Ducks of this división inhabit
North and Central America; so that the Rosy-bill
appears to have separated itself widely from its nearest
relations geographically as well as in habits. In appear­
ance it is a fine bird, the black plumage being frosted
on the upper parts with white in a very delicate manner,
while the rosy bilí 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 abundant, and they sometimes congré­
gate 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 neverthe-
less 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 thé 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.
Besides the twelve species described there are five
more Ducks in Argentina, namely:—the Crested Duck,
Sarcidiornis carunculata-, Muscovy Duck, Catrina mos-
cbata; Black-headed Duck, Heteronetta melanocexhala-,
Rusty Lake-Duck, Erismatura ferruginea', and White-
winged Lake-Duck, Nomonyx dominicas.
All these species I knew, with the exception of
328 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

the Crested Duck; but they were rare in my district

and I could learn nothing of their habits from my
own observation.

ARGENTINE WOOD-PIGEON
(Columba picazuro)
Above palé brown; head and neck vinous; back of neck with
white cross-bands which are edged with black; lower back and tail
plumbeous; wings plumbeous, larger coverts broadly edged with
white; beneath palé vinaceous; flanks and crissum plumbeous;
length 14 inches, wing 8 inches. Female similar.

This bird so closely resembles the European Wood-

Pigeon in its appearance, habits, and language that
I prefer in this book to drop the ñame of Picazuro
Pigeon used in the former work (Argentine Ornithology)
and cali it the Argentine Wood-Pigeon. The chief
differences are the absence of the white collar and the
strangely human-like sound of its notes.
In summer they inhabit woods, and are seen in pairs
or small parties, but in winter unite in flocks of from
twenty to one hundred or two hundred individuáis, and
roam, much over the open country. It is a wary bird,
and when feeding walks on the ground in a slow, some­
what stately manner. In spring its song resounds in the
woods, and, when heard for the first time, filis the listener
with wonder, so human-like in tone are its long, mournful
notes. The notes are five, the last one prolonged, with
a falling inflection, and profoundly 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-Dove of Europe.
 SPOTTED WOOD-PIGEON 329

SPOTTED WOOD-PIGEON
(Columba maculosá)
Above palé vinaceous brown, profusely spotted on the back and
wings with white apical spots; lower back and tail plumbeous;
wings and tail slatey black, the former with narrow whitish margins;
beneath plumbeous, with a strong vinaceous tinge; bilí black, feet
yellow; length 13, wing 8 5 inches. Female similar.

This Pigeon has a general resemblance to the Picazuro,

but may at be once distinguished by its spotted back
and wings. It ranges from South Perú 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
contrast 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 the ground
seemed languid in comparison. This excessively lively
habit is, no doubt, directly caused by the conditions of
life; the sterile soil and scanty vegetation of the región
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 región
further north.
Its song is composed of notes equal in length and
number to that of the Picazuro, but its voice is
always hoarse, like that of the European Wood-Pigeon,
when his early spring song has a low, throaty sound,
as if the bird was still suffering from the effects of a
winter coid.
330 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

The great body of these birds retire on the approach

of summer from the Rio Negro valley, a few only
remaining to breed. Their nesting-habits and eggs
are like those of the Picazuro.

SPOTTED DOVE
(Zenaida maculatá)
Above palé 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 sub-apical black band; middle rectrices Uke the back;
beneath palé vinaceous, brighter on the breast, and whiter on the
throat; bilí black, feet yellow; length 9, wing 5 5 inches. Female
similar.

This is the commonest species of the Pigeon tribe

in the Argentine country, and is known to everyone
as the Torcasa, probably a corruption of Tórtola (Turtle-
Dove). In autumn they often congrégate 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, ñor 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 afford a
suitable roosting-place.
On bright warm days in August, the sweet and
sorrowful sob-like song of this Dove, composed of five
 SPOTTED DOVE 33i

notes, is heard from every grove—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 Chi­
mango 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 dovecote. 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 sepárate itself from its companions,
and would fly to the porch, and sit there cooing by the
hour every day. At length it went away to the planta­
tion, having, I believe, found a mate, and we saw no
more of it.

PIGMY DOVE
{Columbula picui)
Above brownish ash-colour; head and neck dove-grey; wing-
feathers black; coverts and secondaries like the back, white on their
outer edges, a band of bright blue across the tips of the lesser
coverts; tail white, except the two central feathers, which are like
the back; beneath palé vinaceous; throat white; under wing-
coverts black; bilí dark, feet yellow; length 6 5, wing 3-5 inches.
Female similar but duller.

This species, the smallest of our Doves, is common

everywhere in the Plata district, where it is called
332 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
Tortolita (Little Turtle-Dove), Azara’s ñame Picuí not
being known to our countrymen.
It is usually seen with its mate, for many individuáis
seem to pair for life; but sometimes a dozen or twenty
individuáis 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 con­
sisting of a succession of long, rather loud, and some­
what monotonous 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.

SOLITARY PIGEON
(Engy'ptila chalcaucheniá)
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
palé vinaceous; middle of throat, belly, and crissum white; under
surface of wings bright chestnut; bilí black, feet yellowish; length
io, wing 5 7 inches. Female similar.

This Dove, which is a Southern form of a widely

distributed group of species of the genus Engy'ptila,
formerly called Lepto-ptila, 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 cióse proximity, three or
four may be sometimes seen in company. It spends
 SOLITARY PIGEON 333

a great deal of time on the ground, where it walks

about under the trees rather briskly, searching for seeds
and berries. Their song is a single uninflected and
rather musical 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 plat-
form; the eggs are two, and white, but more spherical
in shape than those of most other Pigeons.
Besides the five Pigeons I have described there are
three more species in Argentina, confined to the northern
part of the country. South America is rich in Pigeons,
the species numbering sixty or seventy.

‘ BLACK RAIL
(Rallus rhythyrhynchus)
Above greenish brown; beneath plumbeous; bilí incurved,
greenish, with a blood-red basal spot; feet red; length 12, wing
5 4 inches. Female similar.

This Rail differs from the other species in its beak,

which is very long and curved, as in the Painted Snipe
(Rhynch&á), 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 región 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
334 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 inhabiting 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 water-
less country lying between the Rio Negro and the moist
pampas región would make an annual migration from
the former places 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 elsewhere, leaving a larger
number behind. Such a difference of habit cannot
exist among individuáis of a species in one locality;
but differences in the migratory as in other instincts,
great as this, are found in races inhabiting isolated or
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 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 tuming 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
 BLACK RAIL 335
contrasting with the fine deep slate plumage, give it
considerable claims to beauty. At other times it has a
hollow cali-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; henee the vernacular
ñame 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 remóte.

YPECAHA RAIL
(Aramides ypeeah a)
Above olive-green; neck red; front cinereous; rump and tail
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; bilí yellow, feet
red; length 19, wing 8 5 inches. Female similar.

Ypecaha is the Guarani ñame, 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 some­
thing 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,
336 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

golden-red eye, and vermilion legs, that I do not know

a handsomer water-fowl.
These Rails are found as far south as the thirty-
fifth parallel of latitude, and are abundant along the
marshy borders of the Plata, frequenting the vast
reed-beds and forests of water-loving Erythrina crista-
gafo. 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 they are 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 them­
selves 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 oblitérate a
certain inquisitive boldness which characterises them.
Usually they roam singly in quest of food, but have
reunions in the evening and occasionally during the
day, especially in gloomy weather. On misty days
they often wander to a distance from the covert, walk­
ing with an easy, somewhat 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 connection 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 sáfety. 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
 YPECAHA RAIL 337
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 if to tantalise their baffled enemy by ostentatiously
displaying their graces.
When surprised on the open ground the Ypecaha
lies cióse, like a Tinamu, 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 Tinamu, 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 sur­
prised 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 cióse and mimicking 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 modulations have a resemblance to
Y
338 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
the human voice, but to 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 wellnigh 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 through­
out the day, and again at set of sun, when the woods
and marshes resound with the extravagant uproar. I
have said that several birds unite in screaming; 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 reunión
on a small area of smooth, clean ground surrounded
by rushes or sedges; and by lying well concealed and
exercising some patience, one is enabled to watch their
proceedings. First one bird is heard to utter a loud
metallic-sounding note, three times repeated, and some­
what like the calí of the Guinea-fowl. It issues from the
reeds or rushes, 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 wheel about and
begin the exhibition.
While 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
 YPECAHA RAIL 339
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 dis-
advantageously, 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 knowledge 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 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 domestícate it;
for although in this State some instincts are blunted
and others remain in abeyance, they are not obliterated.
34o BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 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,
would charge, and, thrusting its head between the cock’s
legs, fling him instantly on 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
 YPECAHA RAIL 34i

doctor, afraid perhaps that his practice would suffer,

had the troublesome bird put to death.
This Ypecaha would never allow anyone 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.

LITTLE WATERHEN
(Porphyriops melano'ps)
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; ñanks olivaceous, spotted with white; bilí dark
olive, with the tip yellowish; feet hazel; length 9, wing 5 inches.
Female similar.

In the Southern part of the Argentine country the

Little Waterhen is a summer visitant, and very abund­
ant in the marshes along the Plata. In language and
habits it is like the Coot: it is not often seen on land, and
feeds principally as it swims about in a jerky manner
among the floating reeds. It appears in October, migra­
ting 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 re­
sembling a sudden burst of hysterical laughter, the
notes beginning loud and long, becoming brief and
hurried as they die away.
342 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

YELLOW-BILLED COOT
{Fúlica leucoptera}
Dark slatey; 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; bilí yellow; head-
shield rounded behind; feet olivaceous; length 15, wing 7-5 inches.
Female similar.

This is perhaps the most abundant species of Fúlica

in the Plata región, 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 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 peáis of laughter.
The nest is a slovenly structure of rushes lying on
the water, with a very slight depression for the eggs,
 YELLOW-BILLED COOT 343
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.
There are two other species of Coots in Argentina:
the Red-gartered Coot, F. armillata, the largest species,
which like the last has a yellow shield, but bordered
with red and the bare portions of the tibiae crimson;
henee the ñame: and the Red-fronted Coot, F. leucopyga,
with beak and shield scarlet.
Altogether the Family Rallidae counts thirteen species
in Argentina: eight Rails and Crakes, two Waterhens,
and three Coots.

ARGENTINE COURLAN
(Aramus scolofiaceus)
Above brown; forehead, lores, and chin greyish white; neck
striped with white; beneath similar; bilí brown; legs greenish
grey; length 24, wing 13 inches. Female similar.

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. It has but one known
relative, the Giant Courlan of northern South America,
a rare species about whose habits little is known.
The beak of this bird is nearly five inches long,
straight, and of an iron hardness; the tip is slightly
bent to one side, the lower mandible somewhat 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
344 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

effective instrument in opening shells; for where

molluscs 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 edge of one valve. Mussels and clams
cióse their shells so tightly that it would perhaps be
impossible for a bird to inserí his beak, however knife-
like in shape and hardness, between the valves in order
to forcé 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 succeed 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
 ARGENTINE COURLAN 345
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 some
pretty vernacular ñames. He is called the “Lamenting
Bird” and the “Crazy Widow,” but is more familiarly
known as the Carau.
Near the 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 rush-beds.
As the breeding-season draws near they become
exceedingly clamorous, 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 big as a Turkey’s eggs, and very large for the
size of the búrd, slightly elliptical, sparsely marked with
blotches of palé 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 oíd birds live in one
flock until the following spring.
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.
346 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

JACANA
{Parra jacana)
Head and neck purplish. black; back and wings bright chestnut;
primaries and secondaries palé greenish yellow tipped with brown;
flanks dark chestnut; breast dark black; abdomen purplish; the
tail chestnut tipped with black; wattles on head and base of bilí
red, rest of bilí yellow; feet olive; length io’5, wing 5 8 inches.
Female similar.

The beautiful Jacana—pronounced something like

Yas ana—also called in the vernacular Alas amarillas
(Yellow-wings), differs very widely from all the other
members of the Limicoline Order in which it is placed,
in the enormously elongated toes which enable it to
run about on the floating leaves of water plañís. It is
supposed to come nearest to the Plovers, but is more
like a Rail in its appearance, which is most singular.
The colouring of the plumage heightens the singu­
larity 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 Ayres
early in October, either singly or in small parties. In
their migration they appear to follow the course of the
Plata; and though some individuáis 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 occasion­
ally take them, pursuing them on horseback till the
birds drop down exhausted. I believe the migratory
 JACANA 347
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 cióse
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 golden-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, occasion­
ally they all in one moment leave their feeding, and with
quick excited notes, and clustering together in a cióse
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 a Snipe’s egg, spotted
with chestnut on a palé yellowish-brown ground.
During incubation the male keeps guard at some dis­
tance from the nest, and utters a warning cry at the
348 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
approach of an intruder; the female instantly flies
from the nest, but in rising renders herself very con­
spicuous. 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 yelping cries of the Stilt.

SPUR-WING LAPWING
(Vanellus cayennensis)
Above grey; broad front and vertical crest black; patch on the
scapulars purplish bronze; upper tail-coverts white; primaries
purplish black; greater coverts white; lesser wing-coverts bronze-
green; tail, basal half white, the other half purple-black tipped with
white; beneath, chin, Une 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 white; bilí, spur on wing, and feet
red; eyes crimson; length 13, wing 8 2 inches. Female similar.

The Lapwing of La Plata is considerably larger than

the well-known Lapwing of the Oíd World, but closely
resembles that bird in the general colour of the plumage,
in the long, slender, black crest, and in general appear­
ance. Throughout the Argentine country it is called
eTéru-téru, from its ever-repeated disyllabic cry; west
of the Andes the vernacular ñame is Queltrégua, also in
imitation of its notes. It has red legs, crimson irides,
a rosy beak tipped with black, and coral-red 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 dis­
position 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
(or was) excessively abundant; and it is there resident,
 SPUR-WING LAPWING 349
although, as with most strong-winged resident species,
some individuáis do certainly migrate, small parties
being occasionally 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 individuáis 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 coid gales in
winter—violent enough, one would imagine, to drive
every winged creature away and oblitérate all marks
of home. Again, the powerful flight of this species would
enable it to take long journeys, and if unaffected
by atmospheric changes, scarciíy of food and water
might be a temptation to seek new regions. But through
all vicissitudes the Téru-téru 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
350 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 intrusión. Yet if you watch a pair of them for a
while you will presently see another bird—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 intrusión, 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 especially—have more or
less well-defined methods of playing; and play-day
with the Téru is every day, and at brief intervals. And
yet the grave, pompous air of the birds, and the military
precisión 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 Térus continually
 SPUR-WING LAPWING 35i

wandering about from place to place—probably young

birds not yet settled in life—and when one of these
vagrants passes near a pair he is immediately 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. He is wanted only for
five or six minutes and must not outstay his welcome.
While watching their antics, which the gauchos
cali the Téru’s quadrilles, 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 Térus by the strange behaviour of two individuáis
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 preen-
ing 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.
 352 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
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 cióse 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 seem 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
unisón, 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 Térus begins as early
as the month of June in favourable seasons; severe
coid, drought, or other causes sometimes delay it to
August. The nest is a shallow circular hollow 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 oftener 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
 SPUR-WING LAPWING 353
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 great fury. 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 cióse to his head. Unable
to intimídate 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.

z
354 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER

{Charadrius dominicas)

Above brownish black, with numerous irregular spots of yellow;

forehead, superciliary stripe, and sides of neck white; beneath black;
crissum whitish; axillaries smoky grey; bilí black; feet dark grey;
length 10 5, wing 7 inches. Female similar. Young, beneath dirty
white, with greyish freckles.

This closely allied representative of the Golden Plover

of Europe, from which it is distinguishable mainly by
its rather larger size and smoke-grey axillaries, visits
South America after its breeding season in the north.
The American Golden Plover is abundant and well
known to every one by its native ñame Chorlo through­
out Southern Argentina. Its wild, clear notes are first
heard about the last week in August; and among the
first comers many individuáis 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 birds 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, congre-
 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER 355
gating 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 each end,
could knock down as many as he liked. I have killed
them in this way myself, also with the bola 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 vertically 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 how 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 8th February
to iqth March. During most of this time, he says, it
356 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

was abundant in flocks of from twenty to two hundred

birds, which appeared to be moving uniformly south
or south-west.

WINTER PLOVER
(Eudromias modesta}
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; bilí black, base of lower mandible yellowish;
feet brown; length 7 5, wing 53 inches. Female similar. Young
without the rufous chest.

This species in its gait, flight, and general appearance

closely resembles 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 throughout the winter;
henee the vernacular ñame 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
individuáis. When feeding the birds scatter very
widely, running 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.
 PATAGONIAN RINGED PLOVER 357

PATAGONIAN RINGED PLOVER

(Agialitis falklandicus)
Above brown; front white; band across forehead and sides of
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 sub-
terminal blackish band, except on the outer pair; beneath white,
crossed by two broad blackish bands on the breast; bilí and feet
black; length 7, wing 5 inches. Female similar.

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 fringa. Its only language is a
low clicking note uttered when taking wing.
Some individuáis 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 Lapwings’ eggs.
Durnford also found it breeding in the Chupat Valley
in September 1877.
There is a second species of Ringed Plover (Azara’s
Ringed Plover, ¿E. collaris) which ranges over the
whole of South America and was occasionally seen by
me on migration, on the pampas.
358 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

SLENDER-BILLED PLOVER
(Oreo'philus ruficollis)
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,
their under surface white; tail grey, with a black subterminal bar
on the lateral feathers; beneath grey; throat rusty reddish; below
the breast a black band or patch; bilí dark, feet red; length
io, wing 6 5 inches.

This pretty and singular Plover, with a bilí like a

Sandpiper, inhabits South Patagonia and the Falk-
lands. In the autumn it migrates north, and during
the coid season is found sparsely distributed through­
out the Argentine States, and passes into Bolivia and
Perú. 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 pre­
vailing cinnamon-red of the plumage. It is distinguished
in the family it belongs to by the great length of its
straight, slender, probe-like bilí, unlike that of any
other Plover; and it also has other structural pecu-
liarities, 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 to thirty
individuáis, 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
 SLENDER-BILLED PLOVER 359

mellow or ringing notes 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 stings 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 Durnford found it nest­
ing in the valley of the Sengel in Chupat in the month
of December.

SEED-SNIPE
(Thinocorus rumicivorus}
Above buffy brown, marbled and irregularly banded with black;
wing-feathers black, edged with white, external secondaries like the
back; tail 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; bilí dark brown, feet yellow;
length 6 5, wing 3-9 inches. Female similar but with only slight
traces of black bar.

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 cióse like a
Goatsucker; when rising it rushes suddenly away with
the wild, hurried flight and sharp, scraping alarm-cry
360 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

of a Snipe. It is exclusively 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 individuáis,
and fly rapidly, keeping very cióse 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 argil-
laceous 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, cióse 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 palé stone ground-colour, very thickly but finely
speckled with light and dark chocolate markings; they have a
polished appearance, and measure 13 by -8 inch. (Ibis, 1878, p. 403.)
 BRAZILIAN STILT 361

BRAZILIAN STILT
{Himanto'pus brasiliensis)
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; bilí black, feet orange; length 14, wing 8 5 inches.
Female similar.

This bird is resident and common in the Plata district,

and is called in the vernacular Téru-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 appear­
ance 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 appear­
ance of a long, slender tail. Stilts are fond of aerial
exercises, pursuing each other with marvellous velocity
through the air, so that a few moments after the spec­
tator has 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 yelping cries, which in tone remind one of
the musical barking of some hounds.
The nest is made on the low ground cióse 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, where-
upon the female quits the nest. They also counterfeit
362 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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, Plover, 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 palé grey;
the eyes black. After nine or ten months the adult
plumage is acquired, not by moulting, but by a gradual
change in the colour 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.

PARAGUAY SNIPE
(Gallinago paraguaice}
Above brown, striped and barred with black and palé fulvous;
wings dark cinereous edged with white; tail of sixteen rectrices,
of which the outer pair are pin-shaped; beneath white; breast
marbled with blackish and brown; length 10 5, wing 91 inches.
This familiar bird, called Agachona in the vernacular,
from its habit of crouching cióse to the ground to
escape observation when approached, is abundant in
 PARAGUAY SNIPE 363

the Plata district and resident, although its sudden

and total disappearance from all the open wet places
where it is common in the winter gives one the impres-
sion 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 cióse
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 cióse 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 cióse 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, char-
acteristic of the Snipes all over the world, are so com-
pletely laid aside when the birds associate in large flocks.
Early and late in the day many individuáis are usually
364 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

on the wing engaged in their aerial pastimes, the

singular grinding or scythe-whetting 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 moonlight
nights often until after midnight.

ARGENTINE PAINTED SNIPE

{Rhynchaa semicollaris)
Above dark brown; head black, with a central and two lateral
longitudinal bands of buffy white; wings ashy blackish, spotted
with buffy 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; bilí greenish, reddish at tip; feet flesh-
colour; length 8, wing 41 inches. Female similar, but slightly
larger and more brightly coloured.

In the Argentine provinces this bird is called Dormilón

(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 in­
tervals 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 alto­
gether nocturnal or crepuscular in its habits. It is soli­
tary 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
 ARGENTINE PAINTED SNIPE 365

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 cióse 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.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER
(Tringa maculata)
Above brown, varied with black; superciliaries whitish; rump
and middle upper tail-coverts white; beneath white; neck and
breast greyish streaked with blackish; length 8-5, wing 51 inches.
Female similar.

The Pectoral Sandpiper is a well-known North-Ameri-

can species that visits the south during migration.
It breeds abundantly in Alaska, and descends in winter
through Central and South America to Chili and Pata­
gonia. Durnford found it abundant about the salt-
lagoons of 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 immat-ure, with threads of yellow down
still adhering to the feathers of the head and altogether
weak in appearance, that one can 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-Áyrean pampas.
This species differs from other Sandpipers in being
366 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

much more solitary and sedentary in its ways, feeding

for hours in one spot, and in its Snipe-like habit of
sitting cióse when approached and remaining motion­
less 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 congrégate in flocks, sometimes
as many as two or three hundred individuáis being seen
together; but at all times it is more usual to see them
in small parties of half a dozen or singly.
Two other well-known Arctic-American species of
fringa are annual visitants to Argentina: Baird’s
Sandpiper, 7". b airdi, and Bonaparte’s Sandpiper,
T. fuscicollis.

GREATER YELLOWSHANKS
(flotanus melanoleucus)
Above brownish grey spotted with white; rump nearly white;
beneath white; throat and neck with black streaks; bilí black,
feet yellow; length 14, wing 7 5 inches. Female similar.

The Greater Yellowshanks 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 sometimes in
small flocks. Without ever being abundant the bird
is quite common, and one can seldom approach a pool
or marsh on the pampas without seeing one or more
individuáis 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,
 GREATER YELLOWSHANKS 367

oddly enough, others arrive, presumably from the south

to winter on the pampas, and remain from April to
August. Thus, notwithstanding that the Yellowshanks
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. Barrows writes
that this species “occurs every month in the year (at
Concepción in Entrenos), but in increased numbers
during August, September, October, and November.”
The Lesser Yellowshanks, Totanus flavipes, is also
a common species, a visitor from Arctic America, in
Argentina from September to April. Many non-breeding
individuáis are also found during the other months of
the year. In habits, language, colour, and—except in
size—in its entire appearance it closely resembles the
Greater Yellowshanks; and the two species, attracted
or deceived by this likeness, are constantly seen
associating together.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER
(Rhyacophilus solitarius)
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;
length 8-5, wing 5 inches. Female similar.

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
368 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

and marshes where they mostly congrégate, 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 Totanus or Yellow-
shanks, 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.
I was once pleased and much amused to discover
in a small sequestered pool in a wood, well sheltered
from sight by trees and aquatic palms, a Solitary Sand-
piper living in company with a Blue Bittern. The Bittern
patiently watched for small fishes, and when not fish-
ing 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 fine
bright notes—a wonderful contrast! Every time I
visited the pool afterwards I found these two hermits,
one so sedate in manner, the other so lively, living
peaceably together.
 BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER 369

BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER
{Actitura bartramius)
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; bilí yellowish, tip black; feet yellow; length 10, wing
6*3 inches. Female similar.
Bartram’s Sandpiper, a Sandpiper with the habits
of a Plover, is a widely-distributed North American
species, its breeding area extending over a large portion
of the United States, where it is known as the Üpland
Plover. The people of that country have been paying
it a good deal of attention of late; they have discovered
that it is a charming bird, and at the same time that
during the last three or four decades their gunners have
almost extirpated it. They fear that it is going the way
of the Passenger Pigeon, the Pinnated Grouse, the
Carolina Parrakeet, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and,
I believe we must now add, the Esquimo Whimbrel.
This species differs from its fellow-migrants of the
same family from the north to Argentina 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 com-
prising 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.
2A
370 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

On the pampas the bird is called Chorlo solo, on

account of its solitary habit, but more commonly
Batitú, an abbreviation of the Indian ñame 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 stand­
ing still with head raised it jerks its long tail up and down
in a slow measured 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 reiterated and
becomes a bubbling sound like that of the European
Cuckoo, but much more musical. After flying a very
short distance it drops to the ground again, agitating
its wings in a tremulous manner as it comes down.
And sometimes after alighting it continúes standing
motionless for several seconds with the wings stretched
up vertically. These wing motions and other pretty
gestures give it a very attractive appearance. In its
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 Batitú
is heard far up in the sky, at all hours, day and night,
as the birds wing their way north. In some seasons
stragglers are found throughout the month of April,
but before the winter arrives not one is left.
 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 371

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
(¿Tryngites rufescens)
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 puré white; length 7 7, wing 5 3 inches.
Female similar.

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 num­
bers with the Golden Plover, the Whimbrel, and other
northern species. I however think it probable that it
travels farther 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, flock succeeding flock at intervals
of about fifteen minutes, and continuing to pass for
several days.
372 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

HUDSONIAN GODWIT
{Limosa hcemastica)
In summer: Above dark brownish black, mixed on the head with
longitudinal streaks of whitish, on the neck with palé chestnut, and
with many of the feathers of the back spotted or edged with palé
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 puré white; beneath,
cheeks and throat whitish, becoming palé 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 palé buff; length 14 3, wing 8 5 inches.

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 Septem­
ber 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 lacónica).
He also met with it in Chupat, and obtained two
specimens there on I3th November, 1876.
I have met with it in flocks during the summer of
the Southern Hemisphere, and these birds, as well as
those obtained 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 Sep­
tember, when the northern migrants are nearly due.
These individuáis must therefore breed near the ex­
tremity, or beyond the extremity, of South America.
It is very curious, to say the least of it, that the Arctic
and Antarctic regions of America should possess the
 HUDSONIAN GODWIT 373
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 individuáis, 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 Alaska birds, but were no doubt Southern
breeders on their way north, for that they could winter
so far south seems incredible.

ESQUIMO WHIMBREL
(Numenius borealis)
Above darle brown, each feather edged or spotted with palé 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 palé buff, with more or
less V-shaped dusky markings on the breast, flanks, and under
tail-coverts; axillaries and under wing-coverts palé chestnut,
transversely barred with dusky; length ii-6, tail 8-14 inches.
Female similar.

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 Concepción in
Entrenos on 9th September, 1880, “in large flocks.”
After the middle of October not one was seen.
The same excellent observer saw it almost daily on
the pampas between Azul and Bahia Blanca, “in
374 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

company with the Golden Plover and Bartram’s Sand­

piper, until late in February.”
From the 8th to the ioth of October, 1877, Durn­
ford 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.
The Esquimo Whimbrel was common enough in its
season on the pampas in my day, appearing in Septem­
ber to October in small flocks of thirty or forty to
a hundred or more, and often associating with the
Golden Plover; but, as I now hear from the authorities
of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, it is
practically extinct.

BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER
(Rhynchops melanura)
Above brownish black; forehead and wing-band white; tail black;
beneath white; bilí, apical half black, basal half orange; feet red;
length 19, wing 15 inches. Female similar.
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 appear­
ing 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 excursión
up the Paraná in October, 1833, and speaks of it as
follows (Nat. Journ., p. 161):
I here saw a very extraordinary bird, called the Scissor-beak
{Rhynchops nigra). It has short legs, web feet, extremely long-
pointed wings, and is of about the size of a Tem. The beak is
 BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER 375
flattened laterally, that is in a plañe at right angles to that of a
Spoonbill or Duck. It is as fíat and elastic as an ivory paper-cutter,
and the lower mandible, different 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 latitudes 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 back-
wards and forwards, cióse to the surface of the lake. They kept their
bilis 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 axe secured by the
upper half of their scissor-like bilí. This fact I repeatedly saw as,
like Swallows, they continued to fly backwards and forwards cióse
before me. Occasionally, when leaving the surface of the water,
their flight 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
Paraná; 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 Paraná, as the
evening drew to a cióse one of these Scissor-beaks suddenly appeared.
The water was quite still, and many little fish were rising. The bird
continued for a long time to skim the surface, flying in its wild and
irregular 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 Paraná; and every evening they took
flight direct to seaward. From these facts I suspect that the Rhyn-
chops generally fishes by night, at which time many of the lower
animáis come most abundantly to the surface. M. Lesson States
that he has seen these birds open the shells of the Madree, buried
in the sand-banks on the coast of Chili; from their weak bilis, with
the lower mandible so much produced, their short legs and long
wings, it is very improbable that this can be a general habit,
376 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

DOMINICAN GULL
(Larus dominicanus)
Mantle brownish-black; primaries black, with white tips, and a
subapical patch in oíd birds; rest of plumage white; bilí yellow,
orange at angle of lower mandible; legs and feet olive; length 22,
wing 18 inches.

The Dominican Gull, which belongs to the same section

of the group as the well-known Black-backed Gulls
of Europe and closely resembles our Great Black-backed
Gull, is common throughout 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 coid weather the Dominican
Gulls leave the sea-shore and wander inland and north-
ward. At this season they are almost 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 sea-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 abun­
dant that they crowd out the Hooded Gulls and
Carrion-Hawks from the carease; I have seen as
many as five hundred to six hundred Dominicans
massed round a dead cow.
 ARGENTINE BLACK-HEADED GULL 377

ARGENTINE BLACK-HEADED GULL

(Larus maculi-pennis)
Head and nape brownish-black (in breeding dress); tail and under-
parts white; mantle palé 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 black bar (in L.
glaucodes the lower portion is while); underwing palé grey; bilí,
legs and feet blood-red; length 17, wing 115 inches.

This common Black-headed Gull is found through­

out the Argentine country, down to Chupat in Pata­
gonia, and is exceedingly abundant on the pampas of
Buenos Ayres, where it is simply called Gaviota (Gull).
In the month of October they congrégate in their breed­
ing-places—extensive inland marshes, partially over-
grown 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 a quarter of an acre.
The eggs are four in number, large for the bird, obtusely
pointed, of a palé 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 ánd 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 oíd breeding-
378 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

places, and continué even after years of persecution

to resort to them.
The young birds are of a palé 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 surround­
ing 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 the air, while all the time the
hindmost birds are flying over the flock to alight in
 ARGENTINE BLACK-HEADED GULL 379

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 multi-
tude. Wilson’s expression 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
hundred 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 neighbourhood where there is a carpet of
short grass. They invariably sit cióse together with
their bilis 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 larvae 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 run­
ning about, probing and dislodging them from beneath
380 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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.
Hundreds 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 Lapwing to resume his watch.
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 shepherd’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
cióse to Buenos Ayres, were also frequented by hosts
of these neat and beautiful scavengers. Here numbers
were seen hovering overhead, 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 down to the ground, which reeked with blood
and offal, greedily snatching up whatever morsels they
could seize on, yet getting no stain or speck on their
delicate dress of lily-white and ethereal blue.
On the open pampas their curiosity and anger seem
 ARGENTINE BLACK-HEADED GULL 381

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, indignant screams
that never fail to attract all of its fellows within hear­
ing distance. These all pass and re-pass, 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 again.

GREAT GREBE
(&chmo'phorus major)
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; bilí yellowish.
feet dark; length 21, wing 8 inches.

This Grebe is called in the vernacular Macas cornudo

—the first word being the Indian generic ñame 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 through­
out 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 discovered in a small pool it may be pursued
382 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 disported 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 consider­
able 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 Ajó, near
the mouth of Rio do La Plata:
P. major breeds about the end of August, placing its nest in the
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 my approach. The clutch consist of three; and these are
of the usual Grebe colour, generally much soiled and stained.
There are four more species of Grebe in Argentina:
the Bright-cheeked Grebe, Podiceps caliparaus, con-
fined to Southern South America; Rolland’s Grebe,
Podiceps rollandi, also confined to the south of the con­
tinent; the American Dabchick, Pachybaptes dominicus,
inhabiting Central and South America; and the Thick-
billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, found in both North
and South America.
 TATAUPA TINAMU 383

TATAUPA TINAMU
(Crypturus tataupa)
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; bilí yellowish, feet
dark ashy; length 10, wing 5*2 inches. Female similar.

The Tataupa Tinamu was first described by Azara

as an inhabitant of Paraguay, whence it extends into
the northern provinces of the Argentine Republic.
White obtained specimens amopg the undergrowth in
dense forests of Campo Colorado, near Oran, and
Durnford 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—henee the
Guaraní ñame, which means a domestic bird, or 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 pre-eminent among this
class of bird. 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, it runs into a trill, followed by
a sound which may be written chororó, repeated three
or four times. When sitting cióse 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 semi-circle over the
back as if to conceal itself beneath them, and when
looked at from behind nothing is visible except this
384 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

fan of feathers. The feathers are concave with points

inclining upward, and when thus disposed have a
singular and beautiful appearance.

RUFOUS TINAMU
{Rhynchotus rufescens)
Above cinereous; head, wings, and back crossed by black bars
with palé ochraceous edgings; neck reddish; primaries chestnut;
beneath palé cinereous, strongly tinged with rufous on the neck and
breast; chin white; bilí ashy, beneath at base yellowish; feet dark
flesh-colour; length 14, wing 9 5 inches. Female similar, but larger.

This large Tinamu, known to the Argentines as the

Perdiz grande, or 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 anywhere a bird with
such a sounding flight as the Tinamu; the whirr 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 cessa-
tion in the rapid vibration of the wings; but, like a
ball thrown by hand, the bird flies straight away with
extraordinary violence until the impelling forcé is spent,
when it slopes gradually towards the earth, the distance
 RUFOUS TINAMU 385

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 cali of the Great 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 individuáis answering each other; for
although I cali it a solitary bird, many birds are usually
found living near each other. The song or cali is com­
posed 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.
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 musical voice, in a
high State of perfection.

SPOTTED TINAMU
(Nothura macutosa)
Above palé 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;
bilí and feet yellowish brown; length n, wing 5 5 inches. Female
similar, but larger.

The Perdiz común or Common Partridge of the pampas,

as it is always called—the naturalist’s ñame of Tinamu
2B
386 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 everywhere on the pampas and as
far south as the valley of the Rio Negro in Patagonia.
It is solitary; but a number of individuáis 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 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 calis,
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 cali 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 exclusively, as a means of escape
from danger. The bird rises up when almost trodden
 SPOTTED TINAMU 387

upon, rushing through the air with a surprising noise

and violence. It continúes 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 cióse 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 Tinamu
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 mis-
calculates the height of an obstacle, so that for Tinamus
to meet with 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 Tinamus dash themselves to death against a
fence cióse 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
Tinamu 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 carne down again, whirling round and
round, striking the earth a very few yards from the
388 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

spot where it rose, and crushing itself to a pulp with

the tremendous forcé of the fall. It is very easy to
guess the cause of such an accident: while the Tinamu
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 Tinamu, when once
launched on the atmosphere, is at the mercy of chance;
nevertheless had this incident been related to me by a
stranger I should not have recorded it.
This Tinamu 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 varíes from five
to eight. These are elliptical, with polished shells, and
as a rule are of a wine-purple colour; but the hue
varíes somewhat, some eggs having a reddish tinge
and others a deep liver-colour.
In Patagonia the Spotted Tinamu is replaced by the
very closely allied Darwin’s Tinamu, Nothura darwini.
This species, called Perdiz chico, or Little Partridge,
by the natives, is somewhat smaller and paler in colour­
ing than the common Tinamu of the pampas, but very
closely resemble the young of that species. It inhabits
Patagonia, and is nowhere very numerous, but appears
 SPOTTED TINAMU 589

to be thinly and equally distributed on the dry, sterile

plains of that región, 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 cali-note, heard
only in the love-season—a succession of short whistling
notes, like those of the N. maculosa, but without the
rapidly uttered conclusión.
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.

MARTINETA
(Calo dromas elegans)
Above densely banded and spotted with black and palé fulvous;
head cinereous, with black striations; a long recurved vertical
crest of black feathers, partly edged with cinereous; two lateral
stripes of the head above and beneath the eye and throat cinnamon
white; beneath palé cinnamon, 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 palé cinnamon; bilí blackish, feet bluish-grey; length
14-5, wing 8 3 inches. Female similar.

This fine game-bird in its size and mottled plumage

resembles the Rhynchotus rufescens of the pampas,
which it represents in the Patagonian región south
of the Rio Colorado. It differs extemally in the more
earthy hue of its plumage, which is protective and har-
monises admirably with the colour of its sterile surround-
ings; also in having a shorter beak, and in being
2B2
390 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

adorned with a long, slender, black crest, which the

bird when excited carries directed forward like a horn.
There is, however, an anatomical difference which
seems to show that 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 set with rows of large
membranous claw-shaped protuberances.
The Martineta inhabits the elevated table-lands,
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 Rufous Tinamu, and differs remarkably in other
respects. 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 other
species. 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 cali-note of the Martineta is never heard in
 MARTINETA 39i

winter; but in the month of September they begin

to utter in the evening a long, plaintive, slightly modu-
lated whistle, the birds sitting concealed and answering
each other from bush to bush. As the season advances
the coveys break up, and their cali is then heard on
every side, and often all day long, from dawn until
after dark. The cali varies greatly in different birds,
from a single whistle to a performance of five or six
notes, resembling that of the Great Partridge, but
inferior in compass and sweetness. They begin to breed
in October, making the nest at the roots 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 advant­
age 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!

COMMON RHEA
(Rhea americana)
Above, head blackish; neck whitish, becoming black at the base
of the neck and between the shoulders; rest slatey 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; length about
52 inches.
The Common Rhea (called Ñandú in the Guarani
language, Chueké by the pampas Indians, and Ostrich
392 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

by Europeans) is found throughout the Argentine

Republic down to the Rio Negro in Patagonia, and,
in decreasing numbers, 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 Ayres city. But it is now becoming
rare, and those who wish to have a hand in its exter­
mination 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 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 tail grasses; while its speed
exceeded that of all other animáis 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 weakness in the Rhea—
a point in which the correspondence between the animal
and its environment is not perfect. The Rhea runs
smoothly on the surface, and where the tail grass-
tussocks are bound together, as is often the case, with
slender twining plants, its legs occasionally get en-
tangled, and the bird fails prostrate, and before it can
struggle up again the hunter is cióse at hand and able
to throw the bolas—the thong and balls, which, striking
the bird with great forcé, wind about its neck, wings,
and legs, and prevent its escape. When I questioned
 COMMON RHEA 393
Ostrich hunters as to this point they said that it was
true that the Rhea often fails when running hotly
pursued through long grass, and that the deer (Cervus
campestris) never fails because it leaps over the large
tussocks and all such obstructions. This small in-
firmity 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 Government had
thought fit to protect it; but in La Plata, as in North
America and South Africa, the licence to kill, which
everyone possesses, has been exercised with such zeal
and fury that in a very few more years the 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 individuáis. Where they are not
persecuted they show no fear of man, and come about
the houses, and are as familiar and tame as domestic
animáis. Sometimes they become too familiar. At
one estancia I remember an oíd cock-bird that con­
stantly carne alone to feed near the gate, which had
so great an animosity against the human figure in
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 tame-
ness, 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 sight of them; or else crouch down to conceal
themselves in the long grass; and it then becomes
394 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

difficult to find them, as they lie cióse, and will not rise
until almost trodden on. Their speed and endurance
are so great, that, with a fair start, it is almost im­
possible for the hunter to overtake them, however well
mounted. When the bird is running, the wings hang
down as if injured, 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 oíd cock-bird; and when there are two oíd
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 ser-
pents, 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 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 females are many the cock usually becomes
broody before they finish laying, and he then drives
them with great fury away and begins to incúbate.
The hens then drop their eggs about on the plains;
and from a large number of wasted eggs found it seems
 COMMON RHEA 395
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 horseback, as the bird with
neck outstretched horizontally and outspread wings
charges suddenly, making so huge and grotesque a figure
that the tamest horse becomes ungovernable with terror.
Eagles and the large Carrion Hawk 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
scattered young birds run in the greatest terror to
shelter themselves under his wings.
Darwin’s Rhea, Rhea darwini, differs little in colour­
ing from the Common Rhea, which it replaces south
of the Rio Negro. From this river it ranges south
to the Straits of Magellan. The Indians cali it Molú
Chueké — short or dwarf Chueké; its Spanish ñame is
Avestruz petizo. They were formerly very abundant
along the Rio Negro; unhappily some years ago their
feathers commanded a very high price; Gauchos and
Indians found that hunting the Ostrich was their most
lucrative employment; consequently these 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
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,
396 BIRDS OF LA PLATA

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 head stretched for­
ward almost horizontally, which makes it seem lower
in stature than the allied species—henee the vernacular
ñame of “ Short Ostrich.” It is found in flocks of from
three or four to thirty or more individuáis. 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, however, and the
side exposed to the sun first assumes a dull mottled
green; then this colour fades to yellowish, and again
to palé 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
 COMMON RHEA 397

gradually wom off, as the bird grows oíd, by continual

friction against the stiff, scrubby vegetation. In adults
usually a few scattered feathers remain, often wom down
to mere stumps; but the hunters told me that oíd 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 oíd
they acquire by moulting the mottled plumage of
the adults, but do not attain their full size until the
third year.

FINIS
 INDEX
Actiíura baríramius, 369 Argentine Hobby, 244
¿Echmophorus major, 381 ------ Kestrel, 245
¿Egialitis falklandicus, 357 ------ Marsh-Wren, 16
Afeytado, 302 ------ Painted Snipe, 364
Agachona, 362 ------ Wood-Pigeon, 328
Agelaus flavus, 97 Ashy-black Tyrant, 128
------ ruficapillus, 99 Ashy - headed Upland Goose,
------ thilius, 96 312
Ajaja rosea, 303 Asió brachyotus, 226
Alas amarillas, 346 A sturina pucherani, 236
Alectrurus risorius, 126 Atticora cyanoleuca, 31
------ tricolor, 125 Avestruz petizo, 395
Alma do gato, 221
Alonzo García, 165 Bank Martin, 31
Amblyrhamphus holosericeus, 98 ------ Parrot, 221
American Golden Plover, 354 Barn Owl, 227
Anareles parulus, 143 Barred Upland Goose, 311
Ani, 218 Bartram’s Sandpiper, 369
Anjelito de las ánimas, 121 Batitú, 370
Anthus correndera, 17 Bay-winged Cow-bird, 94
------ furcatus, 19 Bellicose Tyrant, 156
Antrostomus parvulus, 205 Bernicla dispar, 311
Añumbi, 187 ------ poliocephala, 312
Anumbius acuticaudatus, 187 Bienteveo Tyrant, 147
Aphobus chopi, 111 Black - and - Chestnut Warbling
Aramides ypecaha, 335 Finch, 41
Aramus scolopaceus, 343 Black-and-Yellow Crested Tyrant,
Ardea candidissima, 283 155
------ cocoi, 276 Black - and - Yellow Throated
------ egretta, 283 Spine-Tail, 179
------ sibilatrix, 285 Black-billed Cuckoo, 216
Ardetta involucris, Black-crowned Tyrant, 118
Argentine Blackbird, 4 Black-faced Ibis, 299
------ Black-headed Gull, 377 Black-headed Reed-Wren, 17
------ Courlan, 343 ------ Siskin, 49
------ Cow-bird, 57 ------ Thrush, 4
------ Flamingo, 305 Black-necked Swan, 313
-F-»— Hen-Harrier, 234 Black Rail, 333
4oo BIRDS OF LA PLATA
Black-tailed Skimmer, 374 Chauna chavaría, 307
Black Tyrant, 129 Chestnut-shouldered Hang-nest,
------Vulture, 273 109
Blue Ibis, 301 Chicli Spine-tail, 175
Blue-winged Teal, 318 Chiloe Wigeon, 324
Bolborhynchus monachus, 223 Chimango Hawk, 251
Boyero, 98 Chingólo Song-Sparrow, 45
Brazilian Cormorant, 275 Chin-spotted Tyrant, 136
------Stilt, 361 Chlorostilbon splendidus, 200
Brown Cinclodes, 170 Chocolate Tyrant, 113
------Pintad, 322 Chopi, in
Bubo virginianus, 227 Chorlito de invierno, 356
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 371 Chorlo, 354
Burrito, 335 ------solo, 370
Burrowing-Owl, 229 Chrysomitris ictérica, 49
Buteo albicaudatus, 236 Chrysoptilus cristatus, 205
------ erythronotus, 238 Chueké, 391
Butorides cyanurus, 286 Churinche, 151
Cinclodes fuscus, 170
Cabeza amarilla, 97 Circus cinereus, 234
Cachalote, Laughing, 194 ------macropterus, 234
------Rufous, 193 Cistothorus platensis, 16
Cachila Pipit, 17 Climbing Wood-hewer, 196
Calandria, 5 Cnipolegus anthracinus, 128
------blanca, 10 ------hudsoni, 129
------de las tres colas, 10 Coccyzus americanus, 217
------Mocking-bird, 5 ------cinereus, ny
Calodromas elegans, 389 ------melanocoryphus, 216
Caminante, 163 Cock-tailed Tyrant, 125
Campestre, El, 208 Cocoi Heron, 276
Carancho, 262 Colaptes agrícola, 207
Cardinal Finch, 39 ------campestris, 208
------Yellow, 43 ------pitius, 208
Carpintero, 207 Colegial, 133
Carrion Hawk, 251 Columba maculosa, 329
Casera, 165 ------picazuro, 328
Caserita, 163 Columbula picui, 331
Cathartes atratus, 273 Common Swallow, 28
------aura, 274 Conurus patagonus, 221
Centrites niger, 137 Coscoroba candida, 314
Ceryle amazona, 210 Cotorra, 223
------americana, 210 Coucou, 216
------stellata, 209 Cow-bird, 57
------torquata, 209 ------Argentine or Common, 57
Chaja, 307 ------Bay-winged, 94
Charadrius dominicus, 354 ----- Screaming, 80
Chat-like Tyrant, 123 Crested Screamer, 307
 INDEX 401
Crispin, 219 Fork-tailed Pipit, 19
Crotophaga ani, 218 Fuegéro, 151
Crowned Eagle, 241 Fúlica armillata, 343
Crypturus tataupa, 383 ------ leucoptera, 342
Cuckoos, 211-221 ------ leucopyga, 343
Cuervo, 274 Fulvous Tree-Duck, 315
Curved-bill Rush-bird, 190 Furnarius rufus, 164
Cyanotis azara, 144 Gallina ciega, 203
Cygnus nigricollis, 313 Gallinago paraguaia, 362
Gallineta, 335
Gallinazo, 274
Dafila bahamensis, 323 Gallito, 199
------ spinicauda, 322 Geositta cunicularia, 163
Darwin’s Rhea, 395 Geranoaétus melanoleucus, 239
------ Tinamu, 388 Glaucidium nanum, 227
Degollado, 107 Glaucous Finch, 37
Dendrocygna fulva, 315 Glittering Humming-Bird, 200
------ viduata, 317 Glossy Ibis, 297
Dipiopterus navius, 219 Goatsucker, 203
Diuca Finch, 43 Godwit, 372
Diuca minor, 43 Golondrina domestica, 21
Domestic Martin, 21 Grebe, Bright-cheeked, 382
Dominican Gull, 376 ------ Great, 381
------ Tyrant, 120 ------ Rolland’s, 382
Donacobius atricapillus, 17 ------ Thick-billed, 382
Donacospiza albifrons, 40 Green Parrakeet, 223
Dormilón, 203, 364 Grey Eagle, 239
Duerme-duerme, 203 ------ Teal, 319
Dusky Thrush, 1 Gubernatrix cristatella, 43
Guiraca glaucocarulea, yj
Elanus leucurus, 247 Güira Cuckoo, 211
Embernagra platensis, 47 Güira piririgua, 211
Empidonomus aurantio-atro Guira-pitá, 152
cristatus, 155
Engyptila chalcauchenia, 332 Hang-nest, 109
Espinero, 187 Hapalocercus flaviventris, 109
Esquimo Whimbrel, 373 Harpiprion carulescens, 301
Eudromias modesta, 356 Harpyhaliaétus coronatus, 241
Euxenura maguari, 294 Harrier, Argentine Hen-, 234
Herons, 276-293
Himantopus brasiliensis, 361
Falco fusco-carulescens, 244 Hobby, Argentine, 244
------ peregrinas, 243 Homorus lophotes, 193
Finches, 37-50 --------- gutturalis, 194
Firewood-gatherer, 187 Housekeeper, 165
Flamingo, Argentine, 305 House Wren, 13
Fluvicola albiventris, 124 Hudsonian Godwit, 372
402 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
Hudson's Spine-tail, 184 Macas cornudo, 381
Humming-bird, 200 Machetornis rixosa, 134
Magellanic Eagle Owl, 227
Ibis, Black-faced, 299 ------Thrush, 4
------Blue, 301 Maguan Stork, 294
------White-faced, 297 Many-coloured Tyrant, 144
------Whispering, 302 Marcea sibilatrix, 324
------Wood, 295 Martineta, 389
Icteridae, 57-113 Melancholy Tyrant, 157
Icterus pyrrhopterus, 109 Metopiana peposaca, 326
Military Starling, 107
Jabirú, 296 Milvago chimango, 251
Jacana, 346 Milvulus tyrannus, 159
Joao de los Barrios, 165 Mimus modulator, 5
John of the Mudpuddles, 165 ------patachonicus, 7
------triurus, 10
Minera, 163
Keanché, 263 Misto Seed-Finch, 55
Rite, White, 247 Mocking-bird, Calandria, 5
------Patagonian, 7
Lapwing, Spur-wing, 348 ------White-banded, 10
Larus dominicanus, 376 Modest Spine-tail, 181
------ maculipennis, yjq Molothrus badius, 94
Laughing Cachalote, 194 ------honariensis, 57
Lechuzón, 227 ------rujoaxillaris, 80
Leistes superciliaris, 100 Mouming Finch, 42
Leñatero, 187 Mouse-coloured Tyrant, 123
Leptasthenura eegithaloides, 174 Muscisaxicola macloviana, 136
Lesser Cardinal Finch, 40 Mycteria americana, 296
------Diuca Finch, 43 Myiotheretes rufiventris, 113
Lichenops erythropterus, 131
------perspicillatus, 130 Ñacundá, 203
Limnornis curvirostris, 190 Ñandú, 391
Limosa hcemastica, 372 Night-Heron, 293
Lindo, 36 Nothura maculosa, 385
Little Black Red-Back, 137 ----- darwini, 388
------Blue Heron, 286 Numenius borealis, 373
------ Cock, 198 Nycticorax obscurus, 293
------ Crested Grey Tyrant, 141 Oreophilus ruficollis, 358
------Housekeeper, 163 Oven-bird, 164
------Long-tailed Tyrant, 140
------Red Heron, 287 Painted Snipe, 364
------River-side Grey Tyrant, 142 Pájaro ardilla, 221
------ Tit-like Grey Tyrant, 143 Paraguay Snipe, 362
------Waterhen, 341 Paroaria capitata, 40
------ Widow Tyrant, 121 ------cucullata, 39
Long-tailed Reed-Finch, 40 Parra jacana, 346
 INDEX 403
Parrot, 221 Porphyriops melanops, 341
Patagonian Earth-creeper, 169 Progne chalybea, 21
------ Marsh-Starling, 105 ------ furcata, 20
------ Ringed Plover, 357 ------tapera, 22
------ Spine-tail, 183 Pseudoleistes virescens, 102
Pato ceja blanca, 320 Purple Martin, 20
------ collar negro, 320 Pyrocephalus rubineus, 151
------ overo, 324
------ picaso, 324 Quarhí-rahí, 152
------ Portugués, 321 Queltrégua, 348
------ silvon, 315 Querquedula brasiliensis, 321
------ viuda, 317 • ------ cyanoptera, 318
Pecho amarillo, 103 ------ flavirostris, 318
Pecho colorado, 107 ------ torquata, 320
Pectoral Sandpiper, 365 ------ versicolor, 319
Pepoaza Tyrant, 115
Perdiz chico, 388 Rail, Black, 333
------ grande, 384 ------ Ypecaha, 335
Peregrine Falcon, 243 Rallus rhythyrhynchus, 333
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, 27 Red-backed Buzzard, 238
Phacellodomus ruber, 191 ------ Rock-Martin, 27
------ sibilatrix, 192 Red-bellied Thrush, 3
Phalacrocorax albiventris, 275 Red-billed Ground-Finch, 47
------ brasilianus, 275 Red-breasted Marsh-bird, 100
------ imperialis, 275 Red-capped Bush-bird, 197
Phimosus infuscatus, 302 Red-crested Woodpecker, 205
Phlceocryptes melanops, 171 Red Shoveller, 325
Phcenicopterus ignipalliatus, 305 ------ Thorn-bird, 191
Phrygilus fruticeti, 42 Reed Tyrant, 139
Phytotoma rutila, 161 Rey de los Pájaros, 250
Piaya cayana, 220 Rhea americana, 391
Pico de Plata, 131 ------ darwini, 395
Picolaptes angustirostris, 196 Rhinocrypta lanceolata, 198
Picui, 332 Rhyacophilus solitarius, 367
Pigmy Dove, 331 Rhynchaa semicollaris, 364
------ Falcon, 250 Rhynchops melanura, 374
------Owl, 227 ------ nigra, 374
Pipit, Cachila, 17 Rhynchotus rufescens, 384
Pitangus bolivianus, 147 Ringed Kingfisher, 209
Plant-cutter, 161 Ring-necked Teal, 320
Plegadis guarauna, 297 Roseate Spoonbill, 303
Podager nacundá, 203 Rostrohamus sociabilis, 248
Podiceps caliparaus, 382 Rosy-billed Duck, 326
------ rollandi, 382 Rufous Cachalote, 193
Podilymbus podiceps, 382 ------ Tinamu, 384
Polyborus tharus, 262 Rufous-headed Marsh-bird, 99
Poospixa nigrorufa, 41 Rush-loving Spine-tail, 171
4©4 BIRDS OF LA PLATA
Sandpiper, Baird's, 366 Striped Spine-tail, 180
------Bartram’s, 369 Swallow, 28
------Bonaparte's, 366 Swallow-like Tyrant, 124
------Bufi-breasted, 371 Swan, Black-necked, 313
------Pectoral, 365 ------Coscoroba, 314
----- Solitary, 367 Sycalis luteola, 55
Sarcorhamphus gryphus, 273 ------pelzelni, 51
Scarlet-headed Marsh-bird, 98 Synallaxis albescens, 176
Scarlet Tyrant, 151 ------hudsoni, 184
Scissor-tail Tyrant, 159 ------maluroides, 186
Screamer, Crested, 307 ------modesta, 181
Screaming Cow-bird, 80 ---- - patagónica, 183
------Finch, 38 ------phryganophila, 179
Seed-Snipe, 359 ------sórdida, 181
Serpophaga nigricans, 142 ------spixi, 175
------subcristaia, 141 ------striaticeps, 180
Short-eared Owl, 226 ------sulphurifera, 182
Short-winged Tyrant, 134
Silverbill, 130 Tachybaptes dominicus, 382
Siskin, Black-headed, 59 Tachycineta leucorrhoa, 28
Sisopygis icterophrys, 127 Tanioptera coronata, 118
Slender-billed Plover, 358 ------dominicana, 120
Snowy Egret, 283 ------irupero, 121
Sociable Marsh-Hawk, 248 ------murina, 123
Solitary Pigeon, 332 ------nengetá, 115
------Sandpiper, 367 ------rübetra, 123
Sordid Spine-tail, 181 Tanagers, 35
Sparrow, Chingólo Song, 45 Tantalus loculator, 295
------Yellow House, 51 Tataupa Tinamu, 383
Spatula platalea, 325 Téru-real, 361
“ Spectacular ” group, 128 Téru-téru, 348
Speotyto cunicularia, 229 Thamnophilus ruficapillus, 197
Spermophila carulescens, 38 Theristicus caudatus, 299
------melanocephala, 39 Thinocorus rumicivorus, 359
------palustris, 39 Thom-bird, 187
Spiziapteryx circumcinctus, 250 Tinamu, Common or Spotted,
Spoonbill, Roseate, 303 385
Spotted Dove, 330 ------Darwin’s or Lesser Spotted,
------Tinamu, 385 388
------Wood-Pigeon, 329 ------Martineta, 389
Spur-wing Lapwing, 348 ------Rufous, 384
Stephanophorus leucocephalus, 35 ------Tataupa, 383
Stigmatura flavo-cinerea, 140 Tinnunculus cinnamominus, 245
Stilt, 361 Tíru-ríru, 187
Stork, Jabirú, 296 Tit-like Spine-tail, 174
------Maguan, 294 Torcasa, 330
Strange-tailed Tyrant, 126 Tortolita, 332
 INDEX 405
Totanus fiavipes, 367 Whistling Heron, 285
------ melanoleucus, 366 White-capped Tanager, 35
Tree-Martin, 22 White Egret, 283
Tringa bairdi, 366 White-faced Ibis, 297
------ fuscicollis, 366 ------ Pintail, 323
------ maculata, 365 ------ Tree-Duck, 317
Troglodytes furvus, 13 White Kite, 247
Troupials, 57-113 White-tailed Buzzard, 236
Trupialis defilippii, 107 White-throated Spine-tail, 176
------ militaris, 105 Winter Plover, 356
Tryngites rufescens, 371 Wood-Ibis, 295
Turdus fuscater, 4 Woodpeckers, 205-209
------ leucomelas, 1 Wren, 13
------ magellanicus, 4 Wren-like Spine-tail, 186
------ nigriceps, 4
------ rufiventris, 3 Yabirú, 297
Turkey Buzzard, 274 Yellow-billed Coot, 342
Tyrannus melancholicus, 156 ------ Teal, 318
Yellow-breasted Marsh-bird, 102
Upland Goose, 311 Yellow-browed Tyrant, 127
------ Plover, 369 Yellow Cardinal, 43
Upucerthia dumetoria, 169 Yellow-headed Marsh-bird, 97
Urraca, 211 Yellow House-Sparrow, 51
Yellowshanks, Greater, 366
Vanellus cayennensis, 348 ------ Lesser, 367
Vandúria, aplomado, barroso, de Yellow-shouldered Marsh-bird, 96
las lagunas, 301 Yellow-spot Spine-tail, 182
------ de invierno, 299 Ypecaha Rail, 335
Viudita, 121
Vociferous Hawk, 236 Zancudo, 361
Vulture, Black, 273 Zenaida maculata, 330
Zonotrichia canicapilla, 47
Whispering Ibis, 302 ------ pileata, 45
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