Chapter XI: Introduction (10)

This is a common and very well-known species throughout the Argentine country and Patagonia, also in Uruguay and Paraguay, and is variously called _Espinero_ (Thorn-bird), _Tiru-riru_, in imitation of its note, and _Añumbi_ (the Guarani name); but its best known name 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 old 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 call, 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 reunion; but they seldom separate, and Azara says that when one 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 close 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 tall 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 lassos. 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 consequently 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 Ayres, and says that in a tall 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 attributes the choice of the tall poplar to _ambition_; but the _Añumbi_ has really a much simpler and lowlier motive. In the rich Buenos Ayres soil all trees have a superabundance of foliage, and in the slim 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 _Molothrus_. 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 work 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. Barrows observed the bird at Concepcion, 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.

207. LIMNORNIS CURVIROSTRIS, Gould.

(CURVED-BILL RUSH-BIRD.)

+Limnornis curvirostris+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 64; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 182 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above rufous-brown, brighter on the rump; lores and
superciliaries white; wings and tail chestnut-brown; beneath white;
flanks and under tail-coverts pale brown; under wing-coverts white;
bill and feet horn-colour: whole length 7·0 inches, wing 3·0, tail
2·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentina and Uruguay.

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 reed-beds which grow in the water, and is not found in any other situation. It pairs for life, has a very feeble flight, and flies with great reluctance, but lives always in close 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 jarring notes, as if angrily protesting against the intrusion.

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.

208. PHACELLODOMUS FRONTALIS (Licht.).

(RED-FRONTED THORN-BIRD.)

+Phacellodomus frontalis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 467
(Tucuman); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 65; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880,
p. 359 (Salta); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 612 (Buenos Ayres).
+Phacellodomus sincipitalis+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 433.

_Description._--Above nearly uniform olive-brown, crown blackish
brown, superciliaries white; beneath dirty brownish white; under
wing-coverts pale cinnamon; bill and feet horn-colour: whole length
6·8 inches, wing 2·6, tail 2·6. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S. America, from Venezuela to Argentina.

The Red-fronted Thorn-bird, which is found in the Northern provinces of Argentina, and only occurs as a straggler near Buenos Ayres, resorts to the thickets, and in its habits is said to resemble the _Synallaxes_ of the group to which _S. spixi_ and _S. albescens_ belong. It builds a large nest of sticks, and White says that it makes a peculiar chattering sound that has the effect of exciting other small birds, and causes them to crowd about it.

209. PHACELLODOMUS SIBILATRIX, Scl.

(WHISTLING THORN-BIRD.)

+Phacellodomus sibilatrix+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1879, p. 461; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 612 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn.
Cl._ viii. p. 209 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above dull olive-brown, paler on the sides of the
head; front and lesser wing-coverts chestnut-red; wing-feathers
blackish, edged with olive-brown; tail light chestnut, the middle
pair of feathers and the inner webs of the two next pairs brown,
like the back; beneath dirty brownish white, washed with ochraceous
on the flanks; under wing-coverts bright cinnamon: whole length 5·3
inches, wing 2·2, tail 2·2.

_Hab._ Argentina.

This species resembles _P. frontalis_, but differs in its much smaller size, and in having the upper lesser wing-coverts bright rufous.

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's 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 thorns. 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 size and shape, but are pretty constant in the material used; this being almost always irregular and thorny twigs of various trees growing 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 old 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 old 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 branches of the same tree are similarly loaded, and other trees close at hand also bear the same kind of fruit, the result is very picturesque. The eggs, which are white, are laid from October 1 to January 1, but many of the birds work at nest-building all the winter, sometimes spending months on a single nest."

210. PHACELLODOMUS STRIATICOLLIS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(RED-WINGED THORN-BIRD.)

+Anumbius striaticollis+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 255 (Buenos Ayres).
+Phacellodomus striaticollis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 65.

_Description._--Above, forehead and crown rufous; lores white; sides
of head, neck, and back brown; whole wing chestnut, the feathers
tipped with blackish; tail chestnut; beneath white, clearer on the
throat and breast, which are marked with slight white shaft-spots;
sides of breast and flanks washed with reddish brown; under
tail-coverts brown; under wing-coverts cinnamon; bill and feet
horn-colour: whole length 8·0 inches, wing 2·9, tail 3·1. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ Argentina and Uruguay.

D'Orbigny, who discovered this species in Uruguay, and found it also near Buenos Ayres, remarks that it lives in pairs in the thorny bushes, and resembles its congeners in habits. It is, however, certainly not common in the vicinity of the Argentine capital, for Hudson has never met with it.

211. PHACELLODOMUS RUBER (Vieill.).

(RED THORN-BIRD.)

+Phacellodomus ruber+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 467 (Paraná,
Cordova); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 65; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877,
p. 183 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p.
210 (Entrerios). +Phacellodomus maculipectus+, _Cab. J. f. O._
1883, p. 109 (?).

_Description._--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; bill and feet horn-colour:
whole length 7·3 inches, wing 2·6, tail 3·2. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentina.

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. Nor has it the restless manner of most Synallaxine birds which live in the same places with it, but moves in a slow deliberate way, and spends a great deal of time sitting motionless on its perch, occasionally uttering its call 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 pure white.

The name commonly used for this species is founded on the "_Anumbé roxo_" of Azara's 'Apuntamientos'; but the description given there of the bird's nesting-habits shows either that some other species was meant--perhaps _P. sibilatrix_, Döring--or that the nesting-habits of a different bird have been assigned to _P. ruber_.

212. HOMORUS LOPHOTES, Reichenb.

(BROWN CACHALOTE.)

[Plate IX.]

+Homorus lophotes+, _Reichb. Handb._ p. 172; _Barrows, Bull. Nutt.
Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 212 (Entrerios); _Hudson, Ibis_, 1885,
p. 283 (Buenos Ayres). +Anabates unirufus+, _Burm. La-Plata
Reise_, ii. p. 466 (Cordova). +Homorus unirufus+, _Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl._ p. 65; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 612 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above brown, tinged with olive on the back, but
clear and rufescent on the hind head and rump; crest-feathers
blackish brown; wings blackish; tail chestnut; beneath earthy brown,
throat rufous; under wing- and tail-coverts and inner margins
of wing-feathers pale rufous; bill pale bluish, feet bluish
horn-colour: whole length 9·8 inches, wing 4·6, tail 4·2. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ Argentina.

This species interested me greatly during my observations of the Argentine birds, but, owing to its rarity and to its recluse habits, my knowledge of it is very scanty. It is found in 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 scream it utters when disturbed. This resentful look is deceptive, however, for the bird is the shiest 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 specimens. 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 exclusively on the ground, close 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 Concepcion, says that it is a bird which cannot be overlooked, 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 in 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 reception of the eggs. These are usually three or four in number, pure white, and are laid from October until January. They can usually be counted through the loose floor of the nest, though sometimes its thickness prevents this."

213. HOMORUS GUTTURALIS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(WHITE-THROATED CACHALOTE.)

+Anabates gutturalis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 467 (Mendoza).
+Homorus gutturalis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 65; _Hudson,
P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 545 (Rio Negro); _id. Ibis_, 1885, p. 284;
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 36, et 1878, p. 396 (Chupat, Central
Patagonia).

_Description._--Nearly uniform earthy grey, faintly tinged with
olivaceous brown above, and much paler beneath; lores and upper part
of throat pure white, lower part of throat black, or white and black
mixed; under wing-coverts white, faintly tinged with pale cinnamon;
beak and feet bluish grey: whole length 9·4 inches, wing 4·0, tail
3·2. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Patagonia.

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, but has a white throat, while the rest of the plumage is of a pale earthy brown instead of rufous. Like the Brown 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 individuals. 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 old 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 this distance. After each performance they pursue each other, passing from bush to bush with a wild jerky flight, and uttering harsh angry notes.

They select a low, strong, wide-spreading bush to build in; the nest, which is made of stout sticks, is perfectly spherical and four to five feet deep, the chamber 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, prevents the intrusion of snakes and small mammals. So strongly made is the nest that I have stood on the dome of one and stamped on it with my foot without injuring it in the least, and to demolish one I had to force 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.

214. ANABAZENOPS OLEAGINEUS, Scl.

(OILY-GREEN ANABAZENOPS.)

+Anabazenops rufo-superciliatus+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 613
(Catamarca). +Anabazenops oleagineus+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1883, p.
654.

_Description._--Above and beneath dark olive-green; lores,
superciliaries, and spots on the sides of the head yellowish white;
wings blackish, the outer webs of the feathers olive-brown; tail
bright chestnut; throat whitish yellow, on the lower part the yellow
feathers tipped with olive; breast and belly spotted with same
colour as the throat; bend of wing, under wing-coverts, and margins
of inner webs of secondaries fulvous yellow; bill and feet blackish:
whole length 6·2 inches, wing 3·2, tail 3·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South Brazil and Argentina.

White obtained examples of this species on the Sierra of Totoral. He says it is a very wild bird and exceedingly scarce.

215. SITTOSOMUS ERITHACUS (Licht.).

(ROBIN-LIKE WOOD-HEWER.)

+Sittosomus olivaceus+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 613 (Salta).
+Sittasomus erithacus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 66.

_Description._--Above olive-green, tinged with chestnut on the back,
rump, and upper wing-coverts; wings black, the basal part of the
inner webs of the secondaries fulvous yellow, forming a well-marked
transverse bar; outer webs and broad tips of inner secondaries and
whole of outer secondaries chestnut; tail and upper tail-coverts
chestnut; beneath yellowish olive, brighter on the throat and
breast; under wing-coverts fulvous yellow; under tail-coverts pale
chestnut; bill and feet black: whole length 6·2 inches, wing 3·0,
tail 3·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America from Colombia to Northern Argentina.

This is a straggler from the north, a specimen of which was obtained by White near Oran in 1880.

216. GLYPHORHYNCHUS CUNEATUS (Licht.).

(WEDGE-BILLED WOOD-HEWER.)

+Glyphorhynchus cuneatus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 67; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 613 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above olive-brown, superciliaries and small spots on
the side of the head yellowish white, rump and upper tail-coverts
chestnut; wings blackish, outer webs of wing-feathers olive-brown,
basal part of inner webs of secondaries yellowish white, forming a
transverse bar; tail chestnut; beneath earthy olive-brown, whitish
yellow on the throat, and with spots of the same colour on the
upper part of the breast; under wing-coverts white; bill and feet
horn-colour: whole length 5·1 inches, wing 2·5, tail 2·4. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ South America from Colombia to Northern Argentina.

This is another northern form of which White obtained specimens in Misiones. He says it is not uncommon there in the thick woods, also in the orange-groves about the Jesuit ruins of St. Javier.

217. DENDROCOLAPTES PICUMNUS (Licht.).

(FLAT-BILLED WOOD-HEWER.)

+Dendrocolaptes picumnus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 67; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 613 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above olivaceous brown; head blackish, thickly
covered with yellowish-buff elongated shaft-spots; rump and upper
tail-coverts tinged with chestnut; wing-feathers chestnut, tinged
with olivaceous; tail chestnut; beneath pale earthy olive-brown,
paler on the throat, the shafts of the feathers of the breast buffy
white, forming long lines, the feathers of the belly and under
tail-coverts transversely barred with blackish; under wing-coverts
yellowish white, spotted with blackish; bill and feet black: whole
length 10·5 inches, wing 4·7, tail 4·6. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Brazil and Northern Argentina.

White obtained specimens of this species at Concepcion, "in the thickest parts of the woods, near the river, climbing up the trees, around which it turned in corkscrew fashion."

218. DRYMORNIS BRIDGESI, Eyton.

(BRIDGES'S WOOD-HEWER.)

[Plate X.]

+Drymornis bridgesi+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 67; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 613 (Catamarca); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 20
(Entrerios). +Nasica gracilirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii.
p. 466 (Rio Quinto).

_Description._--Above and below brown, brightest on the rump, and
palest beneath; long superciliaries extending down the neck, and
a mystacal stripe formed of white spots with faint black edgings;
wing-feathers blackish; tail chestnut; on the throat a broad white
band extending to the breast; breast and belly marked with large
oblong white spots, which are margined with narrow black edgings;
under wing-coverts and inner margins of secondaries bright cinnamon;
bill and feet horn-colour: whole length 12·10 inches, wing 5·6, tail
4·6. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ North and West Argentina.

Eyton, when he described this species from Bridges's specimens, gave its habitat as Bolivia. It may inhabit the southern part of that Republic, but it is more probable that Bridges's examples were obtained in Northern Argentina, which he likewise visited. Bridges's Wood-hewer is the only member of its genus, and is one of the largest of the whole family _Dendrocolaptidæ_, measuring some 13 or 14 inches in length, inclusive of the great curved beak. Although found throughout the northern portion of the Argentine Republic, its habits are as yet imperfectly known, but the following extracts show that they must be very interesting, and that the bird is remarkably versatile. Mr. Barrows writes:--"These birds are somewhat gregarious, being oftenest seen in small parties of six to ten. They sometimes cling against the bark of a tree in the manner of Woodpeckers, but also spend much of their time on the ground. I think they use their curved bill much oftener for probing in the ground than for searching the bark of trees, as many of those shot had the base of the bill and the frontal feathers plastered with mud. In the stomach of the first one killed I found the silken sac, three fourths of an inch in diameter, or the eggs of a large spider, which makes holes ten or twelve inches deep in the hard soil everywhere."

White obtained examples of this species at Catamarca, and also notices its strangely contrasted habits. He writes:--"The cry of this bird is much the same as that of a Woodpecker, and it clings to the algarroba trees in a similar way; but in the afternoon it is seen scattered about on the sandy ground in the pursuit of insects."

219. XIPHOCOLAPTES ALBICOLLIS (Vieill.).

(WHITE-THROATED WOOD-HEWER.)

+Xiphocolaptes albicollis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 68; _White,
P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 613 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above, head black, with clear whitish-yellow
shaft-spots; lores and long superciliaries white; neck, back, and
upper wing-coverts olive-brown; rump and upper tail-coverts washed
with bright chestnut; wing-feathers dark chestnut, the outer webs
glossed with olivaceous; tail chestnut; beneath pale olive-brown,
buffy white on the throat and with similar shaft-spots on the
breast; feathers of the belly and under tail-coverts transversely
barred with black; under wing-coverts cinnamomeous yellow barred
with black; bill and feet black: whole length 12·0 inches, wing 5·4,
tail 4·8. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Brazil and N. Argentina.

White obtained examples of this large Wood-hewer in Misiones.

220. XIPHOCOLAPTES MAJOR (Vieill.).

(CHESTNUT WOOD-HEWER.)

+Xiphocolaptes major+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 68; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 613 (Salta); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1880, p. 359
(Tucuman).

_Description._--Above and below nearly uniform chestnut, tinged
with olivaceous on the crown and throat; narrow shaft-spots on the
breast-feathers whitish, forming faint lines; beak pale horn-colour;
feet bluish grey: whole length 11·10 inches, wing 5·5, tail 4·0.
_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ North Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia.

This large and powerful Wood-hewer is confined to the hottest portion of the Argentine Republic, and also inhabits Paraguay and Bolivia. White met with it at Oran, in the province of Salta, and writes concerning its habits:--"Common here in the dense forest, where their continued hard pecking at the lofty tree-trunks is very accentuated. Two or three at a time maintain a continued race up a magnificent clear stem as far as the branches, when they fly to the bottom of the next and do likewise."

This species is nearly a foot in length, the beak being about two inches long, curved and very powerful. The tail is stiff, being used as a support in climbing, and the claws are strong and sharply hooked. The colour of the whole plumage is nearly uniformly bright rufous.

221. PICOLAPTES ANGUSTIROSTRIS (Vieill.).

(NARROW-BILLED WOOD-HEWER.)

+Picolaptes angustirostris+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 69; _White,
P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 433 (Cordova). +Lepidocolaptes atripes+,
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 21 (Entrerios).

_Description._--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 pale obscure chestnut; outer webs and broad tips
of primaries blackish; tail chestnut; beneath white, clearer on the
throat; sides of breast and belly thickly marked with faint blackish
stripes; under wing-coverts cinnamon; bill pale horn-colour; feet
grey: whole length 8·2 inches, wing 3·8, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentina.

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 account named it the Common Climber, "_Trepador comun_." In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitant, appearing at the end of September. It is a solitary bird, never 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 close 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.

Fam. XVIII. FORMICARIIDÆ, or ANT-BIRDS.

The Formicariidæ, or Ant-birds, are another very important constituent of the Neotropical Avifauna, but are less generally diffused than the Dendrocolaptidæ, the greater number of the forms being restricted to the hot forests of South and Central America. In the Argentine Republic we meet with only four species of the widely-spread genus _Thamnophilus_, and of them only one appears to extend as far south as Buenos Ayres.

222. THAMNOPHILUS LEACHI (Such).

(LEACH'S BUSH-BIRD.)

+Thamnophilus leachi+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 69; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 614 (Misiones).

_Description._--Black, thickly and conspicuously spotted above with
white or pale yellowish; on the wings the spots occur on the outer
webs of the feathers; upper tail-coverts faintly edged with grey;
tail black, unspotted; feathers on the lower breast and belly
slightly edged with grey; bill and feet black: whole length 10·5
inches, wing 3·4, tail 5·0. _Female_: spots larger and yellow, on
the crown lengthening to stripes and tinged with rufous; inner webs
of the wing-feathers also spotted on their margins; whole under
surface thickly spotted with pale yellow.

_Hab._ Brazil and N. Argentina.

White met with a single individual of this fine Bush-bird at Concepcion, Misiones. It was observed on the ground feeding on a swarm of black ants.

223. THAMNOPHILUS MAJOR, Vieill.

(LARGER BUSH-BIRD.)

+Thamnophilus major+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 69; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 614 (Salta); _Salvin, Ibis_. 1880, p. 359 (Salta).
+Thamnophilus stagurus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 471
(Paraná, Tucuman).

_Description._--Above black, upper wing-coverts crossed by a row of
white spots; the outer rectrix on each side tipped and barred with
white, the other rectrices, excepting the middle pair, spotted with
white on their inner webs; beneath pure white; bill black, feet
grey: whole length 8·0 inches, wing 3·6, tail 2·8. _Female_ above
rufous, beneath white, lower flanks and under tail-coverts tinged
with ochraceous; tail wholly rufous.

_Hab._ Paraguay and N. Argentina.

White found this species common in the gardens round the town of Oran. He noted the iris as "crimson."

Azara's account of this species is prefaced by the following remarks on the birds of this genus known to him in Paraguay:--"These birds inhabit only the dense and tangled thickets, and never show themselves outside of their hiding-places, 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 devour 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 call 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."

224. THAMNOPHILUS CÆRULESCENS, Vieill.

(SLATY-BLUE BUSH-BIRD.)

+Thamnophilus cærulescens+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 472
(Paraná, Mendoza, Tucuman); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 70;
_White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 614 (Corrientes, Misiones); _Barrows,
Auk_, 1884, p. 21 (Entrerios); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 361
(Salta).

_Description._--Above grey, black on the crown, and a patch of white
and black feathers on the middle of the back; wings black, the
coverts thickly spotted and the inner webs of the remiges edged with
white; tail black, all the feathers, except the middle pair, tipped
with white, the outer rectrix on each side has also a long white
spot in the middle part of the outer web; beneath cinereous, white
on the belly; bill and feet black: whole length 5·6 inches, wing
2·7, tail 2·3. _Female_: above earthy olive-green, yellowish on
the crown; wing-coverts and tail as in the male; wing-feathers
olive-brown; beneath yellowish olive-grey, brightening into
ochraceous on the belly and flanks.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentina.

Mr. Barrows says concerning this species that it is "frequently seen, especially during the winter" (on the Lower Uruguay). A nest, taken November 24th, "was almost precisely like that of our Red-eyed Vireo (_V. olivaceus_), being pensile in the fork of a horizontal spray, only four feet from the ground. It contained three fresh eggs, white, with spots and dashes of light brown."

White says that these birds frequent the banks of streams, and have a deep bass call-note, rather mournful and slow.

225. THAMNOPHILUS RUFICAPILLUS, Vieill.

(RED-CAPPED BUSH-BIRD.)

+Thamnophilus argentinus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 472
(Paraná, Tucuman); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 70; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 183 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 21
(Entrerios). +Thamnophilus ruficapillus+, _Pelz. Orn. Bras._ p.
79; _Berl. et Jher. Zeitschr. ges. O._ 1885, p. 49.

_Description._--Above olivaceous brown, tinged with rufous, brighter
on the crown; lores yellowish white, superciliaries and sides of
head whitish grey; wing-feathers dark olive-brown, the inner webs
edged with ochraceous; tail black, all the rectrices, except the
middle pair, slightly tipped and broadly spotted on the inner webs
with white; beneath greyish white, the feathers from the lower
throat to the belly transversely barred with black; bill and feet
black: whole length 6·2 inches, wing 2·7, tail 2·6. _Female_: above
the same as the male, except the tail, which is rufous brown;
beneath whitish, tinged with ochraceous, and with scarcely
perceptible greyish mottlings.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentina.

This species is very 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 occasionally a singular low rasping note, its only language. 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.

Fam. XIX. PTEROPTOCHIDÆ, or TAPACOLAS.

The Pteroptochidæ form a small but very peculiar family of Tracheophonine Passeres, mostly restricted to Chili and the south-western extremity of the South-American Continent, but also represented in the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia and in the high plateau of Central Brazil. They are ground-birds, remarkable for their large and robust feet with long claws, their strangely formed bills, and the elevated position in which the tail is carried in the living bird.

In the Argentine Republic four species of Pteroptochidæ are known to occur, only one of which, however, is a well-known bird. Two of the remaining three are recent discoveries, and the fourth a Chilian species, which extends over the Andes into the western borders of Argentina.

226. SCYTALOPUS SUPERCILIARIS, Cab.

(WHITE-EYEBROWED SCYTALOPUS.)

+Scytalopus superciliaris+, _Cab. Journ. f. Orn._ 1883, p. 105, t.
ii. fig. 3 (Tucuman).

_Description._--Nearest to _S. indigoticus_ of Brazil, but without
the white colour on the breast and belly, only the throat being
clear white; superciliaries striped white; front and sides of the
head and neck, breast and belly grey; rest of the upper surface,
together with the flanks and crissum, light brown, with fine
blackish cross-markings; bill blackish, feet light-coloured.

_Hab._ Sierra of Tucuman.

This species is one of Schulz's recent discoveries in the Sierra of Tucuman, where he found it west of Sauciyaca, frequenting the deep ravines.

227. RHINOCRYPTA LANCEOLATA, Geoffr. et d'Orb.

(GALLITO.)

+Rhinocrypta lanceolata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii, p. 471
(Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 70;
_Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 543 (Rio Negro); _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 614 (Catamarca).

_Description._--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 pure 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; bill horn-colour, feet black:
whole length 8·2 inches, wing 3·3, tail 3·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Western and Southern Argentina and Patagonia.

The vernacular name _Gallito_, or "Little Cock," by which this species is familiarly known in Patagonia, cannot fail to strike every one who sees the bird as very appropriate, for it struts and runs on the ground with tail erect, looking wonderfully like a small 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 chirrup, 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.

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 of a pure white.

The Little Cock is nine inches long, has long stout legs, and short, curved beak. The colour of the head and neck is deep reddish brown, lined with white, the feathers of the crown forming a crest. The upper surface and wings olive-brown; tail dark; throat and breast grey; middle of the belly white, with a broad ruddy rufous patch on each side reaching to the belly.

228. RHINOCRYPTA FUSCA, Scl. et Salv.

(BROWN GALLITO.)

+Rhinocrypta fusca+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ pp. 76, 161.

_Description._--Above uniform pale cinnamomeous brown; superciliaries
whitish; tail blackish, except the middle pair of rectrices, which
are the same as the back; beneath white, faintly tinged with
cinnamomeous; bill horn-colour, feet black: whole length 6·5 inches,
wing 2·5, tail 2·4.

_Hab._ Mendoza.

The original examples of this species were obtained by the German collector, Weisshaupt, near Mendoza. It appears to have been mistaken for the young of the preceding species, but is decidedly different.

229. PTEROPTOCHUS ALBICOLLIS, Kittl.

(WHITE-NECKED TAPACOLA.)

+Pteroptochus albicollis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 471
(Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 76.

_Description._--Above chestnut-brown, obscure or slightly olivaceous
on the neck and upper part of back; inner webs of wing-feathers
blackish; lores, superciliaries, and under surface white, the breast
sparsely, and the belly and flanks thickly marked with transverse
spots of blackish brown; lower flanks and under tail-coverts
chestnut-brown, obscurely spotted with black; bill and feet black:
whole length 8·5 inches, wing 3·1, tail 2·9. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Chili and Western Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister tells us that he met with this Chilian species in the water-courses near Mendoza, where it was seen running about on the stones like a Dipper.

Darwin has given us some interesting notes on this bird:--"This species is called by the Chilenos 'Tapacola,' or 'cover your posteriors.' The name is well applied, as the Tapacola generally carries its short tail more than erect, that is, inclined backward and toward the head. It is extremely common in Central Chile. The Tapacola frequents hedge-rows and the bushes which are scattered at a considerable elevation over the sterile hills, where scarcely another bird can exist; hence it plays a conspicuous part in the ornithology of Chile. The Tapacola is very crafty; when frightened by any person, it will remain motionless at the bottom of a bush, and will then, after a little while, try with much address to crawl away on the opposite side. It is also an active bird, and continually making a noise; these noises are various and strangely odd; one is like the cooing of doves, another like the bubbling of water, and many defy all similes. The country-people say it changes its cry five times in the year, which is according, I suppose, to some change of season. I was told that the Tapacola builds its nest at the bottom of a deep burrow." (Darwin, in Zool. Voy. 'Beagle,' iii. p. 72.)

INDEX.

_Acahé_, i. 110.

Acanthylis collaris, ii. 11.

Actiturus bartramius, ii. 189.

Actodromas bairdi, ii. 184.

---- fuscicollis, ii. 185.

---- maculata, ii. 183.

Æchmophorus major, ii. 202.

Ægialitis cantiana, ii. 174.

---- collaris, ii. 173.

---- falklandica, ii. 172.

_Afeytado_, ii. 114.

_Agachona_, ii. 181.

Agelæus flavus, i. 98.

---- ruficapillus, i. 99.

---- thilius, i. 97.

Agriornis leucurus, i. 112.

---- maritima, i. 112.

---- striata, i. 111.

_Aiaiai_, ii. 106.

Ajaja rosea, ii. 114, 115, 116.

_Alas-amarillas_, ii. 163.

Alectrurus psalurus, i. 123.

---- risorius, i. 123.

---- tricolor, i. 122.

_Allied Saltator_, i. 41.

---- _Woodpecker_, ii. 20.

_Alma do gato_, ii. 37.

_Alonzito_, i. 167.

_Alonzo Garsia_, i. 167.

Aluco flammeus, ii. 48.

_Amazon, Blue-fronted_, ii. 47.

----, _Vinaceous_, ii. 46.

_Amazonian Kingfisher_, ii. 27.

Amblycercus solitarius, i. 72.

Amblypterus anomalus, ii. 16.

Amblyrhamphus holosericeus, i. 101.

---- ruber, i. 101.

_American Dabchick_, ii. 205.

---- _Golden Plover_, ii. 170.

---- _Oyster-catcher_, ii. 176.

---- _Waterhen_, ii. 156.

Anabates gutturalis, i. 197.

---- unirufus, i. 195.

_Anabazenops, Oily-green_, i. 198.

---- oleagineus, i. 198.

---- rufo-superciliatus, i. 198.

Anæretes flavirostris, i. 142.

---- parulus, i. 141.

Anas bahamensis, ii. 135.

---- brasiliensis, ii. 133.

---- chiloënsis, ii. 135.

---- cyanoptera, ii. 130.

---- flavirostris, ii. 131.

---- maculirostris, ii. 131.

---- melanocephala, ii. 130.

---- oxyura, ii. 134.

---- peposaca, ii. 137.

---- platalea, ii. 136.

---- spinicauda, ii. 134.

_Andean Flamingo_, ii. 119.

---- _Goose_, ii. 122.

_Angela Humming-bird_, ii. 5.

_Angelito de las Animas_, i. 118.

_Ani, Black_, ii. 31.

_Antarctic Rail_, ii. 148.

Antenor unicinctus, ii. 63.

Anthus correndera, i. 17, 19, 54, 80.

---- furcatus, i. 19.

---- pratensis, i. 17.

---- rufus, i. 17.

Antrostomus longirostris, ii. 14.

---- parvulus, ii. 14.

_Anumbé roxo_, i. 195.

_Añumbi_, i. 189, 190, 191.

Anumbius acuticaudatus, i. 31, 67, 88, 96, 133, 187, 189.

---- striaticollis, i. 194.

Aphobus chopi, i. 108.

Aptenodytes demersa, ii. 206.

Aramides gigas, ii. 150.

---- nigricans, ii. 150.

---- rhytirhynchus, ii. 149.

---- ypecaha, ii. 150.

Aramus scolopaceus, ii. 159.

Ardea cærulea, ii. 99.

---- candidissima, ii. 98, 99.

---- cocoi, ii. 93, 94.

---- egretta, ii. 98, 99, 105.

---- gardeni, ii. 105.

---- leuce, ii. 98.

---- marmorata, ii. 104.

---- nivea, ii. 99.

---- sibilatrix, ii. 100.

Ardetta involucris, ii. 93, 101, 227.

_Argentine Blackbird_, i. 4.

---- _Cow-bird_, i. 72.

---- _Flamingo_, ii. 117.

Arremon orbignii, i. 41.

Arundinicola flaviventris, i. 137.

---- leucocephala, i. 122.

_Ashy Tyrant_, i. 121.

_Ashy-black Tyrant_, i. 126.

_Ashy-headed Goose_, ii. 124.

Asio accipitrinus, ii. 49.

---- brachyotus, ii. 49.

Asturina pucherani, ii. 58.

---- rutilans, ii. 63.

---- unicincta, ii. 63.

Athene cunicularia, ii. 52.

Atticora cyanoleuca, i. 33, 166.

---- fucata, i. 35.

Aulanax latirostris, i. 121.

_Avestruz petizo_, ii. 219.

_Aymara Dove_, ii. 142.

---- _Parrakeet_, ii. 46.

_Azara's Sand-Plover_, ii. 173.

---- _Tanager_, i. 40.

---- _Trogon_, ii. 29.

_Azure Jay_, i. 110.

_Bahama Duck_, ii. 135.

---- _Pintail_, ii. 135.

_Bailarin_, ii. 71.

_Baird's Sandpiper_, ii. 184, 185.

_Banduria_, ii. 112.

_Bank Parrot_, ii. 41.

---- _Swallow_, i. 33.

_Barn-Owl, Common_, ii. 48.

_Barred Upland Goose_, ii. 123.

Bartramia longicauda, ii. 189.

_Bartram's Sandpiper_, ii. 189.

Basileuterus auricapillus, i. 21.

---- vermivorus, i. 21.

_Batitú_, ii. 189.

_Bay-winged Cow-bird_, i. 95.

_Bécard, White-winged_, i. 162.

Bernicla antarctica, ii. 123.

---- dispar, ii. 123.

---- magellanica, ii. 123.

---- melanoptera, ii. 122.

---- poliocephala, ii. 124.

_Bienteveo Tyrant_, i. 147.

_Bittern, Marbled Tiger-_, ii. 104.

_Black Ani_, ii. 31.

---- _Duck_, ii. 137.

---- _Rail_, ii. 149.

---- _Vulture_, ii. 89.

_Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch_, i. 49.

_Black-and-yellow Thickbill_, i. 43.

_Black-and-yellow-crested Tyrant_, i. 157.

_Black-billed Cuckoo_, ii. 38.

_Blackbird, Argentine_, i. 4.

_Black-crowned Tyrant_, i. 115.

_Black-faced Ibis_, ii. 110.

_Black-headed Duck_, ii. 130.

---- _Finch_, i. 45.

---- _Reed-Wren_, i. 13.

---- _Siskin_, i. 64.

---- _Thrush_, i. 4.

---- _Tyrant_, i. 157.

_Black-necked Tanager_, i. 37.

_Black-tailed Skimmer_, ii. 193.

_Black-winged Dove_, ii. 142.

_Blackish Finch_, i. 54.

---- _Tyrant_, i. 141.

_Blue Heron_, ii. 99.

---- ----, _Little_, ii. 101.

---- _Tanager_, i. 39.

_Blue-and-yellow Tanager_, i. 39.

_Blue-billed Tyrant_, i. 127.

_Blue-fronted Amazon_, ii. 47.

_Blue-winged Teal_, ii. 130.

_Boat-tail, Chopi_, i. 108.

_Boie's Woodpecker_, ii. 17.

Bolborhynchus aymara, ii. 46.

---- monachus, ii. 43.

Bolborhynchus rubrirostris, ii. 46.

_Bonaparte's Sandpiper_, ii. 185.

_Boyero_, i. 101, 116.

_Brazilian Cormorant_, ii. 91.

---- _Lochmias_, i. 174.

---- _Stilt_, ii. 179.

---- _Teal_, ii. 133.

_Bridges's Wood-hewer_, i. 199.

_Bright-cheeked Grebe_, ii. 204.

_Broad-billed Tyrant_, i. 136.

_Brown Buzzard_, ii. 63.

---- _Cinclodes_, i. 172.

---- _Cuckoo_, ii. 35.

---- _Gallito_, i. 207.

---- _House-Wren_, i. 13.

---- _Martin_, i. 35.

---- _Pintail_, ii. 134.

---- _Tinamou_, ii. 207.

_Brown-capped Wood-singer_, i. 21.

_Brown-crested Spine-tail_, i. 177.

_Brown-fronted Spine-tail_, i. 178.

_Brown-headed Wood-bird_, i. 23.

_Brush-loving Fly-snapper_, i. 12.

Buarremon citrinellus, i. 41.

---- (Atlapetes) citrinellus, ii. 223.

Bubo crassirostris, ii. 50.

---- magellanicus, ii. 50, 51.

---- virginianus, ii. 50.

Bucco chacuru, ii. 30.

---- maculatus, ii. 30.

---- striatipectus, ii. 30.

_Buff-breasted Sandpiper_, ii. 190.

_Burmeister's Cariama_, ii. 162.

---- _Humming-bird_, ii. 2.

_Burrito_, ii. 150.

_Burrowing Owl_, ii. 52.

---- _Parrot_, ii. 41.

_Bush-bird, Larger_, i. 203.

----, _Leach's_, i. 202.

----, _Red-capped_, i. 204.

----, _Slaty-blue_, i. 204.

Buteo albicaudatus, ii. 59, 61, 62.

---- erythronotus, ii. 62.

---- fuliginosus, ii. 60.

---- macropterus, ii. 58.

---- melanoleucus, ii. 64.

---- obsoletus, ii. 59.

---- oxypterus, ii. 59.

---- pterocles, ii. 61.

---- swainsoni, ii. 59, 60.

---- tricolor, ii. 62.

---- unicolor, ii. 60.

Butorides cyanurus, ii. 101.

---- striata, ii. 101.

_Buzzard, Brown_, ii. 63.

----, _One-banded_, ii. 63.

----, _Red-backed_, ii. 62.

----, _Swainson's_, ii. 59.

----, _White-tailed_, ii. 61.

_Cabanis's Tyrant_, i. 128.

_Cabeza amarilla_, i. 98.

_Caburé_, ii. 52.

_Cachalote_, i. 195.

----, _White-throated_, i. 197.

_Cuchila_, i. 18.

---- _Pipit_, i. 17.

_Cactus Woodpecker_, ii. 19.

Cairina moschata, ii. 129.

_Calandria_, i. 5.

---- _blanca_, i. 9.

---- _de las tres colas_, i. 9.

---- _Mocking-bird_, i. 5.

Calidris arenaria, ii. 186.

Calliperidia angelæ, ii. 5.

---- furcifera, ii. 1, 5, 8.

Calodromas elegans, ii. 209, 214.

_Caminante_, i. 166.

Campephilus boiæi, ii. 17, 18.

---- pileatus, ii. 18.

---- schulzi, ii. 18.

_Campestre_, ii. 24.

Campias frontalis, ii. 20.

Campylopterus inornatus, ii. 5, 6.

Capito maculatus, ii. 30.

Caprimulgus europæus, ii. 14.

---- parvulus, ii. 14.

_Caracara_, ii. 82.

_Carancho_, ii. 74, 82.

---- _Carrion-Hawk_, ii. 81.

_Carau_, ii. 160, 161.

_Cardinal Finch_, i. 47.

---- ----, _Lesser_, i. 48.

----, _Yellow_, i. 55.

Carduelis atrata, i. 65.

Cariama burmeisteri, ii. 162.

----, _Burmeister's_, ii. 162.

----, _Crested_, ii. 161.

---- cristata, ii. 161.

_Carpintero_, ii. 24.

_Carrion-Hawk, Carancho_, ii. 81.

----, _Chimango_, ii. 74.

_Casera_, i. 167.

_Caserita_, i. 166.

Casiornis rubra, i. 163.

Cassicus solitarius, i. 72.

_Cassin's Tern_, ii. 196.

_Cassique, Solitary_, i. 72.

Catamenia analis, i. 57.

---- inornata, i. 57.

Catharista atrata, ii. 89.

Cathartes atratus, ii. 89.

---- aura, ii. 89.

---- foetans, ii. 89.

_Catita_, ii. 44.

---- _de las sierras_, ii. 46.

_Cayenne Lapwing_, ii. 165, 166.

Centrites niger, i. 134.

Cerchneis cinnamomina, ii. 70.

Ceryle amazona, ii. 26, 27, 28.

---- americana, ii. 27.

---- stellata, ii. 26.

---- torquata, ii. 26, 27.

_Chacuru_, ii. 30.

Chætocercus bombus, ii. 2.

---- burmeisteri, ii. 2.

_Chajá_, ii. 120.

Chamæpelia talpacoti, ii. 144.

Charadrius azaræ, ii. 173.

---- collaris, ii. 173.

---- dominicus, ii. 170.

---- falklandicus, ii. 172.

---- fulvus americanus, ii. 170.

---- modestus, ii. 171.

---- totanirostris, ii. 174.

---- virginianus, ii. 170.

---- virginicus, ii. 170.

_Chat-like Tyrant_, i. 120.

Chauna chavaria, ii. 119.

---- derbiana, ii. 119.

_Cheese-bird, Rufous_, i. 163.

_Chestnut Cuckoo_, ii. 36.

---- _Wood-hewer_, i. 201.

_Chestnut-shouldered Hang-nest_, i. 107.

_Chicli_, i. 179.

_Chilian Eagle_, ii. 64.

_Chiloe Wigeon_, ii. 135.

_Chimango_, ii. 74.

---- _Carrion-Hawk_, ii. 74.

_Chingolo_, i. 58.

---- _grande_, i. 164.

---- _Song-Sparrow_, i. 58.

_Chin-spotted Tyrant_, i. 133.

_Chipiu pardo y canela_, i. 45.

_Chiriví_, ii. 136.

Chiroxiphia caudata, i. 161.

_Chisel-bill_, i. 101.

_Chivi Greenlet_, i. 22.

Chloephaga dispar, ii. 123.

---- magellanica, ii. 123.

---- melanoptera, ii. 122.

---- poliocephala, ii. 124.

Chloroceryle amazona, ii. 27.

---- americana, ii. 27.

Chloronerpes affinis, ii. 20.

---- aurulentus, ii. 21.

---- frontalis, ii. 20.

---- maculifrons, ii. 20.

---- rubiginosus, ii. 21.

---- tucumanus, ii. 21, 223.

---- (Campias) frontalis, ii. 223.

Chlorostilbon aureiventris, ii. 9.

---- phaethon, ii. 9, 229.

---- splendidus, ii. 1, 6, 9.

_Chochi_, ii. 35.

_Chocolate Dove_, ii. 144.

---- _Tyrant_, i. 112.

_Chocoyno_, i. 4.

_Choliba_, ii. 51.

---- _Owl_, ii. 51.

_Chopi_, i. 108.

---- _Boat-tail_, i. 108.

Chordeiles virginianus, ii. 13.

_Chorlito de invierno_, ii. 172.

_Chorlo_, i. 113; ii. 170.

---- _canela_, ii. 174.

---- _solo_, ii. 189.

Chrysomitris atrata, i. 65.

---- barbata, i. 64.

---- icterica, i. 64.

---- magellanica, i. 64.

Chrysomus frontalis, i. 99.

Chrysoptilus chlorozostus, ii. 21.

---- cristatus, ii. 21, 228.

---- melanochlorus, ii. 21.

Chrysotis æstiva, ii. 47.

---- amazonica, ii. 47.

---- vinacea, ii. 46.

Chrysuronia chrysura, ii. 8.

---- ruficollis, ii. 8.

_Chueké_, ii. 216.

Chunga burmeisteri, ii. 162.

_Chuñia_, ii. 162.