Chapter XX: Nothura Darwini 213 (7)

+Dendrocygna viduata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 515 (Tucuman);
_id. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 367; _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1869, p.
160 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 376; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p.
64 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Face and spot on the throat white; nape, neck in
front, middle of abdomen, tail, rump, and wings black; hind neck
chestnut; middle of back and scapulars brown, the feathers margined
with ochraceous; wing-coverts olivaceous black; flanks banded with
black and white; bill and feet black: whole length 17·0 inches, wing
9·0, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

This Tree-Duck resembles that last described in size, form, and maroon-red plumage, but is of a darker tint, and may also be easily distinguished, even at a long distance, by its white face contrasted with the velvety black of the head and neck. Compared with _Dendrocygna fulva_ it is a rare species, being usually found in pairs in the Plata district, although sometimes as many as half a dozen are seen together. When taking wing it also whistles, but differently from the allied species, having three long clear whistling notes, not unlike the three-syllabled cry of the Sandpiper, only the notes are more prolonged. Of its breeding-habits I know nothing.

342. SARCIDIORNIS CARUNCULATA (Licht.).

(CRESTED DUCK.)

+Sarcidiornis regia+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 513 (Tucuman);
_id. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 365. +Sarcidiornis carunculata+, _Scl. et
Salv. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 377; _Sclater, P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 695,
pl. lxviii.

_Description._--Head and neck white, spotted with black, hind neck
almost black; base of neck and body beneath white; flanks black;
back and wings black; secondaries glossed with bronze, the scapulars
with purple; lower back grey; tail brown; bill, with caruncle on the
culmen, and feet black: whole length 30·0 inches, wing 15·0, tail
6·0. _Female_ similar, but rather smaller.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, and northern confines of Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister met with this Duck in the province of Tucuman, and it probably occurs also in other places on the northern frontiers of the Republic.

343. CAIRINA MOSCHATA (Linn.).

(MUSCOVY DUCK.)

+Cairina moschata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 514 (Paraná,
Santa Fé, Tucuman); _id. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 367; _Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl._ p. 120; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 378; _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 625 (Salta).

_Description._--Whole head and neck and body beneath brownish black;
belly closely banded with narrow white lines; back greenish purple,
with the feathers edged with black; scapulars and elongated tertials
and tail bright shining green; secondaries edged with metallic blue;
primaries black; upper and under wing-coverts and axillary plumes
white; flanks slightly tinged with green; bill with caruncles red;
feet black: whole length 29·0 inches, wing 15·0, tail 7·5. _Female_
similar, but smaller.

_Hab._ Central and South America.

Everyone is familiar with this species in its domestic state, called in the Argentine country _Pato creollo_ (Creole Duck); but the wild bird, called _Pato real_, is little known, although a few stragglers are seen as far south as Buenos Ayres, where I have met with eight or nine examples. Concerning the distribution and habits of this species Messrs. Sclater and Salvin write:--"The Muscovy Duck, so well known in a domestic state nearly all over the world, is a native of the hottest portion of tropical America. It is usually found in lowland swampy districts; and where there are extensive forests it not unfrequently abounds. During the day the birds remain in the forest-swamps; but towards evening numbers may be seen sitting on the lower boughs of trees standing on the margin of a clearing.

"Its extreme northern limit seems to be N. W. Mexico. Its southern range extends to the upper Paraná and Tucuman. It is not uncommon in Paraguay, according to Azara, although not found on the La Plata. It is to be seen usually in pairs or singly, but also in flocks of twenty or thirty. It always roosts in trees, usually resorting to the same trees night after night. The nest, in which from ten to fourteen eggs are deposited, is made in a hole or fork of a large tree at some elevation from the ground. It seeks its food not only in the rivers, but on moonlight nights resorts to the maize and corn-fields, and also plucks up the roots of mandioca.

"The native habitat of the Muscovy Duck was known to some of the earliest writers. The date of its introduction as a domesticated species into Europe and elsewhere does not appear to have been recorded, but doubtless dates back to soon after the Spanish conquests in America."

344. HETERONETTA MELANOCEPHALA (Vieill.).

(BLACK-HEADED DUCK.)

+Heteronetta melanocephala+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 382.
+Anas melanocephala+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 129; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1878, p. 64 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above deep blackish brown, minutely vermiculated
with rufous; head and neck black; narrow terminal band on the
secondaries white; beneath dirty white, on the upper breast, flanks,
and crissum freckled with rufous; bill blackish, with a basal spot
on each side flesh-colour; feet horny brown: whole length 14·5
inches, wing 6·3, tail 2·3. _Female_ similar, but head like the
back; cheeks brown, freckled with black, and throat and superciliary
stripe whitish.

_Hab._ Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chili.

This small, obscurely coloured Duck extends from Southern Brazil over the pampas of Buenos Ayres into Chili. Near Buenos Ayres it is scarce. Durnford shot a pair in September 1876, in the reed-beds of Alvear, about twenty miles to the north-west of the city.

345. QUERQUEDULA CYANOPTERA (Vieill.).

(BLUE-WINGED TEAL.)

+Anas cyanoptera+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza,
Paraná). +Querquedula cyanoptera+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.
129; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 160 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p.
384; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p.
400 (Patagonia); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 625 (Catamarca);
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 273 (Pampas). +Pterocyanea cyanoptera+,
_Burm. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 368.

_Description._--General plumage red; top of head black; middle of
back and scapularies streaked with black; lesser wing-coverts
blue; wing-speculum green, margined above with white; primary
wing-feathers black, secondaries flammulated with white and buff;
bill black; feet yellow: whole length 18·0 inches, wing 7·6, tail
3·0. _Female_: above blackish, feathers margined with whitish:
beneath dirty white, variegated with brown; throat white, with
blackish freckles.

_Hab._ North and South America.

This Teal has an exceedingly wide distribution in America, being found from California in the northern continent down to the Straits of Magellan and the Falkland Islands in the south. Its fine, strongly contrasted colours give it a very handsome appearance--the wings being clear grey-blue, the body deep maroon-red, the feet vivid yellow, beak black, and iris gold-colour. On the pampas it is common, and almost invariably seen in pairs at all seasons. Many of the Teals are quarrelsome in disposition; but this species, I think, exceeds them all in pugnacity, and when two pairs come together the males almost invariably begin fighting.

346. QUERQUEDULA FLAVIROSTRIS (Vieill.).

(YELLOW-BILLED TEAL.)

+Anas flavirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza).
+Querquedula flavirostris+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 129;
_iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 386;
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 401
(Patagonia); _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 42 (Cordova); _Burm. P.
Z. S._ 1872, p. 367.

_Description._--Above pale slaty brown; whole head barred across
with narrow blackish bands; middle of back rufescent, with the
centres of the feathers black and narrowly margined with brownish
ochraceous; rump paler; a broad wing-speculum black, with a margin
of ochraceous above and below, and a bronzy-green blotch in the
centre; wing-feathers slaty, margins of secondaries on each side
pale rufous; abdomen whitish, breast and belly distinctly spotted
with black; bill yellow; culmen and tip black; feet horn-colour:
whole length 15·0 inches, wing 7·5, tail 7·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

In the southern part of the Argentine Republic this is one of the commonest species, and is almost invariably found in every marsh, stream, and pool of water on the pampas. It is resident, and usually goes in flocks of from a dozen to thirty individuals. It has a rapid flight, and is restless, lively, and extremely pugnacious in its habits. When a flock is on the water the birds are perpetually quarrelling. They are also highly inquisitive, and I have often shot them by first showing myself to the flock, and then standing or sitting still, when they would soon come wheeling about, flying in very close order. They quack and chatter in a variety of tones, and the male has also a clear whistling note in the love-season.

The nest of this Duck is always made at a distance from the water, sometimes as far as one or two miles. It consists of a slight hollow in the ground under a thistle-bush or tussock of long grass, and is lined with dry grass and a great deal of down, which is increased in quantity during incubation. The eggs are reddish cream-colour, and five is the usual number laid; but I have also found nests with six and seven.

347. QUERQUEDULA VERSICOLOR (Vieill.).

(GREY TEAL.)

+Querquedula versicolor+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 129; _iid. P.
Z. S._ 1868, p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 388; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 191 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Patagonia);
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerios). +Anas maculirostris+,
_Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 516 (Mendoza). +Querquedula
maculirostris+, _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 367.

_Description._--Above grey, with narrow black cross bands, which are
more numerous and narrower on the rump; top of head smoky brown,
sides of head and throat white; abdomen whitish, tinged with
ochraceous and spotted with black on the breast, more whitish and
with numerous cross bands on the belly; wings externally greyish
brown; speculum purplish green, margined, with white above and
below, also with a subterminal black band; flanks distinctly barred
across with black and white; bill black, with an orange blotch each
side at the base of the mandible; feet hazel: whole length 16·5
inches, wing 7·6, tail 3·4. _Female_ similar, but colour duller and
wing-speculum not so bright.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Argentina, Patagonia, and Chili.

This prettily variegated blue-grey Teal with its strongly marked bill is perhaps the most abundant of the genus in the Argentine Republic, especially in the southern portion. It is resident, and unites in much larger flocks than any other bird of this group in the country. Its note when disturbed or flying is very peculiar, resembling in sound the muffled stridulating of the mole-cricket. Durnford found it common and breeding at Baradero.

348. QUERQUEDULA TORQUATA (Vieill.).

(RING-NECKED TEAL.)

+Querquedula torquata+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 129; _iid. P. Z.
S._ 1869, p. 635 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 389; _Burm. P. Z.
S._ 1872, p. 367 (Paraná).

_Description._--Above earthy brown; head above and neck, which
expands into a half-collar, together with the lesser wing-coverts,
lower back, and tail above, black; scapulars pure chestnut; wings
brownish black, with a large white blotch on the coverts of the
secondaries, which are themselves bronzy green: beneath, sides of
head and throat dirty white streaked with brown; breast tinged with
rosy red and sparingly spotted with black; belly and flanks white,
very narrowly barred with grey; crissum black, with a white blotch
on each side: whole length 14·0 inches, wing 7·2, tail 2·7.
_Female_: brown; superciliaries and stripe on each side of the head
with the throat and sides of the neck white: beneath white, banded
across with brown; wings and tail black; secondaries bronzy green;
wings with a white blotch as in the male; bill reddish; feet brown.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentina.

This beautiful Duck, for our first knowledge of which we are indebted to Azara, is rather scarce in collections. Azara described the two somewhat dissimilar sexes under different names, the male being his _Pato collar negro_, and the female his _Pato ceja blanca_.

In the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres the Ring-necked Teal is strictly migratory, and in the month of October appears in small flocks in the marshes along the river; but in the interior of the country it is seldom met with. They are extremely active birds, constantly flying about from place to place both by day and night; and in the love-season, when they alight in a pool of water, the males immediately engage in a spirited combat. While flying they utter a peculiar jarring sound, and occasionally a quacking note, rapidly repeated and sounding like a strange laugh; but on the water, especially in the evening, the male emits a long inflected note, plaintive and exquisitely pure in sound--a more melodious note it would be difficult to find even among the songsters.

349. QUERQUEDULA BRASILIENSIS (Gm.).

(BRAZILIAN TEAL.)

+Anas brasiliensis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 517 (Paraná,
Tucuman). +Querquedula brasiliensis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._
p. 129; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 635 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876,
p. 390; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 192, et 1878, p. 64 (Buenos
Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 273 (Entrerios); _Burm. P. Z.
S._ 1872, p. 368.

_Description._--Above brown; head more rufous; lower back, tail, and
lesser wing-coverts black; wings brownish black; outer webs of the
inner primaries and the secondaries shining bronzy green; broad tips
of the outer secondaries white, divided from the green colour by
a black band: beneath paler, washed on the breast with rusty red;
throat whitish; belly slightly banded with brown; bill blackish;
feet red: whole length 15·5 inches, wing 7·0, tail 3·3.

_Hab._ South America.

This richly coloured Teal, which is widely extended in South America from Guiana down to the Straits of Magellan, is usually met with in pairs near Buenos Ayres, although as many as five or six are sometimes seen together. In habits it is a tree duck, preferring water-courses in the neighbourhood of woods, and is frequently seen perched on 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 pure and sweet in sound, and heard usually in the evening.

It is a rather curious coincidence that the vernacular name of this Teal in La Plata should be _Pato Portugues_, which means, as things are understood in that region, Brazilian Duck.

350. DAFILA SPINICAUDA (Vieill.).

(BROWN PINTAIL.)

+Anas spinicauda+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 515 (Paraná). +Anas
oxyura+, _Burm. ibid._ (Mendoza). +Dafila spinicauda+, _Scl. P.
Z. S._ 1870, p. 666, pl. xxxviii.; _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.
130; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), 1869, p. 157,
et 1876, p. 392; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 64 (Buenos Ayres) et
p. 401 (Patagonia); _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 42 (Buenos Ayres);
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above brown; feathers black in the centre and
margined with brown; head above bright rufous spotted with black;
wings brown, with a large speculum of bronzy black, distinctly
margined above and below with buff: beneath, throat dirty white,
sparingly spotted with black; breast, flanks, and crissum tinged
with rufous, the feathers with black centres; belly white, in the
lower portion slightly varied with brown; bill black, at the base
yellow; feet plumbeous: whole length 19·0 inches, wing 9·7, tail
5·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Southern Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The Brown Pintail is the commonest Duck in the Argentine Republic, and unites in the largest flocks. It is also, according to Philippi and Landbeck, the commonest species in Chili. It ranges from South Brazil and Peru to the Magellan Straits and the Falklands; but is probably most abundant in the Plata district and in North Patagonia. In the autumn it sometimes visits the pampas in immense numbers, to feed on the seed of the giant thistle (_Carduus mariana_); and on these occasions I have known as many as sixty killed at one shot. The birds, however, soon become wary when feeding on the open plains in large flocks, and it then becomes impossible to approach them without a trained horse. The Ducks pay no attention to horses and cattle browsing near them; and the trained animal, with the gunner concealing his gun and person behind it, feeds quietly along, and gradually approaches the flock until within range. In the valley of the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, the Pintails sometimes cause serious damage to the farmers, coming up in clouds from the river by night to devour the ripe grain.

In favourable seasons the Pintail is a resident; but like the marsh-gulls, pigeons, the American golden plover, and all birds that live and move in immense bodies, it travels often and far in search of food or water. A season of scarcity will quickly cause them to disappear from the pampas; and sometimes, after an absence of several months, a day's rain will end with the familiar sound of their cry and the sight of their long trains winging their way across the darkening heavens.

Their nest is made on the ground, under the grass or thistles, at a distance from the water, and is plentifully lined with down plucked from the bosom of the sitting bird. The eggs are seven or eight in number and of a deep cream-colour.

351. DAFILA BAHAMENSIS (Linn.).

(BAHAMA PINTAIL.)

+Anas bahamensis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 515 (Rio Uruguay).
+Dafila bahamensis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 130; _iid. P.
Z. S._ 1868, p. 146 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 393; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 192 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274
(Carhué, Pampas); _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 367.

_Description._--Above reddish, brown; feathers with their centres
blackish; lower back blackish; upper tail-coverts and tail
fawn-colour; wings dark slaty black; broad speculum bronzy green,
margined above and below by a fawn-coloured band, the lower band
with an interior black margin; edgings of the external secondaries
fawn-colour: beneath brownish fawn-colour, entirely covered with
obsolete black spots; throat and cheeks and front neck pure white;
bill black, with a red spot at the base on each side; feet brown:
whole length 18·0 inches, wing 8·4, tail 5·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

The Bahama Duck, as it is commonly called, though it is very doubtful whether it really occurs in the Bahama Islands, is found throughout South America from British Guiana to Patagonia; and Burmeister says that it is spread over the whole of Brazil, and that it is nearly the commonest species of Duck in that country.

On the pampas of Buenos Ayres this Duck is not a common bird. It is usually seen in pairs, or, on rare occasions, three or four together.

352. MARECA SIBILATRIX (Poepp.).

(CHILOE WIGEON.)

+Anas chiloënsis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 517 (Mendoza).
+Mareca chiloensis+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 635
(Buenos Ayres); _iid. Nomencl._ p. 130. +Mareca sibilatrix+,
_Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 395; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p.
41 (Chupat), p. 192 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Central
Patagonia); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274 (Bahia Blanca).

_Description._--Above black, on the neck barred across with white;
feathers of the back and scapularies margined with white; head above
and cheeks pure white; nape and back of the neck shining greenish
purple; wings brown, lesser wing-coverts white; secondaries velvety
black, white at the base: beneath white, throat and fore neck
blackish; upper breast black, with narrow white cross bands; flanks
stained with rusty rufous; bill and feet black: whole length 20·0
inches, wing 10·3, tail 4·3. _Female_ similar, but not so bright in
colour.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The Chiloe Wigeon, as this Duck has been usually called since its introduction and acclimatization in England, is the only species of the genus found in South America, and is most abundant on the pampas, where it is called by the country people _Pato picaso_ or _Pato overo_ (piebald duck), or _Chiriví_ from its cry. It is a very handsome bird; the upper plumage variegated with black, white, and grey; forehead, speculum, and under surface white; head and neck dark glossy green. It is resident, and is usually seen in small flocks of from a dozen to twenty birds, but sometimes as many as one or two hundred congregate together. They are wary and loquacious, strong on the wing, and frequently engage in a peculiar kind of aerial pastime. A small flock will rise to a vast height, often until they seem mere specks on the sky, or disappear from sight altogether; and at that great altitude they continue hovering or flying, sometimes keeping very nearly in the same place for an hour or more, alternately separating and closing, and every time they close they slap each other on the wing so smartly that the sound may be heard distinctly even when the birds are no longer visible. While flying or swimming about they constantly utter their far-sounding cry--three or four long, clear, whistling notes, followed by another uttered with great emphasis and concluding with a kind of flourish.

The nest is made amongst the rushes in the marshes, and the eggs are pure white and eight or nine in number.

353. SPATULA PLATALEA (Vieill.).

(RED SHOVELLER.)

+Anas platalea+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 517 (Paraná, Buenos
Ayres). +Spatula platalea+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p.
143 (Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 396; _iid. Nomencl._ p. 130;
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 41 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 65 (Buenos
Ayres) et p. 401 (Central Patagonia); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p.
274 (Carhué, Pampas); _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 368.

_Description._--Above and beneath reddish, with round black spots;
head and neck lighter and spots smaller; lower back blackish, barred
with rufous, rump black; wings brownish black; lesser coverts blue;
middle coverts white; secondaries bronzy black; outer secondaries
and scapulars with white shaft-stripes; crissum black; tail brown,
lateral rectrices edged with white; bill dark, feet yellow: whole
length 20·0 inches, wing 8·0, tail 4·5. _Female_: above blackish
brown, edged with rufous; lesser wing-coverts bluish; beneath buffy
rufous, varied and spotted with blackish except on the throat.

_Hab._ Argentina, Patagonia, and Chili.

There is but one Shoveller Duck in South America, the present species, which is confined to the southern part of the continent, from Paraguay to Patagonia, and is familiar to sportsmen in the Plata as the Red Duck, or _Espatula_. It is seldom met with in flocks of more than twenty or thirty individuals, and a large number of birds appear to pair for 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 shallow water, where by plunging the head down they can reach the mud at the bottom; and when several are seen thus engaged, all with their heads and necks immersed, they look 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.

354. METOPIANA PEPOSACA (Vieill.).

(ROSY-BILLED DUCK.)

+Anas peposaca+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 518 (Rio Paraná).
+Metopiana peposaca+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 146
(Buenos Ayres), et 1876, p. 398; _iid. Nomencl._ p. 130; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 192 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p.
625 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274; _Scl. P. Z. S._
1870, p. 666, pl. xxxvii.

_Description._--Above black, very finely striated with white on the
back; back of head and neck with a purplish tinge; secondaries of
wings white with black ends, and covered with the black coverts,
having a white speculum; primaries greyish white, the four outer
ones on their outer webs and all on their extremities black; whole
belly minutely vermiculated with grey and white; crissum white; bill
rosy red, enlarged at the base; feet yellowish: whole length 19·0
inches, wing 9·4, tail 2·8. _Female._ Above brown, bend of wing and
speculum white; beneath white, breast and flanks brownish; bill
dark; feet horn-colour.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The Rosy-billed Duck, usually called "Black Duck" in the Plata, inhabits the Argentine country from Paraguay to Patagonia, and also occurs in Uruguay and Chili, but does not extend to Brazil.

A peculiar interest attaches to this species owing to the fact that it is the only freshwater Duck in the subfamily Fuligulinæ, 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 division 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 appearance it is a fine bird, the black plumage being frosted on the upper parts with white in a very delicate manner, while the rosy bill and large carmine caruncle and golden red iris contrast beautifully with the glossy purple head and neck. The speculum is white, the legs bright yellow. The plumage of the female is brown.

In marshy places on the pampas the Rosy-billed Duck is very abundant, and they sometimes congregate in very large flocks. They obtain their food from floating weeds in the water, and are never seen, like the Pintails and other kinds, feeding on the dry land. They rise heavily, the wings being comparatively small, and have a rapid, straight, violent flight; they are nevertheless able to perform long journeys and travel in long lines and at a considerable elevation. Their only language is a deep, hoarse, prolonged, raven-like note, uttered by the male in the love-season. The nest is made on swampy ground near the water, of dry rushes, and is, for a duck, a deep well-made structure; the eggs are oval in form, cream-coloured, and twelve in number.

355. ERISMATURA FERRUGINEA, Eyton.

(RUSTY LAKE-DUCK.)

+Erismatura ferruginea+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 131; _iid. P. Z.
S._ 1876, p. 404; _Sclater, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 549 (Rio Negro);
_Burmeister, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 368 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 42 (Chupat), p. 192 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p.
401 (Central Patagonia).

_Description._--Above chestnut-red, whole head and neck black; wings
and tail brown: beneath dirty white, sprinkled with brown; breast
and flanks chestnut; bill bluish; feet brown: whole length 16·0
inches, wing 5·5, tail 3·8.

_Hab._ Central Peru, Chili, and Argentina.

This Lake-Duck ranges from Central Peru and the north Argentine provinces to Patagonia in the south, but is in no place a very common bird. It inhabits interior lakes and streams, living almost as much in the water as a Grebe, which in habits it resembles, remaining motionless when disturbed, but gradually sinking lower in the water, and diving, when only the head and neck are visible above the surface.

356. NOMONYX DOMINICUS (Linn.).

(WHITE-WINGED LAKE-DUCK.)

+Erismatura dominica+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 131; _Lee, Ibis_,
1873, p. 137 (Entrerios); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274 (Pampas).
+Nomonyx dominicus+, _Baird, Brew., et Ridgw. Water-B. N. A._ ii.
109.

_Description._--Above ferruginous; top of head black; superciliaries
and band beneath the eye with chin and cheeks whitish, with black
freckles; wings brown, with a large white patch on the secondaries;
tail black; abdomen dirty white, sprinkled with rufous; axillaries
pure white; bill bluish; feet black: whole length 13·0 inches, wing
5·5, tail 3·8. _Female_: brownish black, back spotted with buffy;
sides of head and body beneath ochraceous, with black cross bands.

_Hab._ West Indies and South America.

This Lake-Duck, which has an extensive range over the northern part of South America, was obtained by Mr. Lee in Entrerios, and by Mr. Barrows in the streams of the Pampas. Mr. Barrows found it associated with Rolland's Grebe, Coots, and Gallinules, usually in small parties of from three to six individuals.

Order XI. COLUMBÆ.

Fam. XLI. COLUMBIDÆ, or PIGEONS.

The great and useful Order of Pigeons is generally diffused over the earth's surface, although most abundant within the tropics, and not met with in high Arctic or Antarctic latitudes. In the Neotropical Region from 60 to 70 species are found, and among these, although none of them can rival the Fruit-Pigeons of the Eastern Tropics, are some of remarkable beauty and grace. These brilliantly-coloured species are, however, mostly from the northern portion of the Neotropical Region. The Columbæ of the Argentine Republic are in general modestly clad and fewer in number, only eight Pigeons being as yet included in the Argentine Ornis.

357. COLUMBA PICAZURO, Temm.

(PICAZURO PIGEON.)

+Patagioenas maculosa+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 496 (Mendoza,
Cordova, Tucuman). +Columba picazuro+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._
p. 132; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 193 (Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 6
(Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above pale brown; head and neck vinous; back of neck
with white cross bands which are edged with black; lower back and
tail plumbeous; wings plumbeous, larger coverts broadly edged with
white: beneath pale vinaceous; flanks and crissum plumbeous: whole
length 14·0 inches, wing 8·0, tail 4·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

The Picazuro or common Wood-Pigeon of the Argentine Republic is of about the size of the domestic Pigeon, but has longer wings, and differs greatly in colour and markings. In summer it inhabits woods, and is seen in pairs or small parties, but in winter unites in flocks of from twenty to one or two hundred individuals, and roams much over the open country. It is a wary bird, and when feeding walks on the ground in a slow and somewhat stately manner. In spring, its song resounds in the woods, and, when heard for the first time, fills the listener with wonder, so strangely human-like in tone are its long mournful notes. The notes are five, the last one long with a falling inflection, and 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-Pigeon of Europe.

358. COLUMBA MACULOSA, Temm.

(SPOT-WINGED PIGEON.)

+Columba maculosa+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 132; _Sclater, P. Z.
S._ 1872, p. 545 (Rio Negro); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 42
(Chupat), et 1878, p. 401 (Centr. Patagonia); _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 626 (Catamarca); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 274
(Entrerios).

_Description._--Above pale vinaceous brown, profusely spotted on
the back and wings with white apical spots; lower back and tail
plumbeous; wings and tail slaty black, the former with narrow
whitish margins: beneath plumbeous, with a strong vinaceous tinge;
bill black; feet yellow: whole length 13·0 inches, wing 8·5, tail
4·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, Western Argentina, and Patagonia.

This Pigeon has a general resemblance to the Picazuro, but may be at once distinguished by its spotted back and wings. It ranges from South Peru through Bolivia and Western Argentina into Patagonia, where it appears to be a resident. In winter, the valley of the Rio Negro is visited by it in immense flocks, which are a great plague to the farmers, as they descend in clouds on the fields, and devour the wheat before it has time to sprout. While watching crowds of these birds feeding on the ground, I noticed that their manner was in striking 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 by comparison. This excessively lively habit is, no doubt, directly caused by the conditions of life; the sterile soil and scanty vegetation of the region it inhabits require in a species going in large bodies, and subsisting exclusively on fallen seed, a greater activity than is necessary in the rich fertile region further north.

Its song is composed of notes equal in length and number to that of the Picazuro, but its voice is exceedingly hoarse, like that of the European Wood-Pigeon.

The great body of these birds retire, on the approach of summer, from the Rio Negro valley, a few only remaining to breed. Their nesting-habits and eggs are like those of the Picazuro.

359. ZENAIDA MACULATA (Vieill.).

(SPOTTED DOVE.)

+Zenaida maculata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 497; _Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl._ p. 132; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 143 (Buenos
Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 193 (Buenos Ayres); _Gibson,
Ibis_, 1880, p. 8 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 626
(Catamarca); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above pale brown; nape plumbeous; outer wing-coverts
and scapularies with a few black spots; wings dark grey, with fine
white margins; tail plumbeous, broadly ended with white, and crossed
by a subapical black band; middle rectrices like the back: beneath
pale vinaceous, brighter on the breast, and whiter on the throat;
bill black; feet yellow: whole length 9·0 inches, wing 5·5, tail
3·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America, from the Amazons to Chili and Buenos Ayres.

This is the commonest species of the Pigeon tribe in the Argentine country, and is known to every one as the _Torcasa_, probably a corruption of _Tortola_, Turtle-Dove. In autumn they often congregate in very large flocks, and are sometimes observed migrating, flock succeeding flock, all travelling in a northerly direction, and continuing to pass for several consecutive days. But these autumnal migrations are not witnessed every year, nor have I seen any return-migration in spring; while the usual autumn and winter movements are very irregular, and apparently depend altogether on the supply of food. When the giant thistle has covered the plains in summer incredible numbers of Torcasas appear later in the season, and usually spend the winter on the plains, congregating every evening in countless myriads wherever there are trees enough to form a suitable roosting-place.

On bright warm days in August, the sweet and sorrowful sob-like song of this Dove, composed of five notes, is heard from every grove--a pleasing, soft, murmuring sound, which causes one to experience by anticipation the languid summer feeling in his veins.

The nest, as in other Pigeons, is a simple platform of slender sticks; the eggs are oval, white, and two in number. The birds appear to breed by preference near a human habitation, and do so probably for the sake of the protection afforded them; for the Chimango and other birds of prey destroy their eggs and young to a large extent.

One summer a Torcasa laid an egg in the nest of one of my Pigeons, built on the large horizontal branch of a tree at some distance from the dove-cote. The egg was hatched, and the young bird feared by its foster-parents; and when able to fly it took up its abode along with the other Pigeons. The following spring it began to separate itself from its companions, and would fly to the porch, and sit there cooing by the hour every day. At length it went away to the plantation, having, I believe, found a mate, and we saw no more of it.

360. METRIOPELIA MELANOPTERA (Mol.).

(BLACK-WINGED DOVE.)

+Metriopelia melanoptera+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 496
(Cordilleras); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 132.

_Description._--Above pale brown; wings and tail black; bend of wing
white; wing-coverts like the back: beneath pale vinaceous; bill and
feet black: whole length 8·0 inches, wing 5·0, tail 3·5. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ Andes of South America.

This Dove is widely diffused in Western South America from Ecuador to Chili. Dr. Burmeister tells us that it is found in the high valleys of the Cordilleras on the Argentine side, from 6000 to 12,000 feet in altitude, and along with _Phrygilus fruticeti_ is one of the birds seen at the greatest altitudes by the traveller over the passes of the Andes. One of Dr. Burmeister's specimens is in the collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman.

361. METRIOPELIA AYMARA (Knip et Prév.).

(AYMARA DOVE.)

+Metriopelia aymara+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 132. +Columbina
aurisquamata+, _Leybold, Leopoldina_, viii. p. 53 (1873).

_Description._--Above pale brown; wings and tail black; wing-coverts
like the back; some of the middle coverts with bright golden apical
spots: beneath pale vinaceous; throat whitish; middle of belly and
crissum pale cinnamomeous; bill black; feet yellow: whole length
7·0 inches, wing 4·5, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, and N.W. Argentina.

Dr. Leybold's collector obtained examples of this Dove in 1863, at Los Paramillos, a rocky district near Uspallata, on the Argentine slope of the Chilian Andes. Some of these specimens are in the collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman.

The species is easily recognizable by the bright golden wing-spots.

362. COLUMBULA PICUI (Temm.).

(PICUI DOVE.)

+Columbula picui+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 496 (Mendoza,
Paraná, Tucuman); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 133; _iid. P. Z.
S._ 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 193
(Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 7 (Buenos Ayres);
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above brownish cinereous; head and neck plumbeous;
wing-feathers black; coverts and outer secondaries like the back,
but bordered with white on their outer edges, and with a band of
bright blue across the tips of the lesser coverts; tail white,
middle rectrices like the back, lateral rectrices more or less
bordered with cinereous on the outer web, except the outer pair,
which are pure white: beneath pale vinaceous; throat, lower belly,
and crissum white; under wing-coverts black; bill black; feet
yellow: whole length 6·5 inches, wing 3·5, tail 2·0. _Female_
similar, but duller; above nearly uniform brown.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chili.

This species, the smallest of our Doves, is common everywhere in the Plata district, where it is called _Tortolita_ (Little Turtle-Dove), Azara's name _Picui_ not being known to our countrymen.

It is usually seen with its mate, for many individuals seem to pair for life; but sometimes a dozen or twenty individuals unite in one flock. It is resident, comes a great deal about houses, and is familiar with man, and lively in its habits. It sings a great deal in summer, and even on warm days in winter; but its tones are wanting in the wild pathos which gives a charm to the melody of some of our larger species, the song consisting of a succession of long, rather loud, and somewhat 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.

363. CHAMÆPELIA TALPACOTI (Temm.).

(TALPACOTI DOVE.)

+Chamæpelia talpacoti+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 133; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 626 (Salta).

_Description._--Above deep reddish vinaceous; head plumbeous; wings
black; coverts and outer secondaries like the back, but the latter
spotted with elongated black bands on the outer webs; tail black,
tipped with vinaceous; middle rectrices like the back: beneath
similar, but not so dark, and whitish on the throat; bill black;
feet yellow: whole length 6·5 inches, wing 3·5, tail 2·5. _Female_
similar, but much duller and more brownish.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

The Talpacoti or Chocolate Dove is an inhabitant of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. In Argentina it occurs only on the northern frontiers, and was met with by White at Oran, in the province of Salta, in the month of November:--"These pretty chocolate-coloured Doves," he tells us, "fly in pairs, and at this date were found constructing their nests in the orange-groves. They are sometimes seen on the ground busily in quest of seeds, but are very wild and not at all common."

White also obtained specimens of this Dove at Concepcion in Misiones.

364. ENGYPTILA CHALCAUCHENIA (Scl. et Salv.).

(SOLITARY PIGEON.)

+Peristera frontalis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 497 (Paraná,
Tucuman). +Leptoptila megalura+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 626
(Salta) (?). +Leptoptila chalcauchenia+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._
1869, p. 633; _iid. Nomencl._ p. 133; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p.
363 (Salta); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above greyish brown; head and nape plumbeous; back
of neck with the feathers edged with iridescent bronzy green; tail
blackish, broadly tipped with white; central rectrices like the
back: beneath pale vinaceous; middle of throat, belly, and crissum
white; under surface of wings bright chestnut; bill black; feet
yellowish: whole length 10·0 inches, wing 5·7, tail 4·8. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ Argentine Republic.

This Dove, which is a southern form of a widely distributed group of species of the genus _Engyptila_, formerly called _Leptoptila_, inhabits the woods of the Plata district, and never, like other Pigeons, seeks the open country to feed. It is solitary, although, where many birds live in close proximity, three or four may be sometimes seen in company. It spends a great deal of time on the ground, where it walks about under the trees rather briskly, searching for seeds and berries. Their song is a single uninflected and rather melodious note, which the bird repeats at short intervals, especially in the evening during the warm season. Where the birds are abundant the wood, just before sunset, becomes vocal with their curious far-sounding notes; and as this evening song is heard as long as the genial weather lasts, it is probably not related to the sexual instinct. The nest is a simple platform; the eggs are two and white, but more spherical in shape than those of most other Pigeons.

Order XII. GALLINÆ.

Fam. XLII. CRACIDÆ, or CURASSOWS.

Of the great Order of Gallinaceous Birds, so useful to mankind, two forms only are found in South America--the Toothed Partridges (_Odontophorinæ_) and the Curassows (_Cracidæ_). No member of the former group has as yet been ascertained to occur in Argentina; and of the Curassow family (one of the most characteristic types of Neotropical forest-life) only four species are with certainty known to be found within our limits out of a total of some fifty known species. But the Cracidæ are essentially tree-birds, and can only be looked for in forest-countries.

365. CRAX SCLATERI, G. R. Gray.

(SCLATER'S CURASSOW.)

+Crax alector+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 500. +Crax sclateri+,
_Gray, List of Gallinæ_, p. 14 (1867); _Scl. Trans. Zool. Soc._
ix. p. 28, pls. xliv. & xlv.; _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1871, p. 702.

_Description._--Black; lower belly and tips of tail-feathers white;
lores naked; cere and bill yellow; feet flesh-colour: whole length
32·0 inches, wing 14·0, tail 14·0. _Female_: above black, with buffy
cross bars; crest white, barred with black: beneath, throat black,
breast more or less barred with black; abdomen ochraceous; tail
black, with buffy-white bars and tips.

_Hab._ Paraguay and N. Argentina.

Azara described both sexes of this Curassow under the name of "El Mitu" (Apunt. iii. p. 83), but, along with other authors, confounded it with the Crested Curassow of Guiana (_Crax alector_). In Paraguay it is said to be numerous, but in Argentina only occurs on the northern and eastern frontiers (in Tucuman and Misiones), where it frequents the forests.

366. PENELOPE OBSCURA, Temm.

(DARK GUAN.)

+Penelope obscura+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 136; _iid. P. Z. S._
1870, p. 525; _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 275 (Entrerios). +Penelope
boliviana+, _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1871, p. 701 (Tucuman)? +Penelope
pileata+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 627 (Catamarca)?

_Description._--Dark bronzy green; lower back and abdomen
chocolate-brown; feathers of upper back, wing-coverts, and body
beneath down to the middle of the belly margined with white;
feathers of front part of head edged with silvery white: whole
length 25·0 inches, wing 11·5, tail 12·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Northern Argentina, and Bolivia.

This Guan was first made known to us as an inhabitant of Paraguay by Azara, who described it in his 'Apuntamientos'[9] under the name of "El Yacúhú" or "_Pavo del Monte_" (Wood-Turkey) of the Spaniards. The examination of skins of it obtained by Capt. J. T. Page, of the U.S. Navy, during his expedition up the Rio Paraguay and Rio Vermejo, enabled Messrs. Salvin and Sclater to make this identification.

[9] Vol. iii. p. 72, no. 335.

In Entrerios, Mr. Barrows tells us, this species is limited to the borders and islands of the River Uruguay, where in heavy growths of timber it is not uncommon, though rarely seen. Here it builds a large nest in the trees and lays white eggs.

It is probable that the Guan of Tucuman called by Dr. Burmeister _Penelope boliviana_ and that of Catamarca referred by White to _P. pileata_ likewise belong to this species.

367. PIPILE CUMANENSIS (Jacq.).

(WHITE-HEADED GUAN.)

+Penelope pipile+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 499 (Tucuman).
+Pipile cumanensis+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1870, p. 529;
_Burm. P. Z. S._ 1871, p. 702 (Tucuman).

_Description._--Bronzy black; whole top of the head white, with
narrow black shaft-stripes; wing-coverts and breast-feathers edged
with white; a large blotch on the wing white; naked cheeks and
throat-caruncle blue: whole length 27·0 inches, wing 13·0, tail
11·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America from Venezuela to Northern Argentina.

Dr. Burmeister tells us that this Guan, which is widely extended in South America, occurs in the forests of Tucuman.

368. ORTALIS CANICOLLIS, Wagl.

(HOARY-NECKED GUAN.)

+Penelope canicollis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii, p. 499. +Ortalida
canicollis+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1870, p. 534; _iid. Nomencl._
p. 136; _Burm. P. Z. S._ 1871, p. 701. +Ortalis canicollis+,
_Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 303 (Tucuman). +Ortalida guttata+,
_White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 627 (Salta)?

_Description._--Above bronzy brown; top of head cinereous: beneath
more ochraceous; throat and breast washed with bronzy; neck and
breast slightly spotted with greyish; under wing-coverts, flanks,
and crissum chestnut; tail bronzy green, five outer rectrices
broadly tipped with chestnut; bill yellowish; feet pale hazel: whole
length 22·0 inches, wing 9·8, tail 10·3. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Northern Argentina.

For our first knowledge of this Guan we are also indebted to Azara, who described it in his 'Apuntamientos' (iii. p. 77) under the name _Yacú caraguata_, as found in the forests of Paraguay. Thence it extends into the wooded districts of the northern provinces of the Argentine Republic, where it was obtained by Dr. Burmeister in Tucuman and by Capt. Page's expedition on the Rio Paraná and Rio Vermejo. It is probable also that the Guan met with by White near Salta, and referred by him to _O. guttata_, was really of the present species.

Order XIV. GERANOMORPHÆ.

Fam. XLIII. RALLIDÆ, or RAILS.

The Rallidæ are well represented in the Argentine Republic, eight Rails and Crakes, two Waterhens, and three Coots being met with within its limits, and it is highly probable that the list will be further augmented as discovery advances.

The presence of three species of Coots, all apparently in abundance, is a somewhat special peculiarity of the Argentine Ornis. Most of the other Argentine Rallidæ have an extended range.

369. RALLUS MACULATUS, Bodd.

(SPOTTED RAIL.)

[Plate XIX.]

+Rallus maculatus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 139; _iid. P. Z. S._
1868, p. 444; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 65 (Buenos Ayres);
_Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 276 (Entrerios); _Withington, Ibis_,
1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

_Description._--Above blackish; back and wings dark olive-brown,
spotted all over with white: beneath barred across with white and
black; chin and crissum white; bill yellow, with a bright red spot
at the base; feet pale brown: whole length 11·0 inches, wing 5·2,
tail 2·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

The Spotted Rail, which has a wide distribution in South America, occurs as far south as Buenos Ayres. Our figure is taken from an example of this species obtained by Mr. F. Withington in September 1885 in the Lomas de Zamora. Concerning its nesting-habits he sends the following note:--"It breeds amongst the reeds, and its nest is placed about 18 inches from the water. To reach it the birds collect a heap of reeds, grass, and other materials, and alongside form an inclined platform that answers the purpose of a staircase, by which the birds ascend or descend with ease. The usual clutch of eggs is seven, but I have taken fifteen from one nest, all good. These, of course, could not have been laid by one bird."

370. RALLUS ANTARCTICUS, King.

(ANTARCTIC RAIL.)

+Rallus antarcticus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 139; _iid. P. Z.
S._ 1868, p. 445; _iid. Ex. Orn._ t. lxxxii. p. 163; _Barrows,
Auk_, 1884, p. 276 (Carhué); _Withington, Ibis_, 1888, p. 471
(Lomas de Zamora).

_Description._--Above brown, striped with black; wing-coverts
rufous; remiges blackish: beneath plumbeous; flanks and under
wing-coverts black, barred across with white: whole length 8·0
inches, wing 3·7, tail 1·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Chili, Argentine Republic, and Patagonia.

This Rail is a small southern representative of the well-known Virginian Rail of the U.S. It is stated to be "rather common" at Carhué by Mr. Barrows, and Mr. Withington has recently sent us specimens from the Lomas de Zamora.

371. RALLUS RHYTIRHYNCHUS, Vieill.

(BLACK RAIL.)

+Aramides rhytirhynchus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 504 (Paraná).
+Rallus rythyrhynchus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 139; _iid.
P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres) et p. 446; _Hudson, P. Z.
S._ 1870, p. 104 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 65
(Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 42 (Cordova); _Barrows,
Auk_, 1884, p. 276 (Entrerios). +Rallus nigricans+, _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 193.

_Description._--Above greenish brown; beneath plumbeous; bill
incurved, greenish, with a blood-red basal spot; feet red: whole
length 12·0 inches, wing 5·4, tail 2·8. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Southern Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

This Rail differs from the other species in its beak, which is very long and curved, as in the Painted Snipe (_Rhynchæa_), and has three strongly contrasted colours--dark green, bright blue, and scarlet at the base. The blue and red tints become very vivid in the love-season. Without being anywhere abundant, the Black Rail is found throughout the Plata Region in every place where reeds and rushes grow. In the marshes along the Plata they are met with quite as frequently in winter as in summer; this fact surprised me greatly, since I know this species to be migratory, their unmistakable cries being heard overhead every night in spring and autumn, when they are performing their distant journeys. Probably all the birds frequenting the inland marshes on the south-western pampas migrate north in winter, and all those 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 waterless country lying between the Rio Negro and the moist pampa region would make an annual migration from the former place difficult to such a feeble flier. Of this instinct we know at least that it is hereditary; and it becomes hard to believe that from every one of the reed-beds distributed over the vast country inhabited by this species a little contingent of migrants is drawn away annually to winter elsewhere, leaving a larger number behind. Such a difference of habit cannot exist among individuals of a species in one locality; but differences in the migratory as in other instincts, great as this, are found in _races_ inhabiting widely separated districts.

It is difficult to flush the Black Rail; it rises in a weak fluttering manner, the legs dangling down, and, after flying thirty or forty yards, drops again into the reeds. Its language is curious: when alarmed, the bird repeats, at short intervals, a note almost painful from its excessive sharpness, and utters it standing on a low branch or other elevation, but well masked by reeds and bushes, and incessantly bobbing its head, jerking its tail, and briskly turning from side to side. It has, at such times, a very interesting appearance, while the long beak, brilliant with the nuptial colouring, the bright-red eye and vermilion legs, admirably contrasting with the fine deep slate plumage, give it considerable claims to beauty. At other times it has a hollow call-note with a puzzling ventriloquism in the sound, which is sometimes repeated at short intervals for an hour. While uttering it the bird stands, as usual, on a slight eminence, but drawn up in a listless attitude and without any of its nods and jerks and other frisky gestures. It has also a kind of song, which sounds not unlike the braying of a donkey; hence the vernacular name _Burrito_ (little ass) by which the bird is known in the Plata. This song is heard both day and night, and is a confused performance, uttered without pause, and composed of several long shrill notes, modulated and mingled with others, hollow and booming. These notes can be heard a thousand yards away; but, far or near, they always sound remote.

372. RALLUS NIGRICANS, Vieill.

(PLUMBEOUS RAIL.)

+Aramides nigricans+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 504. +Rallus
nigricans+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 446; _iid.
Nomencl._ p. 139.

_Description._--Above olivaceous brown; front, side of the head, and
body beneath plumbeous; throat whitish; lower belly, thighs, and
tail blackish; bill straight, uniform dark greenish: whole length
10·0 inches, wing 5·3, tail 2·8. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

This Rail is said by Dr. Burmeister to occur near Buenos Ayres, but the bird taken for this species by Durnford (Ibis, 1877, p. 193; 1878, p. 66) appears to have been _R. rhytirhynchus_.

373. ARAMIDES YPECAHA (Vieill.).