Chapter VI: Part V: 1837, p. 10 (4)

CAMARHYNCHUS _differt a genere_ GEOSPIZA, _rostro debiliore, margine
mandibulæ superioris minùs indentato; culmine minùs elevato in
frontem et plus arcuato; lateribus tumidioribus; mandibulâ inferiore
minus in genas tendente._

_Camarhynchus psittaculus_ is the typical species.

1. CAMARHYNCHUS PSITTACULUS. _Gould._

PLATE XL.

_C._ (Fœm.) _summo capite corporeque superiore fuscis; alis caudâque
obscurioribus; gutture corporeque inferiore, cinerascenti-albis,
stramineo tinctis; rostro pallidè flavescenti-fusco; pedibus
fuscis._

Long. tot. 4¾ unc.; _alæ_, 2¾: _caudæ_, 1¾; _tarsi_, ⅞; _rostri_ ½;
alt. _rostri_, ½.

The upper part of the head and body fuscous; the wing and tail darker;
the throat, and beneath the body cinereous white, tinged with straw
colour; the bill pale yellowish fuscous, and the feet fuscous.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago, (James’ Island.)

The species of Camarhynchus do not differ in habits from those of Geospiza; and the _C. psittaculus_ might often be seen mingled in considerable numbers in the same flock with the latter. Mr. Bynoe procured a blackish specimen, which, doubtless, was an old male; I saw several somewhat dusky, especially about the head.

2. CAMARHYNCHUS CRASSIROSTRIS. _Gould._

PLATE XLI.

_C._ (Mas jun. et Fœm.) _corpore superiore intensè brunneo, singulis
plumis cinerascenti-olivaceo marginatis; gutture pectoreque
cinerascenti-olivaceis, singulis in medio plumis obscurioribus;
abdomine, lateribus crissoque cinereis stramineo tinctis._

Long. tot. 5½ unc.; _alæ_, 3¾; _caudæ_, 2; _tarsi_, 1⅛; _rostri_, ½;
alt. _rostri_, ½.

Upper part of the body deep brown, with each feather margined with
cinereous olive; the throat and breast cinereous olive, with the
middle of each feather darker; the abdomen, sides, and under tail
coverts cinereous tinged with straw colour.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago, (Charles Island?)

I am nearly certain that this species is not found in James Island. I believe it came from Charles Island, and probably there replaces the _C. psittaculus_ of James Island. I obtained three specimens, one male, and two females; from the analogy of so many species in this group, I do not doubt the old male would be black.

SUB-GENUS.—CACTORNIS. _Gould._

CACTORNIS _differt a genere_ GEOSPIZA _rostro elongato, acuto,
compresso, longitudine altitudinem excellente; mandibulæ superioris
margine vix indentato; naribus basalibus et vix tectis; tarsis
brevioribus, unguibus majoribus et plus curvatis._

_Cactornis scandens_ is the typical species.

1. CACTORNIS SCANDENS. _Gould._

PLATE XLII.

_C. intensè fuliginosa, crisso albo; rostro et pedibus
nigrescenti-brunneis._

Long. tot. 5 unc.; _rostri_, ¾; _alæ_, 2⅝; _caudæ_, 1¾; _tarsi_, ¾.

Fœm. _Corpore superiore, gutture pectoreque intensè brunneis, singulis
plumis pallidiorè marginatis; abdomine crissoque cinereis, stramineo
tinctis; rostro pallidè fusco; pedibus nigrescenti-fuscis._

Deep sooty black, with the under tail-coverts white; the bill and feet
blackish brown.

Female: Upper surface of the body, throat and breast intensely brown,
with the margins of each feather paler; the abdomen and the under
tail coverts cinereous, tinged with straw colour; the bill pale
fuscous, and the feet blackish fuscous.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago, (James’ Island.)

_Birds. Pl. 42._

_Cactornis scandens._
]

_Birds. Pl. 43._

_Cactornis assimilis._
]

The species of this sub-genus alone can be distinguished in habits from the several foregoing ones belonging to Geospiza and Camarhynchus. Their most frequent resort is the _Opuntia Galapageia_, about the fleshy leaves of which they hop and climb, even with their back downwards, whilst feeding with their sharp beaks, both on the fruit and flowers. Often, however, they alight on the ground, and mingled with the flock of the above mentioned species, they search for seeds in the parched volcanic soil. The extreme scarceness of the jet black specimens, which I mentioned under the head of the genus _Geospiza_, is well exemplified in the case of the _C. scandens_, for although I daily saw many brown coloured ones, (and two collectors were looking out for them), only one, besides that which is figured, was procured, and I did not see a second.

2. CACTORNIS ASSIMILIS. _Gould._

PLATE XLIII.

TISSERIN DES GALLAPAGOS, (île St. Charles,) _Neboux_, Revue
Zoologique, 1840, p. 291.

_C._ Mas (jun?) _corpore suprà fuliginoso, (gutture abdomineque
exceptis,) cinereo marginatis; rostro pallidè rufescenti-brunneo;
pedibus nigrescenti-brunneis._

Long. tot. 5½ unc.; _rostri_, ¾; _alæ_, 2¾; _caudæ_, 1¾; _tarsi_, ¾.

Upper surface of the body sooty black, margined with cinereous, as
well as the throat and abdomen; the bill pale rufous brown; the feet
blackish brown.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago.

I do not know from which island of the group this species was procured; almost certainly not from James Island. Analogy would in this case, as in that of _Camarhynchus crassirostris_, lead to the belief that the old male would be jet black. By a mistake this bird has been figured standing on the _Opuntia Darwinii_, a plant from Patagonia, instead of the _O. Galapageia_. I may here mention that a third and well characterized species of Cactornis has lately been sent by Captain Belcher, R.N. to the Zoological Society; as Capt. Belcher visited Cocos Island, which is the nearest land to the Galapagos Archipelago, being less than 400 miles distant, it is very probable that the species came thence.

SUB-GENUS.—CERTHIDEA. _Gould._

CERTHIDEA _differt a genere_ GEOSPIZA _rostro graciliore et acutiore;
naribus basalibus et non tectis; mandibulæ superioris margine recto;
tarsis longioribus et gracilioribus._

Of the foregoing sub-genera, Geospiza, Camarhynchus and Cactornis belong to one type, but with regard to Certhidea, although Mr. Gould confidently believes it should also be referred to the same division, yet as in its slighter form and weaker bill, it has so much the appearance of a member of the _Sylviadæ_, he would by no means insist upon the above view being adopted, until the matter shall have been more fully investigated.

CERTHIDEA OLIVACEA. _Gould._

PLATE XLIV.

_C. summo capite, corpore superiore, alis caudâque olivaceo-brunneis;
gutture et corpore infra cinereis; rostro pedibusque pallidè
brunneis._

Long. tot. 4 unc.; _rostri_, ½; _alæ_, 2; _caudæ_, 1½; _tarsi_, ¾.

Upper part of the head, body, wings and tail, olivaceous brown; the
throat, and beneath the body, cinereous; the bill and feet pale
brown.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago. (Chatham and James Island).

I believe my specimens, which include both sexes, were procured from Chatham and James Islands; it is certainly found at the latter.

PHYTOTOMA RARA. _Mol._

P. Bloxami, _Children_, Jard. and Selby’s Ill.
P. rutila, _Vieill._ Mag. de Zool. 1832, ii. pl. 5.
P. silens, _Kittl._ Mem. de l’Acad. des Sci. de St. Petersb.

This is not a very uncommon bird in Central Chile: the farmers complain that it is very destructive to the buds of fruit trees. It is quiet and solitary, and haunts hedge-rows or bushes; its manners are similar to those of our bullfinch, (_Loxia Pyrrhula_). Iris bright scarlet. Mr. Eyton has given an anatomical description of this bird in the Appendix.

DOLICHONYX ORYZIVORUS. _Swains._

Dolichonyx oryzivorus, _Swains._ Faun. Bor. Am. 2. 278.
Emberiza oryzivorus, _Linn._

This one specimen only was seen at James Island, in the Galapagos Archipelago, during the beginning of October. It is remarkable that a bird migrating, according to Richardson, as far as 54° N. in North America, and generally inhabiting marshy grounds, should be found on these dry rocky islands under the equator. Mr. Gray and myself carefully compared this specimen with one from North America, and we could not perceive the slightest difference.

1. XANTHORNUS CHRYSOPTERUS. _G. R. Gray._

Oriolus cayennensis, _Linn._ Syst. 1. 168 ?
Agelaius chrysopterus, _Vieill._
Psarocolius chrysopterus, _Wagl._ Syst. Av. p.

This bird generally frequents marshy grounds. I procured specimens from La Plata and from Chile; in the latter country it extends at least as far north as the valley of Copiapo, in 27° 20′: on the eastern plains it does not range, according to Azara, north of 28°. It builds in reeds. Molina says it is called by the Indians Thili, or Chile—hence he derives the name of the country.

_Birds. Pl. 44._

_Certhidea olivacea._
]

_Birds. Pl. 45._

_Xanthornus flaviceps._
]

2. XANTHORNUS FLAVUS. _G. R. Gray._

PLATE XLV.

Oriolus flavus, _Gmel._
Psarocolius flaviceps, _Wagl._ Syst. Avium.
Troupiale à tête jaune, _Azara_, No. 66.

This species is common at Maldonado in large flocks.

LEISTES ANTICUS. _G. R. Gray._

Icterus anticus, _Licht._ Cat. p. 19.
Agelaius virescens, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. 543.
Psarocolius anticus, _Wagl._
Le Dragon, _Azara_, No. 65.

This bird is exceedingly abundant in large flocks on the grassy plains of La Plata. It is noisy, and in its habits resembles our starling.

1. AGELAIUS FRINGILLARIUS. _G. R. Gray._

Icterus fringillarius, _Spix_, Av. Sp. No. 1. t. lxv. fig. 1 & 2. p. 68. Psarocolius sericeus, juv., _Wagl._

This species is rare at Maldonado, but appears more common on the banks of Parana in Lat. 31°. S. Spix says (vol. i. p. 68, Birds of Brazil), it is found in Minas Geraes.

2. AGELAIUS CHOPI. _Vieill._

Turdus curæus, _Gmel._
Le Chopi, _Azara_, No. 62.
Icterus unicolor, _Licht._
Icterus sulcirostris, _Spix_, Av. Br. pl. 64. f. 2.

This species is common in flocks on the pasture grounds of Chile, and along the whole western shore of the southern part of the continent. In Chile it is called, according to Molina, “cureu.” It is a noisy, chattering bird, and runs in the manner of our starlings. It can be taught to speak, and is sometimes kept in cages. It builds in bushes.

MOLOTHRUS NIGER. _Gould._

Tanagra bonariensis, _Gmel._
Icterus niger, _Dand._
Passerina discolor, _Vieill._
Icterus maxillaris, _D’Orb. & Lafr._
Icterus sericeus, _Licht._
Psarocolius sericeus, _Wagl._

This Molothrus is common in large flocks on the grassy plains of La Plata, and is often mingled with the _Leistes anticus_, and other birds. In the same flock with the usual black kind, there were generally a few dull brown coloured ones, (_Icterus sericeus_ of _Licht._) which I presume are the young. Azara states that the brown coloured birds are smaller than the black glossy ones, and that they sometimes form one-tenth of the whole number in a flock. In the single specimen which I brought home, the size, with the exception of the length of the wing, is only a very little less. Sonnini, in his notes to Azara, considers the brown birds as the females; I can, however, scarcely believe that so obvious a solution of the difficulty could have escaped so accurate an observer as Azara. These birds in La Plata often may be seen standing on the back of a cow or horse. While perched on a hedge, and pluming themselves in the sun, they sometimes attempt to sing or rather to hiss: the noise is very peculiar; it resembles that of bubbles of air passing rapidly from a small orifice under water, so as to produce an acute sound. Azara states that this bird, like the cuckoo, deposits its eggs in other birds’ nests. I was several times told by the country people, that there was some bird which had this habit; and my assistant in collecting, who is a very accurate person, found in the nest of the _Zonotrichia ruficollis_ (a bird which occupies in the ornithology of S. America the place of the common sparrow of Europe), one egg larger than the others, and of a different colour and shape. This egg is rather less than that of the missel-thrush, being ·93 of an inch in length, and ·78 in breadth; it is of a bulky form, thick in the middle. The ground colour is a pale pinkish white, with irregular spots and blotches of a bright reddish brown, and others less distinct of a greyish hue. This species is evidently a very close analogue of the _M. pecoris_ of North America, from which, however it may at once be distinguished by the absence of the glossy brown on the head, neck, and upper breast,—by the metallic blueness of its plumage in the place of a green tinge, and by its somewhat greater size in all its proportions. The young or brown coloured specimens of these Molothri resemble each other more closely; that of the _M. pecoris_ is of a lighter brown, especially under the throat, and the small feathers on its breast and abdomen have each an obscure dark central streak. The eggs of the Molothri, although having the same general character, differ considerably; that of the _M. pecoris_ being smaller and less swollen in the middle; it is ·85 of an inch in length, and ·78 in breadth. Its colour cannot be better described than in the words of Dr. Richardson[15]—it is “of a greenish white, with rather small crowded and confluent irregular spots of pale liver brown, intermixed with others of subdued purplish grey.” From this description it is obvious that the egg of _M. niger_ is larger and of a much redder tint; the more prominent spots also are larger, the subdued grey being quite similar in both.

If we were to judge from habits alone, the specific difference between these two species of Molothrus might well be doubted; they seem closely to resemble each other in general habits,—in manner of feeding,—in associating in the same flock with other birds, and even in such peculiarities as often alighting on the backs of cattle. The _M. pecoris_, like the _M. niger_, utters strange noises, which Wilson[16] describes “as a low spluttering note as if proceeding from the belly.” It appears to me very interesting thus to find so close an agreement in structure, and in habits, between allied species coming from opposite parts of a great continent. Mr. Swainson[17] has remarked that with the exception of the _Molothrus_, the cuckoos are the only birds which can be called truly parasitical; namely, such as “fasten themselves, as it were, on another living animal, whose animal heat brings their young into life, whose food they alone live upon, and whose death would cause theirs during the period of infancy.” It is very remarkable, that the cuckoos and the molothri, although opposed to each other in almost every habit, should agree in this strange one of their parasitical propagation: the habit moreover is not universal in the species of either tribe. The Molothrus, like our starling, is eminently sociable, and lives on the open plains without art or disguise:[18] the cuckoo, as every one knows, is a singularly shy bird; it frequents the most retired thickets, and feeds on fruit and caterpillars.[19]

AMBLYRAMPHUS RUBER. _G. R. Gray._

Oriolus ruber, _Gmel._
Amblyramphus bicolor, _Leach._
Sturnus pyrrhocephalus, _Licht._
Sturnella rubra, _Vieill._
Leistes erythrocephala, _Swains._ Class. Birds.

This bird frequented marshy places in the neighbourhood of Maldonado, but it was not common there. It is more solitary than the following allied species; I have, however, seen it in a flock. Seated on a twig, with its beak widely open, it often makes a shrill, but plaintive and agreeable cry, which is sometimes single and sometimes reiterated. Its flight is heavy. The young have their heads and thighs merely mottled with scarlet.

STURNELLA MILITARIS. _Vieill._

Sturnus militaris, _Gmel._
Etourneau des terres Magellanique, Pl. enl. 113.

I met with specimens of this bird on the east coast of the continent from the Falkland Islands to 31° S., and on the western coast from the Strait of Magellan to Lima, a space of forty degrees of latitude.

FAMILY.—TROCHILIDÆ.

1. TROCHILUS FLAVIFRONS.

Monte Video.—November. Not abundant.

2. TROCHILUS FORFICATUS. _Lath._

_Edwards’_ Gleanings.
_Vieill._ Ois. dores, t. 1.
Ornismya Kingii, _Less._ Trochilidees, pl. 38.

This species is found over a space of 2,500 miles on the west coast, from the hot dry country of Lima to the forests of Terra del Fuego, where it has been described by Captain King as flitting about in a snow-storm. In the wooded island of Chiloe, which has an extremely damp climate, this little bird, skipping from side to side amidst the humid foliage, and uttering its acute chirp, is perhaps more abundant than any other kind. It there very commonly frequents open marshy ground, where a kind of bromelia grows: hovering near the edge of the thick beds, it every now and then dashes in close to the ground; but I could not see whether it ever actually alighted. At that time of the year there were very few flowers, and none whatever near the beds of bromelia. Hence, I was quite sure that they did not live on honey; and on opening the stomach and upper intestine, by the aid of a lens, I could plainly distinguish in a yellow fluid, morsels of the wings of diptera,—probably Tipulidæ. It is evident that these birds search for minute insects in their winter quarters under the thick foliage. I opened the stomachs of several specimens which were shot in different parts of the continent, and in all remains of insects were numerous, forming a black comminuted mass. In one killed at Valparaiso, I found portions of an ant. Amongst the Chonos Islands, at a season when there were flowers in open places, yet the damp recesses of the forests appeared their favourite haunt. In central Chile these birds are migratory; they make their appearance there in autumn; the first arrival which I observed was on the 14th of April (corresponding to our October) but by the 20th they were numerous. They stay throughout the winter, and begin to disappear in September: on October 12th, in the course of a long walk, I saw only one individual. During the period of their summer migration, nests were very common in Chiloe and the Chonos Island, countries south of Chile. When this species of _Trochilus_ migrates southward, it is replaced in Chile by a larger kind, which will be presently described. The migration of the humming birds on both the east[20] and west coasts of North America, exactly corresponds to that which takes place in the southern half of the continent. In both they move towards the tropic during the colder parts of the year, and retreat poleward before the returning heat. Some, however, remain during the whole year in Tierra del Fuego; and in northern California,—which in the northern hemisphere, has this same relative position which Tierra del Fuego has in the southern,—some, according to Beechey, likewise remain. Near the south end of Chiloe, I found on the 8th of December, a nest with eggs nearly hatched. It was of the ordinary form of nests; rather more than an inch in internal diameter, and not deep, composed externally of coarse and fine moss, neatly woven together, and lined with dried confervæ, now forming a very fine reddish fibrous mass. I feel no doubt regarding the nature of this latter substance, as the transverse septa are yet quite distinct: hence this humming bird builds its nest entirely of cryptogamic plants. Egg perfectly white, elongated, or rather almost cylindrical, with rounded ends; length ·557 of an inch, and transverse diameter ·352 of an inch. In January, at the Chonos Islands, when there were young in the nest, a considerable number of old birds were shot; of these, however, few or scarcely any had the shining crest of the male. In the only specimen, which I carefully examined, the metallic tips of the young feathers of the crest, were just beginning to protrude. Several of these males without their crest, had a yellowish gorge; and I saw some with a few light brown feathers on their backs. I presume these appearances are connected with their state of moult.

3. TROCHILUS GIGAS, _Vieill._

Orsimya tristis, _Less._, Oiseaux Mouches, pl. 3.

This species is common in central Chile. It is a large bird for the delicate family to which it belongs. At Valparaiso, in the year 1834, I saw several of these birds in the middle of August, and I was informed they had only lately arrived from the parched deserts of the north. Towards the middle of September (the vernal equinox) their numbers were greatly increased. They breed in central Chile, and replace, as I have before said, the foregoing species, which migrates southward for the same purpose. The nest is deep in proportion to its width; externally three inches and a half deep; internal depth a little under one inch and three quarters; width within one inch and two-tenths; mouth slightly contracted. Externally it is formed of fine fibrous grass woven together, and attached by one side and bottom to some thin upright twigs; internally it is thickly lined with a felt, formed of the pappus of some composite flower. When on the wing, the appearance of this bird is singular. Like others of the genus, it moves from place to place, with a rapidity which may be compared to that of Syrphus amongst diptera, and Sphinx among moths; but whilst hovering over a flower, it flaps its wings with a very slow and powerful movement, totally different from that vibratory one common to most of the species, which produces the humming noise. I never saw any other bird, where the force of its wings appeared (as in a butterfly) so powerful in proportion to the weight of its body. When hovering by a flower, its tail is constantly expanded and shut like a fan, the body being kept in a nearly vertical position. This action appears to steady and support the bird, between the slow movements of its wings. Although flying from flower to flower in search of food, its stomach generally contained abundant remains of insects, which, I suspect, are much more the object of its search than honey is. The note of this species, like that of nearly the whole family, is extremely shrill.

In the Appendix an anatomical description of this bird by Mr. Eyton is given.

ORDER—SCANSORES.

1. CONURUS MURINUS, _Kuhl._

Psittacus murinus, _Gmel._
Perruche, _Pernet_, voy. 1. p. 312.

This parrot feeds in large flocks on the grassy plains of Banda Oriental, where not a tree can be seen. They are very destructive to the corn-fields. I was assured that in one year, near Colonia del Sacramiento, on the north bank of the Plata, 2,500 were killed, a reward being given for each dozen heads. Many of these birds build their nests close together in trees, the whole composing a vast mass of sticks. I saw several of their compound nests on the islands in the river Parana.

2. CONURUS PATACHONICUS.

Psittacus Patagonus, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. p.
Psittacara Patagonica, _Less._ Voy. de la Coquille Zool. pl. 35 bis.
Psittacara Patachonica, _Lear’s_ Ill. Psitt.
Le Patagon, _Azara_, No. 277.
Pattagonian maccaw, _Lath._ Hist. 11, 105.

I obtained specimens of this bird at Bahia Blanca in Northern Patagonia, where there is not a single tree, and the country is dry and very sterile. I did not meet with this species in the southern parts of Patagonia, but it is common near Concepcion in Chile, in nearly the same latitude. They build their nests in holes in cliffs of earth or gravel, together with the _Hirundo cyanoleuca_. In September, at Bahia Blanca, they were laying: their eggs are quite white, and small in proportion to the bird. Several usually rush forth from their holes at the same instant, and utter a noisy scream.

PICUS KINGII. _G. R. Gray._

Picus melanocephalus, _King_, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1830, p. 14.

I procured specimens at Valparaiso, and at the Peninsula of Tres Montes (Lat. 46° S.) At the latter place, I killed in January a pair, male and female. Captain King’s specimens were obtained from Chiloe. The male has its whole head scarlet with only the nape black, so that Captain King’s specific name is unfortunately not applicable for the species; therefore Mr. G. R. Gray thinks it should be named after the first describer. The head of the female is black, with some short reddish brown feathers over nostrils. There appears to be no other difference in the plumage of the sexes.

CHRYSOPTILUS CAMPESTRIS. _Swains._

Picus campestris, _Licht._ Cat. p. _Spix_, Av. Br. pl. 116.
Le charpentier des champs, _Azara_, No. 253.

My specimens were obtained from Banda Oriental and Buenos Ayres; I saw it no further southward. Spix says (Birds of Brazil, vol. i. p. 51.) it inhabits Minas Geraes. They frequent open plains and especially rocky ground. They are rather wild, and generally live three or four together. The tail of these ground woodpeckers seems but little used; their beaks, however, were generally muddy to the base: in the stomach of one I found only ants. Their flight is undulatory like that of the English woodpecker, and their loud cry is likewise similar, but each note more separate. They alight on the branch of a tree, horizontally, in the manner of ordinary birds; but occasionally I have seen one clinging in an upright position to a post. They appear to feed exclusively on the ground.

COLAPTES CHILENSIS. _Vigors._

Picus Chilensis, _Garnot_, Voy. de la Coquille, Zool. pl. 52.

This bird frequents the dry stony hills of central Chile, on which only a few bushes and trees grow. It is closely related in habits and structure to the foregoing species, and appears to be its representative on the western side of the Cordillera; hence I cannot but think the institution of the above two genera unfortunate. It is the “_Pitui_” of Molina, which name, I imagine, it derives from its peculiar cry. Molina states, that it builds its nest in holes in banks.

1. DIPLOPTERUS NÆVIUS. _Boie._

Cuculus nævius, _Lath._ Ind. 220.

Rio de Janeiro. April.

2. DIPLOPTERUS GUIRA. _G. R. Gray._

Cuculus guira, _Linn._
Crotophaga Piririgua, _Vieil._ Gal. des Ois. pl. 44.
Ptiloleptus cristatus, _Swains._

Buenos Ayres. In small flocks; a noisy, chattering bird.

CROTOPHAGA ANI. _Linn._

Petit Bout-de-Petun, pl. enl. 102. f. 2.

Rio de Janeiro. May. The stomach of several specimens contained remains of numerous Orthopterous, and some Coleopterous insects.

ORDER GYRATONES. _Bonap._

1. COLUMBA FITZROYII. _King._

Columba Fitzroyii, _King._, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. part 1, 1830, p. 14. Columba denisea, _Temm._ pl. col. 502. Columba araucana, _Less._ Voy. de Coqu. pl. 40.?

Peninsula of Tres Montes. Lat. 46° S. January. Captain King’s specimens were obtained at Chiloe, three degrees northward. I procured other specimens near Valparaiso. This bird therefore frequents dry rocky land, and damp impervious forests.

_Birds. Pl. 46._

_Zenaida Galapagoensis._
]

2. COLUMBA LORICATA. _Licht._ Vög. Verz. s. 67.

Columba gymnophthalmus, _Temm._, Pig. i. 18.
—— leucoptera, _Pr. Max._ Reise, 2, p. 242.
—— picazuro, _Temm._ Pig. p. 111.
Picazuro, _Azara_, Voy. No. 317.

Frequents in large flocks the fields of Indian corn in the neighbourhood of Maldonado. Legs dull “carmine red.” This, probably, is the representative on the eastern side of the Andes of the foregoing or Chilian species.

1. ZENAIDA AURITA. _G. R. Gray._

Columba aurita, _Temm._ Pig. p. 60. _Wagl._ sp. 70.

I procured specimens of this bird at Maldonado (where it was very abundant) in La Plata, and at Valparaiso in Chile.

2. ZENAIDA GALAPAGOENSIS. _Gould._

PLATE XLVI.

_Z. vertice, cervice, dorso caudæque tegminibus obscurè fuscis
vinaceo-tinctis; dorso nigro-guttato; alarum tegminibus fuscis,
plumâ singulâ pallidè vinaceo-fusco terminatâ, pogonii utriusque
margine, maculâ oblongâ magnâ nigrâ, lineâ albâ separatâ; remigibus
primariis et secundariis nigrescenti-fuscis, cinerascenti-albo
angustè marginatis; caudâ fuscescenti cinereo ad apicem fasciâ latâ
irregulari nigra; loris lineâque angustâ supra et infra oculari
nigris pallidè fusco mixtis; gulâ pectoreque vinaceis, colli
lateribus ærato tinctis; crisso, caudæque tegminibus inferioribus
cinerascentibus, rostro nigro, pedibus rufescenti aurantiacis._

Long. tot. 8½ unc.; _alæ_, 5¼; _caudæ_, 3¼; _tarsi_, ⅞; _rostri_, 1.

Crown of the head and back of the neck, dark chocolate brown, with a
vinous tinge; back and tail-coverts the same, the former spotted
with black; wing-coverts brown, each feather having a large oblong
spot of black on the margin of either web, separated by a line of
white, and tipped with light vinous brown, the white predominating
on the larger coverts, primaries and secondaries blackish brown,
finely edged with greyish white; tail brownish grey, crossed near
the extremity with a broad irregular band of black; lores and a
narrow line above and beneath the eye black, interrupted with light
brown: throat and chest rich vinous, glossed on the sides of the
neck with metallic bronze, and fading into greyish on the vent and
under tail-coverts; bill black; feet reddish orange.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago. (Sept. and Oct.)

This species may at once be distinguished from the _Z. aurita_, by the redder tint of its breast,—the greater number of black marks on the wing coverts and back—the outer half of some of the feathers on the wing coverts being white—the marks on the under side of the tail being grey (instead of white as in the _Z. aurita_) and by the larger size of its beak.

This dove is one of the most abundant birds in the Archipelago. It frequents the dry rocky soil of the low country, and often feeds in the same flock with the several species of _Geospiza_. It is exceedingly tame, and may be killed in numbers. Formerly it appears to have been much tamer than at present. Cowley,[21] in 1684, says that the “Turtle doves were so tame that they would often alight upon our hats and arms, so as that we could take them alive: they not fearing man, until such time as some of our company did fire at them, whereby they were rendered more shy.” Dampier[22] (in the same year) also says that a man in a morning’s walk might kill six or seven dozen of these birds. At the present time, although certainly very tame, they do not alight on people’s arms; nor do they suffer themselves to be killed in such numbers. It is surprising that the change has not been greater;—for these islands during the last hundred and fifty years, have been frequented by buccaneers and whalers; and the sailors, wandering through the woods in search of tortoises, take delight in knocking down the little birds.

3. ZENAIDA BOLIVIANA. _G. R. Gray._

Columba Boliviana, _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Mag. de Zool. 1836. Ois. p. 33. pl.
75.

My specimen was obtained (end of August) at Valparaiso.

1. COLUMBINA STREPITANS. _Spix._

(Av. pl. 75, f. 1.)

I procured specimens at Maldonado (where it was not common), on the banks of the Plata, and at Rio Negro, in Northern Patagonia.

2. COLUMBINA TALPACOTI. _G. R. Gray._

Columba Talpacoti, _Temm._ Pig. p. 22. t. 12.
Columbina Cabocolo, _Spix_, Av. pl. 75a. f. 1.
Le Pigeon rougeatre, _Azara_, No. 323.

My specimens were obtained at Rio de Janeiro.

1. ATTAGIS FALKLANDICA. _G. R. Gray._

Tetrao Falklandicus, _Gmelin_, Syst. 1. 762.
La Caille des Isles Malouines, _Buff._ pl. enl. 222.
Coturnix Falklandica, _Bonn._ Ency. Meth. Orn. 220.
Perdix Falklandica, _Lath._ Ind. Orn. 11, 652.
Ortyx Falklandica, _Steph._ Shaw’s Zool. xi. 386.

This bird is not uncommon on the mountains in the extreme southern parts of Tierra del Fuego. It frequents, either in pairs or small coveys, the zone of alpine plants above the region of forest. It is not very wild, and lies very close on the bare ground.

2. ATTAGIS GAYII. _Less._

Attagis Gayii, _Less._ Cent. Zool. pl. 47, p. 155.

A specimen was given me, which was shot on the lofty Cordillera of Coquimbo, only a little below the snow-line. At a similar height, on the Andes, behind Copiapo, which appear so entirely destitute of vegetation, that any one would have thought that no living creature could have found subsistence there, I saw a covey. Five birds rose together, and uttered noisy cries; they flew like grouse, and were very wild. I was told that this species never descends to the lower Cordillera. These two species, in their respective countries, occupy the place of the ptarmigan of the northern hemisphere.

TINOCHORUS RUMICIVORUS. _Eschsch._

Thinocorus rumicivorus, _Eschsch._ Zool. Atl. pl. 2.
Tinochorus Eschscholtzii, _Less._ Cent. Zool. pl. 50.

This very singular bird, which in its habits and appearance partakes of the character both of a wader and one of the gallinaceous order, is found wherever there are sterile plains, or open dry pasture land, in southern South America. We saw it as far south as the inland plains of Patagonia at Santa Cruz, in lat. 50°. On the western side of the Cordillera, near Concepcion, where the forest land changes into an open country, I saw this bird, but did not procure a specimen of it: from that point throughout Chile, as far as Copiapo, it frequents the most desolate places, where scarcely another living creature can exist: it thus ranges over at least twenty-three degrees of latitude. It is found either in pairs or in small flocks of five or six; but near the Sierra Ventana I saw as many as thirty and forty together. Upon being approached they lie close, and then are very difficult to be distinguished from the ground; so that they often rise quite unexpectedly. When feeding they walk rather slowly, with their legs wide apart. They dust themselves in roads and sandy places. They frequent particular spots, and may be found there day after day. When a pair are together, if one is shot, the other seldom rises; for these birds, like partridges, only take wing in a flock. In all these respects, in the muscular gizzard adapted for vegetable food, in the arched beak and fleshy nostrils, short legs, and form of foot, the Tinochorus has a close affinity with quails. But directly the bird is seen flying, one’s opinion is changed; the long pointed wings, so different from those in the gallinaceous order, the high irregular flight, and plaintive cry uttered at the moment of rising, recall the idea of a snipe. Occasionally they soar like partridges when on the wing in a flock. The sportsmen of the Beagle unanimously called it the short-billed snipe. To this genus, or rather to that of the sandpiper, it approaches, as Mr. Gould informs me, in the shape of its wing, the length of the scapulars, the form of the tail, which closely resembles that of _Tringa hypoleucos_, and in the general colour of the plumage. The male bird, however, has a black mark on its breast, in the form of a yoke, which may be compared to the red horseshoe on the breast of the English partridge. Its nest is said to be placed on the borders of lakes, although the bird itself is an inhabitant of the parched desert. I was told that the female lays five or six white eggs, spotted with red. I opened the stomachs of many specimens at Maldonado, and found only vegetable matter, which consisted of chopped pieces of a thick rushy grass, and leaves of some plant, mixed with grains of quartz. The contents of the intestine and the dung were of a very bright green colour. At another season of the year, and further south, I found the craw of one full of small seeds and a single ant. Those which I shot were exceedingly fat, and had a strong offensive game odour; but they are said to be very good eating, when cooked. Pointers will stand to them. In the Appendix Mr. Eyton has given an anatomical description of this bird, which partly confirms that affinity both to the Grallatores and Razores, which is so remarkable in its habits and external appearance.

CHIONIS ALBÂ. _Forst._

_Shaw’s_ Nat. Miscel. pl. 481.

I opened the stomach of a specimen killed at the Falkland Islands, and found in it small shells, chiefly Patellæ, pieces of sea-weed, and several pebbles. The contents of the stomach and body smelt most offensively. Forster remarked this circumstance; but since his time, other observers, namely, Anderson, Quoy, Gaimard, and Lesson (Manuel d’Ornithologie, tom. ii, p. 342) have found that this is not always the case, and they state that they have actually eaten the Chionis. I was not aware of these observations, but independently was much surprised at the extraordinary odour exhaled. We, like other voyagers in the Antarctic seas, were struck at the great distance from land, at which this bird is found in the open ocean. Its feet are not webbed, its flight is not like that of other pelagic birds, and the contents of its stomach, and structure of legs, show that it is a coast-feeder. Does it frequent the floating icebergs of the Antarctic ocean, on which sea-weed and other refuse is sometimes cast?

1. NOTHURA MAJOR. _Wagl._

Nothura major, _Wagl._ Syst. Av. p. sp. 4.
Tinamus major, _Spix_, Av. pl. 80.

These birds are very common on the northern shores of the Plata. They do not rise in coveys, but generally by pairs. They do not conceal themselves nearly so closely as the English partridge, and hence great numbers may be seen in riding across the open grassy plains. Note, a shrill whistle. It appears a very silly bird: a man on horseback, by riding round and round in a circle, or rather in a spire, so as to approach closer each time, may knock on the head almost as many as he pleases. The more common method is to catch them with a running noose, or little lazo, made of the stem of an ostrich’s feather, fastened to the end of a long stick.[23] A boy on a quiet old horse will frequently thus catch thirty or forty in a day. The flesh of this bird, when cooked, is most delicately white, but rather tasteless.

The egg of this species, I believe, closely resembles that of the two following.

2. NOTHURA MINOR. _Wagl._

Nothura minor, _Wagl._ Syst. Av. p. sp. 4.
Tinamus minor, _Spix_, Av. Br. pl. 82.

I procured a specimen of this bird at Bahia Blanca, in northern Patagonia, where it frequented the sand-dunes and the surrounding sterile plains. Its habits appear similar to those of the _N. major_, but it lies closer and does not so readily take to the wing. It is the smallest of the species mentioned in this work, and its plumage is less distinctly spotted. The egg of this bird is described below. Spix’s specimens were obtained at Tijuco in Brazil. The figure in his work on the Birds of Brazil, differs slightly from mine, in being less marked on the breast.

3. NOTHURA PERDICARIA. _G. R. Gray._

Crypturus perdicarius, _Kittlitz_, Vögel von Chili.

This species closely resembles, in its general appearance and habits, the _N. major_, of which probably it is the analogue on the western side of the Cordillera. It is larger and has a considerably longer beak than the _N. major_; its breast is not spotted, and its abdomen has a less fulvous tinge. The _N. perdicarius_ runs on the open ground, generally a pair together, in the same unconcealed manner, as its analogue, and does not readily lie close. Flight similar, but on rising it utters a shriller whistle, of a different tone. It does not appear to be so easily caught as the Plata species. It is tolerably abundant in all parts of Chile, as far north as the valley of Guasco; but I was assured, that it has never been seen in the valley of Copiapo, although only seventy miles north of Guasco, and of a similar character. The egg is very glossy and of a peculiar colour, which, according to Werner’s nomenclature, is a palish chocolate red: length in longer axis 2·07 of an inch; shorter axis 1·495 of an inch. The egg of the _N. minor_ is of a similar colour, but a shade paler, and rather smaller; its length being 1·815, and its transverse diameter 1·3 of an inch.

RHYNCHOTUS RUFESCENS. _Wagl._

Rhynchotus rufescens, _Wagl._ Av. Syst.
Tinamus rufescens. _Temm._ Gall. iii. p. 552.
Rhynchotus fasciatus. _Spix_, Av. Br. pl. 76.
Cryptura Guaza. _Vieill._
Crypturus rufescens. _Licht._ Vög. Verz. s. 67.

My specimens were procured at Maldonado, where it is a much rarer bird than the _Nothura major_; I met with it also in the sterile country near Bahia Blanca. At Maldonado it frequented swampy thickets on the borders of lakes. It lies very close, and is unwilling to rise, but often utters, whilst on the ground, a very shrill whistle. When on the wing, it flies to a considerable distance. Several are generally found together, but they do not rise at the same instant, like a covey of partridges. Flesh, when cooked, perfectly white. Spix’s specimens were procured in the country between St. Paul’s and Minas Geraes; so that this bird, as well as the _Nothura minor_, has a considerable range.

ORDER—CURSORES. _Temm._

1. RHEA AMERICANA. _Lath._

This bird is well known to abound on the plains of La Plata. To the north it is found, according to Azara, in Paraguay, where, however, it is not common; to the south its limit appears to be from 42° to 43°. It has not crossed the Cordillera; but I have seen it within the first range of mountains on the Uspallata plain, elevated between six and seven thousand feet. The ordinary habits of the ostrich are well known. They feed on vegetable matter, such as roots and grass; but at Bahia Blanca, I have repeatedly seen three or four come down at low water to the extensive mud-banks which are then dry, for the sake, as the Gauchos say, of catching small fish. Although the ostrich in its habits is so shy, wary, and solitary, and although so fleet in its pace, it falls a prey, without much difficulty, to the Indian or Gaucho armed with the bolas. When several horsemen appear in a semicircle, it becomes confounded, and does not know which way to escape. They generally prefer running against the wind; yet at the first start they expand their wings, and like a vessel make all sail. On one fine hot day I saw several ostriches enter a bed of tall rushes, where they squatted concealed, till quite closely approached. It is not generally known that ostriches readily take to the water. Mr. King informs me that in Patagonia, at the Bay of San Blas and at Port Valdes, he saw these birds swimming several times from island to island. They ran into the water, both when driven down to a point, and likewise of their own accord, when not frightened: the distance crossed was about 200 yards. When swimming, very little of their bodies appear above water, and their necks are extended a little forward: their progress is slow. On two occasions, I saw some ostriches swimming across the Santa Cruz river, where it was about four hundred yards wide, and the stream rapid. Captain Sturt,[24] when descending the Murrumbidgee, in Australia, saw two emus in the act of swimming.

The inhabitants who live in the country readily distinguish, even at a distance, the male bird from the female. The former is larger and darker coloured,[25] and has a larger head. The ostrich, I believe the cock, emits a singular, deep-toned, hissing note. When first I heard it, standing in the midst of some sand-hillocks, I thought it was made by some wild beast, for it is a sound that one cannot tell whence it comes, or from how far distant. When we were at Bahia Blanca in the months of September and October, the eggs were found, in extraordinary numbers, all over the country. They either lie scattered single, in which case they are never hatched, and are called by the Spaniards, huachos, or they are collected together into a shallow excavation, which forms the nest. Out of the four nests which I saw, three contained twenty-two eggs each, and the fourth twenty-seven. In one day’s hunting on horseback sixty-four eggs were found; forty-four of these were in two nests, and the remaining twenty scattered huachos. The Gauchos unanimously affirm, and there is no reason to doubt their statement, that the male bird alone hatches the eggs, and for some time afterwards accompanies the young. The cock when on the nest lies very close; I have myself almost ridden over one. It is asserted that at such times they are occasionally fierce, and even dangerous, and that they have been known to attack a man on horseback, trying to kick and leap on him. My informer pointed out to me an old man, whom he had seen much terrified by one chasing him. I observe, in Burchell’s Travels in South Africa, that he remarks, “having killed a male ostrich, and the feathers being dirty, it was said by the Hottentots to be a nest bird.” I understand that the male emu, in the Zoological Gardens, takes care of the nest: this habit therefore is common to the family.[26]

The Gauchos unanimously affirm that several females lay in one nest. I have been positively told, that four or five hen birds have been actually watched and seen to go, in the middle of the day, one after the other, to the same nest. I may add, also, that it is believed in Africa, that two or more females lay in one nest.[27] Although this habit at first appears very strange, I think the cause may be explained in a simple manner. The number of eggs in the nest varies from twenty to forty, and even to fifty; and according to Azara to seventy or eighty. Now although it is most probable, from the number of eggs found in one district being so extraordinarily great, in proportion to that of the parent birds, and likewise from the state of the ovarium of the hen, that she may in the course of the season lay a large number, yet the time required must be very long. Azara states,[28] that a female in a state of domestication laid seventeen eggs, each at the interval of three days one from another. If the hen were obliged to hatch her own eggs, before the last was laid, the first probably would be addled; but if each laid a few eggs at successive periods, in different nests, and several hens, as is stated to be the case, combined together, then the eggs in one collection would be nearly of the same age. If the number of eggs in one of these nests is, as I believe, not greater on an average than the number laid by one female in the season, then there must be as many nests as females, and each cock bird will have its fair share of the labour of incubation; and this during a period when the females probably could not sit, on account of not having finished laying.[29] I have before mentioned the great numbers of huachos, or scattered eggs; so that in one day’s hunting the third part found were in this state. It appears odd that so many should be wasted. Does it not arise from some difficulty in several females associating together, and in finding a male ready to undertake the office of incubation? It is evident that there must at first be some degree of association, between at least two females; otherwise the eggs would remain scattered at distances far too great to allow of the male collecting them into one nest. Some authors believe that the scattered eggs are deposited for the young birds to feed on. This can hardly be the case in America, because the huachos, although often found addled and putrid, are generally whole.

_Birds. Pl. 47._

_Rhea Darwinii._
]

2. RHEA DARWINII. _Gould._

PLATE XLVII.

_Gould_, in Proceedings of Zoological Soc. 1837, p 35.

_R. pallide fusca, plumâ singulâ distinctâ semilunari notâ candidâ
terminatâ; capite collo, femoribusque pallidioribus: rostri culmine
augusti, ad apicem latiore, frontes plumis parvis setosis anticè
directis et supra nares extensis; tarsi lateribus in dimidiam partem
plumis parvis mollibus tectis; tarso ⅔ anticè posticeque toto,
squamis reticulatis tecto._

Long. tot. 52 unc.; _alæ_, 30; _tarsi_, 11; _rostri_, 2.

The whole of the plumage light brown, each feather with a decided
crescent-shaped mark of pure white at the extremity; head, neck, and
thighs lighter; base of the neck blackish; culmen of the bill
narrow, becoming a little broader towards apex; front with small
bristly feathers, pointing forwards and reaching over the nostrils.
Tarsus with small downy feathers on sides, extending half way
downwards; upper two-thirds of front of tarsus, and whole hinder
side, with reticulated scales.

Habitat, Eastern Patagonia (Lat. 40° S. to 54° S.)

This species, which Mr. Gould, in briefly characterizing it at a meeting of the Zoological Society, has done me the honour of calling after my name, differs in many respects from the _Rhea Americana_. It is smaller, and the general tinge of the plumage is a light brown in place of grey; each feather being conspicuously tipped with white. The bill is considerably smaller, and especially less broad at its base; the culmen is less than half as wide, and becomes slightly broader towards the apex, whereas in the _R. Americana_ it becomes slightly narrower; the extremity, however, of both the upper and the lower mandible, is more tumid in the latter, than in the _R. Darwinii_.

R. Darwinii. R. Americana,
inches inches
Length of beak, from edge of membrane at
base to the apex 2 2⁶⁄₈
Length, from anterior margin of eye to apex 3⁴⁄₁₂ 5⁶⁄₁₂
Width of upper mandible, measured across
middle of nostrils 1¹⁄₂₀ 1⁶⁄₂₀

The skin round and in front of the eyes is less bare in _R. Darwinii_; and small bristly feathers, directed forwards, reach over the nostrils. The feet and tarsi are nearly of the same size in the two species. In the _R. Darwinii_, short plumose feathers extend downwards in a point on the sides of the tarsus, for about half its length. The upper two-thirds of the tarsus, in front, is covered with reticulated scales in place of the broad transverse band-like scales of the _R. Americana_; and the scales of the lower third are not so large as in the latter. In the _R. Darwinii_ the entire length of the back of the tarsus is covered with reticulated scales, which increase in size from the heel upwards: in the common _Rhea_, the scales on the hinder side of the tarsus are reticulated only on the heel, and about an inch above it; all the upper part consisting of transverse bands, similar to those in front.

The first notice I received of this species was at the Rio Negro, in Northern Patagonia, where I repeatedly heard the Gauchos talking of a very rare bird, called _Avestruz Petise_. They described it as being less than the common ostrich (which is there abundant), but with a very close general resemblance. They said its colour was dark and mottled, and that its legs were shorter, and feathered lower down than those of the common ostrich. It is more easily caught by the bolas than the other species. The few inhabitants who had seen both kinds, affirmed that they could distinguish them apart, from a long distance. The eggs, however, of the small species appeared more generally known, and it was remarked with surprise, that they were very little less than those of the common _Rhea_, but of a slightly different form, and with a tinge of pale blue. Some eggs which I picked up on the plains of Patagonia, agree pretty well with this description; and I do not doubt are those of the Petise. This species occurs most rarely in the neighbourhood of the Rio Negro; but about a degree and a half further south they are tolerably abundant. One Gaucho, however, told me he distinctly recollected having seen one, many years before, near the mouth of the Rio Colorado, which is north of the Rio Negro. They are said to prefer the plains near the sea. When at Port Desire in Patagonia (Lat. 48°), Mr. Martens shot an ostrich; I looked at it, and from most unfortunately forgetting at the moment, the whole subject of the Petises, thought it was a two-third grown one of the common sort. The bird was skinned and cooked before my memory returned. But the head, neck, legs, wings, many of the larger feathers, and a large part of the skin, had been preserved. From these a very nearly perfect specimen has been put together, and is now exhibited in the museum of the Zoological Society. M. A. D’Orbigny, a distinguished French naturalist, when at the Rio Negro, made great exertions to procure this bird, but had not the good fortune to succeed. He mentions it in his Travels (vol. ii. p. 76.) and proposes (in case, I presume, of his obtaining a specimen at some future time, and thus being able to characterize it,) to call it _Rhea pennata_. A notice of this species was given long since (A.D. 1749) by Dobrizhoffer, in his account of the Abipones (vol. i. Eng. Trans. p. 314). He says, “You must know, moreover, that Emus differ in size and habits in different tracts of land; for those that inhabit the plains of Buenos Ayres and Tucuman are larger, and have black, white, and grey feathers; those near to the Strait of Magellan are smaller, and more beautiful, for their white feathers are tipped with black at the extremity, and their black ones in like manner terminate in white.”