Chapter VII: Part V: 1837, p. 10 (5)

Among the Patagonian Indians in the Strait of Magellan, we found a half-bred Indian, who had lived some years with this tribe, but had been born in the northern provinces. I asked him if he had ever heard of the Avestruz Petise? He answered by saying, “Why there are none others in these southern countries.” He informed me that the number of eggs in the nest of the Petise is considerably less than with the other kind, namely, not more than fifteen on an average; but he asserted that more than one female deposited them. At Santa Cruz we saw several of these birds. They were excessively wary: I think they could see a person approaching, when he was so far off as not to distinguish the ostrich. In ascending the river few were seen; but in our quiet and rapid descent, many, in pairs and by fours or fives, were observed. It was remarked by some of the officers, and I think with truth, that this bird did not expand its wings, when first starting at full speed, after the manner of the northern kind. The fact of these ostriches swimming across the river has been mentioned. In conclusion, I may repeat that the _R. Americana_ inhabits the eastern plains of S. America as far as a little south of the Rio Negro, in lat. 41°, and that the _R. Darwinii_ takes its place in Southern Patagonia; the part about the Rio Negro being neutral territory. Wallis saw ostriches at Bachelor’s river (lat 53° 54′), in the Strait of Magellan, which must be the extreme southern possible range of the Petise.

ORDER—GRALLATORES.

OREOPHILUS TOTANIROSTRIS. _Jard. & Selb._

Oreophilus totanirostris, _Jard. & Selb._ Illustr. of Orn. iii. pl. 151.

My specimens were obtained at Maldonado and at Valparaiso. At the former, it was common, feeding on the open grassy plains in small flocks, mingled with the icteri and the thrush-like _Xolmis variegata_. When these birds rise on the wing, they utter a plaintive cry. Legs “crimson red;” toes leaden colour, with their under surface remarkably soft and fleshy. Iris dark brown.

CHARADRIUS VIRGININUS. _Borkh._

Charadrius virgininus, _Borkh._ Act. Acad. Cæs. Leop. Car. Nat. Cur. 1834. xvi. pl. 18. Charadrius marmoratus, _Wagl._

This representative of the golden plover of Europe and North America, is common on the banks of the Plata in large and small flocks. It is found also, according to Meyer, in Chile.

1. SQUATAROLA CINCTA. _Jard. & Selby._

Tringa Urvillii, _Garnot_, Ann. Ic. Nat. Jan. 1826.
Vanellus cinctus, _Less._ Voy. de la Coqu. Zool. p. 720. pl. xliii.
Squatarola cincta, _Jard. & Selby’s_ Illust. Orn. pl. 110.
Charadrius rubecola, _Vig._ Journ. iv. p. 96.

I obtained specimens of this bird in Tierra del Fuego, where it inhabited both the sea shore and the bare stony summits of the mountains; at the Falkland Islands, where it frequented the upland marshes; and at Chiloe, where I met with large flocks in the fields, not near the coast.

2. SQUATAROLA FUSCA. _Gould._

_S. vertice corporeque supra fuscis, dorsi parapterique plumis
pallidiore marginatis; remigibus primariis nigrescenti fuscis,
pogoniis externis albo angustè marginatis rhachibus albis; uropygio
caudâque obscurè fuscis, remigibus externis albo latè marginatis et
terminatis; fronte, genis, gulâ, abdomine postico, caudæeque
tegminibus inferioribus flavescenti albis, colli pectorisque
lateribus fuscis, colli plumis fusco pallido terminatis; pedibus
nigris._

Long. tot. 8 unc.; _alæ_, 5⅝; _caudæ_, 3; _tarsi_, 1⅜; _rostri_, ⅞.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface brown, the feathers of the
back and the scapularies, margined with paler; primaries blackish
brown, finely edged on their inner margins with white, and with
white shafts; rump and tail dark brown, the outer feathers largely
margined and tipped with white; forehead and sides of the face sandy
white; throat, lower part of the abdomen, and under tail coverts,
buffy white; sides of the neck and chest brown; the feathers of the
latter tipped with still lighter brown; bill and feet black.

Habitat, Maldonado; inland grassy plains.

This species is most closely allied to the foregoing. I obtained only one specimen, which, on comparison with several of the _S. cincta_, appears a little larger in all its dimensions, especially in the length of the tarsi. Its back and scapularies are of a more uniform brown, the feathers being less edged with pale brown. Its feet are black, whereas those of _S. cincta_ are brown.

PHILOMACHUS CAYANUS. _G. R. Gray._

Charadrius Cayanus, _Lath._ Ind. Orn. 11. 748.

I met with this bird from latitude 30° to 45° S. on both sides of S. America. In La Plata it is called “Teru-tero,” in imitation of its cry; and in Chile, according to Molina, “Theghel.” These birds, which in many respects resemble in habits our peewits (_Vanellus cristatus_), frequent, generally in pairs, open grassy land, and especially the neighbourhood of lakes. As the peewit takes its name from the sound of its voice, so does the teru-tero. While riding over the grassy plains, one is constantly pursued by these birds, which appear to hate mankind, and I am sure deserve to be hated, for their never-ceasing, unvaried, harsh screams. The stillness of the night is often disturbed by them. To the sportsman they are most annoying, by announcing to every other bird and animal his approach: to the traveller in the country, they may possibly, as Molina says, do good, by warning him of the midnight robber. During the breeding season, they attempt, like our peewits, by feigning to be wounded, to draw away from their nests dogs and other enemies. Their eggs are of a pointed oval form; of a brownish olive colour, thickly spotted with dark brown. Their eggs, like those of the peewit, are esteemed particularly good eating.

1. HIATICULA AZARÆ. _G. R. Gray._

Charadrius Azaræ, _Temm._ pl. col. 184.
—— collaris, _Vieill._
Albatuitui à collier noir, _Azara_, No. 392.

My specimens were obtained on the banks of the Plata and at Valparaiso. The specimen from the latter country differs from those procured at the former, in the absence of the black collar on the breast, of the black streak running from the eye to the corner of the mouth; in the plumage of the back and back of head having a lesser tinge of red; and especially in the feet being black, and tarsi blackish, instead of both being orange, as is the case with those killed on the shores of the Plata. I have not, however, thought it desirable to make two species of these birds, not having a larger series of specimens for comparison.

2. HIATICULA TRIFASCIATUS. _G. R. Gray._

Charadrius bifasciatus, _Licht._ Vog. Verz. p. 71.
—— trifasciatus, _Wagl._ Syst. Av. sp. 31.

I procured two specimens of this bird at Bahia Blanca, in Northern Patagonia.

3. HIATICULA SEMIPALMATA. _G. R. Gray._

Tringa semipalmata, _Temm._
Charadrius semipalmatus, _Caup._ Isis. 1825, p. 1375, t. 14. _Wagl._
Syst. Av. sp. 23.
_Bonap._ Am. Orn. iv. pl. 25, f. 4.

Galapagos Archipelago.

HÆMATOPUS PALLIATUS. _Temm._

Rio Plata.

EGRETTA LEUCE. _Bonap._

Ardea Leuce, Ill.
Ardea Egretta, _Wils._ Am. Orn. pl. 61, f. 4.

My specimen was procured at Maldonado. I saw it also in Patagonia.

ARDEA HERODIAS. _Linn._

Galapagos Archipelago. Frequents the sea-coast and salt-lagoons. There are no fresh water pools in any of these islands.

1. NYCTICORAX VIOLACEUS. _Bonap._

Ardea violacea, _Linn._
Ardea callocephala, _Wagl._ Syst. Av.

Mr. G. R. Gray has thought it advisable to give the following description of this specimen, from the Gallapagos Archipelago. It appears to be a young bird, and is small in all its dimensions.

Upper part blackish grey; each feather marked down the middle with a
broad stripe of black, and tinged on the margins with shining bronze
brown; beneath the body blueish grey, with the front of the neck,
top of the head, and margins of the feathers on the thighs rufous;
the sides of the head and throat deep black, the former divided in
the middle on each side with a patch of white; the bill black, and
feet of a pale reddish colour.

2. NYCTICORAX AMERICANUS. _Bonap._

Ardea nycticorax, _Wils._ (young bird.)

Valparaiso, Chile.

THERISTICUS MELANOPS. _Wagl._

Ibis melanops, _Lath._ Hist. ix. pl. 150.

This bird frequents the desert gravelly plains of Patagonia, as far south as lat. 48°: in the British Museum there are specimens which Captain Clapperton brought from central Africa; so that this bird has an extraordinarily wide range. It generally lives in pairs, but during part of the year in small flocks. Its cry is very singular and loud: when it is heard at a distance it closely resembles the neighing of the guanaco. I opened the stomach of two specimens, and found in them remains of lizards, cicadæ, and scorpions. It builds in rocky cliffs on the sea shore: egg dirty white, freckled with pale reddish brown; its circumference over longer axis is seven inches. The legs are carmine and scarlet-red: iris scarlet-red.

IBIS (FALCINELLUS) ORDI. _Bonap._

Tantalus Mexicanus, _Ord._ Journ. Acad. Phil.
Tantalus chalcopterus? _Temm._
Ibis Falcinellus, _Bonap._ Am. Orn. iii.

My specimen was obtained at the Rio Negro: it is very numerous in large flocks on the vast swampy plains between Bahia Blanca and Buenos Ayres. Its flight when soaring is singularly graceful; the whole flock moving in precise concert.

1. NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS. _Lath._

Numenius Hudsonicus, _Lath._ Ind. Orn. ii. 712.

This curlew is very abundant on the tidal mud-banks of Chiloe. When the flock rises, each bird utters a shrill note.

2. NUMENIUS BREVIROSTRIS. _Licht._

Numenius brevirostris, _Licht._ Cat. 75, sp. 774 a.

Buenos Ayres.

LIMOSA HUDSONICA. _Swains._

Scolopax Hudsonica, _Lath._ Ind. Orn. ii. 720.

My specimens were obtained from the Falkland Islands and from Chiloe, where it frequented the tidal mud-banks in flocks.

1. TOTANUS FLAVIPES. _Vieill._

Totanus flavipes, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. 1106.
Yellow shanks snipe, _Penn._ Arct. Zool. ii. 468.
—— _Wills._ Am. Orn. pl. 58. f. 4.

Monte Video, Rio Plata.

2. TOTANUS MACROPTERUS. _G. R. Gray._

Tringa macroptera, _Spix_, Av. n. sp. pl. 92.

Monte Video, Rio Plata.

3. TOTANUS MELANOLEUCOS. _Licht. et Vieill._

Scolopax melanoleuca, _Gmel._
Scolopax vociferus, _Wils._ Am. Orn. pl. 58, f. 5.
Chorlito à croupion blanc, _Azara_, No. 394.
Totanus solitarius, _Vieill._
White-rumped snipe, _Lath._

Maldonado, Rio Plata.

4. TOTANUS FULIGINOSUS. _Gould._

_T. corpore supra caudâque fuliginoso-griseis; alis fuscis; gutture albo; pectore hypochondriisque plumbeo-griseis; abdomine medio, caudæ tegminibus inferioribus albis, illis obscure, bis plane grisescenti fusco fasciatis; rostri rubescenti fusco; pedibus obscurè olivaceo fuscis._

Long. tot. 9½ unc.; _alæ_, 6⅝; _caudæ_, 3; _tarsi_, 1¼; _rostri_, ⅝.

The whole of the upper surface and tail sooty-grey; wings dull brown;
throat white; chest and flanks leaden grey; centre of the abdomen
and under tail coverts white, the former indistinctly, and the
latter distinctly, barred with greyish brown; bill, reddish brown;
feet, dark olive brown.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago (_October_).

This species appear quite distinct from any described one.

HIMANTOPUS NIGRICOLLIS. _Vieill._

Himantopus nigricollis, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. 340.
Recurvirostra himantopus, _Wils._ Am. Orn. pl. 58. f. 2.

My specimens were obtained from the provinces bordering the Plata. On the great swampy plains and fens which lie between Buenos Ayres and Bahia Blanca, it is very numerous in small, and occasionally, in large flocks. This plover, which appears as if mounted on stilts, has been wrongfully accused of inelegance; when wading about in shallow water, which is its favourite resort, its gait is far from awkward. In a flock it utters a noise, which singularly resembles the cry of a pack of small dogs in full chase: when I travelled across the above mentioned plains, I was more than once startled, when lying awake at night, at the distant sound, and thought the wild Indians were coming.

TRINGA RUFESCENS. _Vieill._

Tringa rufescens, _Vieill._, N. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 34. p. 470.
—— Ency. Meth. Orn. p. 1090.
—— Gal. des Ois. pl. 238.
—— _Yarrel_, Lin. Trans.
—— _Gould_; Birds of Europe, pl.

Monte Video, Rio Plata.

1. PELIDNA SCHINZII. _Bonap._

Tringa Schinzii, _Brehm. Bonap._ Am. Orn. iv. pl. 24. f. 2.
Pelidna cinclus, var. _Say._

Flocks of this species were common on the shores of the inland bays in the southern parts of Tierra del Fuego.

2. PELIDNA MINUTILLA. _Gould._

Tringa minutilla, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. 1089.

Galapagos Archipelago. Both the specimens which I procured here are smaller than the ordinary size of this bird, but do not differ in other respects. Vieillot says it ranges from the Antilles to Canada.

RHYNCHÆA SEMICOLLARIS. _G. R. Gray._

Totanus semicollaris, _Vieill._, Ency. Meth. p. 1100.
Rhynchæa Hilairea, _Valenc. Less._ Ill. de Zool. pl. 18.
Rhynchæa occidentalis, _King_, Zool. Journ. iv. 94.
Le chorlito a demi colliers blanc et noiratre, _Azara_, No. 409.

Monte Video, Rio Plata. Frequents swamps; habits like the Scolopax Gallinago.

1. SCOLOPAX (TELMATIAS) PARAGUAIÆ. _Vieill._

Scolopax Paraguai, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. p. 1160.
—— Brasiliensis, _Swains_, Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 400.
Becassine 1st Espece, _Azara_.

Valparaiso and Maldonado, Rio Plata.

2. SCOLOPAX (TELMETIAS) MAGELLANICUS. _King._

Scolopax Magellanicus, _King_, Zool. Journ.

My specimens were obtained from Maldonado and East Falkland Island. Flight a very little less irregular and rapid than the English snipe. I several times in May observed this, as well as the foregoing species, flying in lofty circles, and suddenly stooping downwards, at the same time that it uttered a peculiar drumming noise, similar to that made by the English snipe in summer, when breeding. This species is most closely allied to the foregoing, but I have no doubt it is distinct; because at the time when I procured specimens of both at Maldonado, I perceived a difference between them. This species is there more abundant than the _S. Paraguaiæ_. Its beak is nearly three-tenths of an inch shorter, and the culmen rather broader. The plumage of its back is of a decidedly less dark tint; each separate feather having much less black in it.

STREPSILAS INTERPRES. _Ill._

Tringa Morinellus, _L._

I obtained specimens from Iquique, on the coast of Peru, and from the Galapagos Archipelago.

CREX LATERALIS. _Licht._

Crex lateralis, _Licht._, Cat. p.
—— _Griff._ An. King. Aves.

Maldonado, Rio Plata. On being disturbed readily takes wing. Base of the bill, especially of the lower mandible, bright green.

1. ZAPORNIA NOTATA. _Gould._

PLATE XLVIII.

_Z. corpore toto supra nigrescenti-fusco, plumâ singulâ medio
albo-guttatâ et olivaceo-fusco latè marginatâ; remigibus fuscis,
mento albo, corpore infra fuscescenti-nigro, gutture pectoreque
albo-striatis; abdomine tegminibusque caudæ inferioribus albo
irregulariter transverè strigato; rostro obscure corneo; pedibus
olivaceo-viridibus._

Long. tot. 5⅝ unc.; _alæ_, 3¼; _caudæ_, 1⅜; _tarsi_, ⅞; _rostri_, ½.

The whole of the upper surface blackish brown, each feather spotted
with white down the centre, and largely margined with olive brown;
quills plain brown; chin white; the remainder of the under surface
brownish black, striated with white on the throat and chest, and
crossed by irregular bars of the same on the abdomen and under tail
coverts; bill dark horn colour; feet olive green.

Habitat, Rio Plata. (Shot on board the Beagle.)

2. ZAPORNIA SPILONOTA. _Gould._

PLATE XLIX.

_Z. capite corporeque infra, nigrescenti-griseis; corpore supra
obscure rubrofusco, uropygio obscurè grisescenti-nigro; alis
hypochondriis postice, tegminibusque caudæ inferioribus albo
parciter sparsis; rostro nigrofusco; pedibus rubescentibus; iridibus
carmineis._

Long. tot. 5¼ unc.; _alæ_, 2¾; _caudæ_, 1; _tarsi_, ⅞; _rostri_, ¾.

Head and all the under surface blackish grey; all the upper surface
dark reddish brown, fading off on the rump into deep greyish black;
the wings, hinder part of the flanks, and under tail coverts
slightly sprinkled with white; bill, blackish brown; feet, reddish;
iris, bright scarlet.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago.

_Birds. Pl. 48._

_Zapornia notata._
]

_Birds. Pl. 49._

_Zapornia spilonota._
]

This bird frequents in large numbers the high and damp summits of the islands. It lives in the thick beds of carex and other plants, which, from the condensed vapour of the clouds, are constantly kept rather humid. It is tame, but lives concealed; it often utters a loud and peculiar cry. The female is said to lay from eight to twelve eggs. It is, I believe, the only bird in this archipelago which is exclusively confined to the upper parts of the islands. With respect to the specific description, I must observe, that in one of the specimens, the few and small white spots on the wings and abdomen are wanting. This is not a sexual distinction, but possibly may be owing to immaturity.

1. RALLUS PHILLIPENSIS. _Linn._

Common on the low coral islets, forming the Keeling or Cocos Atoll in the Indian ocean. With the exception of a snipe, this was the only bird without webfeet which inhabited this group.

2. RALLUS YPECAHA. _Vieill._

Rallus ypecaha, _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. p. 1071.
Crex melampyga, _Licht._ Cat. Sp.
L’Ypacaha, _Azara_, No. 367.

Buenos Ayres.

3. RALLUS SANGUINOLENTUS. _Swains._

Rallus sanguinolentus, _Swains_, 2 cent. and a quart.

Valparaiso.

GALLINULA CRASSIROSTRIS. _J. E. Gray._

Gallinula crassirostris, _J.E. Gray_, in Griff. An. Kingd.

I obtained specimens on the banks of the Plata and at Valparaiso.

FULICA GALEATA. _G. R. Gray._

Crex galeata, _Licht._ Cat. 80. sp. 826.
Yahana proprement dit, _Azara_, No. 379.
Gallinula galeata, _Bonap._

Concepcion, Chile.

PORPHYRIO SIMPLEX. _Gould._

_P. vertice, remigibus primariis obscurè olivaceo-viridibus, harum
apicibus flavescenti albo angustè marginatis; corpore supra obscure
olivaceo-viridi, plumâ singulâ obscurè fulvo late marginatâ; genis
gutture, corporeque infra flavescentibus; rostro rubro; pedibus
viridescenti-flavis._

Long. tot. 9 unc.; _alæ_, 5½; _caudæ_, 2½; _tarsi_, 1⅞; _rostrio_, ⅞.

Habitat, Ascension Island, Atlantic Ocean. (_July._)

This specimen was killed with a stick near the summit of the Island. It was evidently a straggler, which had not long arrived. There is no aboriginal land bird at Ascension.

ORDER—PALMIPEDES.

ANSER MELANOPTERUS. _Eyton._

PLATE L.

Anser melanopterus, _Eyton_, Monog. Anatidæ, p. 93.

Captain FitzRoy purchased a skin of this fine goose at Valparaiso, which he has presented to the British Museum. There is another specimen at the Zoological Society, which Mr. Pentland procured from the lake of Titicaca, in Bolivia.

CHLOEPHAGA MAGELLANICA. _Eyton._

Anas Magellanica, _Gmel._ Syst. i. 505.
Chloephaga Magellanica, _Eyton_, Monog. Anatidæ, p. 82.
Bernicla leucoptera, _Less._ Trait d’Ornith. 627.

This goose is found in Tierra del Fuego, and at the Falkland Islands; at the latter it is common. They live in pairs and in small flocks throughout the interior of the island, being rarely or never found on the sea-coast, and seldom even near fresh water lakes. I believe this bird does not migrate from the Falkland Islands; it builds on the small outlying islets. This latter circumstance is supposed to be owing to the fear of the foxes; and it is perhaps from the same cause, that although very tame by day, they are much the contrary in the dusk of the evening. These geese live entirely on vegetable matter; they are called by the seamen, the “upland geese.” Mr. Eyton, in his excellent Monograph on the Anatidæ, has described the trachea of this bird, which I brought home in spirits.

BERNICLA ANTARCTICA. _Steph._

Bernicla antarctica, _Steph._ Sh. Zool. xii. 59.
—— _Eyton_, Monograph, p. 84.
Anas Antarctica, _Gmel._ Syst. i. 505.

This goose is common in Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and on the western coast, as far north as Chiloe. It is called by the sailors the “rock goose,” as it lives exclusively on the rocky parts of the sea-coast. In the deep and retired channels of Tierra del Fuego, the snow-white male, invariably accompanied by his darker consort, and standing close by each other on some distant rocky point, is a common feature in the landscape. Mr. Eyton has described the treachea of this species, which I brought home.

_Birds. Pl. 50._

_Anser melanopterus._
]

PÆCILONITTA BAHAMENSIS. _Eyton._

Pæcilonitta Bahamensis, _Eyton_, Monog. p. 116.
Anas Bahamensis, _Linn._ Syst. i. 199.
Mareca Bahamensis, _Steph._ Gen. Zool. xii. p. 137.

A specimen was procured from a small salt-water lagoon in the Galapagos Archipelago (_October_.)

It was a male; bill, lead colour; base of superior mandible purple,
with a black mark in the upper part.

DAFILA UROPHASIANUS. _Eyton._

Dafila urophasianus, _Eyton_, Monog. Anatidæ. p. 112.
Anas urophasianus, _King_, Zool. Journ. iv. 351.

Bahia Blanca, Northern Patagonia.

RHYNCHASPIS MACULATUS. _Gould._

Rhynchaspis maculatus, _Gould_, in Jard. & Selby Illust. Orn. p. 147.
pl. 147.

Mr. Gould observes that, “A good figure of this beautiful shoveller may be found in the 3rd vol. of Messrs. Jardine and Selby’s Illustrations of Ornithology. Their figure was taken from an example which I forwarded to those gentlemen with the name of _maculata_ attached: my specimen was received from the Rio Plata, and this is also the locality whence (in October) Mr. Darwin’s specimen was procured. The numerous and conspicuous spots distributed over the body, renders this species readily distinguishable from all the other members of the genus.”

1. QUERQUEDULA ERYTHRORHYNCHA. _Eyton._

Querquedula erythrorhyncha, _Eyton_, Monog. Anatidæ, p. 127.
Anas erythrorhyncha, _Spix_, Av. Nov. sp. pl.

My specimens were obtained from Buenos Ayres (_October_) and the Straits of Magellan (_February_.)

2. QUERQUEDULA CRECCOÏDES. _Eyton._

Querquedula creccoïdes, _Eyton_, Monog. Anatidæ, p. 128.
Anas creccoides, _King_, Zool. Journ. iv. 99.

Mr. Gould observes that, “This species was first described by Mr. Vigors, from a specimen in the collection brought from the Straits of Magellan, by Capt. P. P. King. It is a true teal, and in size and form closely assimilates to the common teal of Europe, and to the species inhabiting North America (_Querquedula Carolinensis_, Bonap.) to both of which it is evidently an analogue, and doubtless represents those birds in the southern half of the American continent.” My specimens were procured from the Rio Plata, and from the Straits of Magellan.

MICROPTERUS BRACHYPTERUS. _Eyton._

Micropterus brachypterus, _Eyton_, Monog. Anat. p. 144.
Anas brachytera, _Lath._, Ind. Orn. ii. 834.

These great logger-headed ducks, which sometimes weigh as much as twenty-two pounds, were called by the old navigators, from their extraordinary manner of paddling and splashing over the water, race-horses, but now much more properly steamers. Their wings are too small and weak to allow of flight, but by their aid, partly swimming and partly flapping the surface of the water, they move very quickly. The manner is something like that by which the common house duck escapes, when pursued by a dog; but I am nearly sure that the steamer moves its wings alternately, instead of, as in other birds, both together. These clumsy birds make such a noise and splashing, that the effect is most curious. The steamer is able to dive but a very short distance. It feeds entirely on shellfish from the floating kelp and tidal rocks; hence the beak and head are surprisingly heavy and strong, for the purpose of breaking them. So strong is the head, that I have sometimes scarcely been able to fracture it with my geological hammer; and all our sportsmen soon discovered how tenacious these birds were of life. When pluming themselves in the evening in a flock they make an odd mixture of sounds, somewhat like bull-frogs within the tropics.

1. PODICEPS KALIPAREUS. _Quoy & Gaim._

My specimens were obtained from Bahia Blanca (September), Northern Patagonia, and the Falkland Islands. In the former place it lived in small flocks in the salt-water channels, extending between the great marshes at the head of the harbour. At the Falkland Islands I saw (March) very few individuals; and these only in one small fresh water lake. Tarsi of the same colour as the plumage of the back; iris of a beautiful tint, between “scarlet and carmine red;” pupil black. Mr. Gould remarks that, “This beautiful species of _Podiceps_ is equal in size, and has many of the characters of the _P. auritus_, but is at once distinguished from that species by the silvery colouring of the plumes that adorn the sides of the head; which in _P. auritus_ are deep chestnut.”

2. PODICEPS ROLLANDII. _Quoy et Gaim._

Podiceps Rolland, _Quoy et Gaim_. Voy. de l’Uranie, pl. 36. p. 133.

I obtained specimens from the Falkland Islands (March), where it was common at the head of the tortuous bays which intersect those islands; from a fresh water lake near the Strait of Magellan (February); and from the eastern coast of Chiloe. The male and female have the same plumage. Iris of a fine red colour. Mr. Gould adds that, “this species appears to be as nearly related to the _Podiceps cornutus_, as the preceding species is to _P. auritus_, but is readily distinguishable from it, by the white spot in the centre of the tuft of feathers that spring from the sides of the face.”

3. PODICEPS CHILENSIS. _Garnot._

Le macas cornu, _Azara_, No. 443.

This specimen was procured in a fresh water lake near Buenos Ayres. Capt. P. King brought home specimens from the salt-water channels in Tierra del Fuego, where it is excessively numerous. It often makes a very melancholy cry, which suits the gloomy climate of those desolate shores.

SPHENISCUS HUMBOLDTII. _Meyen._

Spheniscus Humboldtii, _Meyen_. Nov. Act. Acad. Cæs. Leop. Car. Nat.
Cur. 1834, 110. pl. 21.

My specimen was obtained near Valparaiso. Meyen, who first described this bird, procured it from the coast of Peru.

PUFFINUS CINEREUS. _Steph._

Puffinus cinereus, _Steph_. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 227.
Procellaria puffinus, _Linn._

This bird frequents the seas on the whole coast of South America. I obtained specimens from Tierra del Fuego, Chiloe, the mouth of the Plata, and Callao Bay on the coast of Peru. It is likewise known to be common in the Northern Hemisphere; this species, therefore, has a most extensive range. It generally frequents the retired inland sounds in very large flocks; although, occasionally, two or three may be seen out at sea. I do not think I ever saw so many birds of any other sort together, as I once saw of these petrels, behind the Island of Chiloe. Hundreds of thousands flew in an irregular line, for several hours in one direction. When part of the flock settled on the water, the surface was blackened; and a cackling noise proceeded from them, as of human beings talking in the distance. At this time, the water was in parts coloured by clouds of small crustacea. The inhabitants of Chiloe told me that this petrel was very irregular in its movements;—sometimes they appeared in vast numbers, and on the next day not one was to be seen. At Port Famine, every morning and evening, a long band of these birds continued to fly with extreme rapidity, up and down the central parts of the channel, close to the surface of the water. Their flight was direct and vigorous, and they seldom glided with extended wings in graceful curves, like most other members of this family. Occasionally, they settled for a short time on the water; and they thus remained at rest during nearly the whole of the middle of the day. When flying backwards and forwards, at a distance from the shore, they evidently were fishing: but it was rare to see them seize any prey. They are very wary, and seldom approach within gun-shot of a boat or of a ship;—a disposition strikingly different from that of most of the other species. The stomach of one, killed near Port Famine, was distended with seven prawn-like crabs, and a small fish. In another, killed off the Plata, there was the beak of a small cuttle-fish. I observed that these birds, when only slightly winged, were quite incapable of diving. There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes. The web between the inner toes, with the exception of the margin, is “reddish lilac-purple;” the rest being blackish. Legs and half of the lower mandible blackish purple. From accounts which I have received, the individuals of this species, which live in the Northern Hemisphere, appear to have exactly the same habits as those above described.

1. PELECANOIDES BERARDI. _G. R. Gray._

Puffinuria Berardi, _Less._ Tr. d’Orn. p. 614.
Procellaria Berardi, _Quoy et Gaim_. Voy. de pl. 31

This bird is common in the deep and quiet creeks and inland seas of Tierra del Fuego, and on the west coast of Patagonia, as far north as the Chonos Archipelago. I never saw but one in the open sea, and that was between Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. This bird is a complete auk in its habits, although from its structure it must be classed with the Petrels. To the latter Mr. Gould informs me, its affinity is clearly shewn by the form of its beak and nostrils, length of foot, and even by the general colouring of its plumage. To the auks it is related in the general form of its body, its short wings, shape of tail, and absence of hind-toe to the foot. When seen from a distance and undisturbed, it would almost certainly be mistaken, from its manner of swimming and frequent diving, for a grebe. When approached in a boat, it generally dives to a distance, and on coming to the surface, with the same movement takes flight: having flown some way, it drops like a stone on the water, as if struck dead, and instantaneously dives again. No one seeing this bird for the first time, thus diving like a grebe and flying in a straight line by the rapid movement of its short wings like an auk, would be willing to believe that it was a member of the family of petrels;—the greater number of which are eminently pelagic in their habits, do not dive, and whose flight is usually most graceful and continuous. I observed at Port Famine, that these birds, in the evening, sometimes flew in straight-lines from one part of the sound to another; but during the day, they scarcely ever, I believe, take wing, if undisturbed. They are not very wild: if they had been so, from their habit of diving and flying, it would have been extremely difficult to have procured a specimen. The legs of this bird are of a “flax-flower blue.”

2. PELECANOIDES GARNOTII. _G. R. Gray._

Puffinuria Garnotii, _Less._ Voy. de l’Coqu. pl. 46.
Procellaria urinatrix, _Gm._ ?

My specimen was obtained at Iquique (lat. 20° 12′), on the coast of Peru. M. Lesson, who first described this species, says (Manuel d’Ornithologie, vol. ii. p. 394.), “Le _puffinure de Garnot_ habite par grandes troupes le long des côtes du Pérou. Il vole médiocrement bien, d’une manière précipitée et en rasant la mer; mais il préfère se tenir en repos sur la surface des eaux, et plonge très frequemment à la manière des grèbes, sans doute pour saisir les petits poissons qui forment sa pâture.” An anatomical description of this bird is there given.

1. PROCELLARIA GIGANTEA. _Gmel._

This bird, which is called by the English, “Nelly,” and by the Spaniards, “Quebranta-huesos,” (properly an osprey,) is common in the southern latitudes of South America. It frequents both the inland sounds, and the open ocean far from the coast. It often settles and rests on the water. The Nelly, in its flight and general appearance on the wing, has many points of resemblance with the Albatross; but, as in the case of that bird, it is in vain to attempt observing on what it feeds; both seem to hunt the waters for days together, in sweeping circles, with no success. In the stomach, however, of one which I opened, there was the beak of a large cuttle-fish. The Nelly, moreover, is a bird of prey: it was observed at Port St. Antonio, by some of the officers of the Beagle, to kill a diver. The latter tried to escape, both by diving and flying, but was continually struck down, and at last was killed by a blow on its head. At Port St. Julian, also, these great petrels were seen killing and devouring young gulls. The Nelly breeds on several of the small islands off the coast of Patagonia; for instance, Sea-Lion Island, in the mouth of the Santa Cruz. Most other species of the family retire for the purpose of breeding to the Antarctic Islands.

I have often observed in the southern seas, a bird similar in every respect to the Nelly, excepting in its plumage, being of a much more intense black, and its bill rather whiter. I procured a specimen thus coloured, at Port Famine, and had concluded that it was a distinct species, until Mr. Low, (an excellent practical observer, long acquainted during his sealing voyages with the productions of these seas,) assured me that he positively knew, that these black varieties were the one-year-old birds of the common greyish black Nelly.

2. PROCELLARIA GLACIALOÏDES. _A. Smith._

Procellaria glacialoïdes, _A. Smith_, Illust. of Zool. of S. Africa,
Aves, pl. 51.

I saw this petrel on both sides of the Continent south of lat. 30°; but seldom more than two or three together. I am informed that it arrives in Georgia in September for the purpose of breeding, and that it lays its eggs in holes in the precipices overhanging the sea. On the approach of winter it is said to retire from that island. My specimen was caught in the Bay of St. Mathias (lat. 43° S.) by a line and bent pin, baited with a small piece of pork; the same means by which the Pintado (_Dapt. Capensis_)is so easily caught. It is a tame, sociable, and silent bird; and often settles on the water: when thus resting it might from a distance be mistaken, owing to the general colour of its plumage, for a gull. One or two often approached close to the stern of the Beagle, and mingled with the Pintados, the constant attendants on vessels traversing these southern seas.

DAPTION CAPENSIS. _Steph._

Procellaria Capensis, _Linn._ Syst. i. 213.

This petrel is extremely numerous over the whole southern ocean, south of the Tropic of Capricorn. On the coast, however, of Peru, I saw them in lat. from 16° to 17° S., which is considerably farther north than they are found on the shores of Brazil. Cook, in sailing south in the meridian of New Zealand, first met this bird in lat. 43° 30′. The Pintados slightly differ in some of their habits from the rest of their congeners, but, perhaps, approach in this respect nearest to _P. glacialoïdes_. They are very tame and sociable, and follow vessels navigating these seas for many days together: when the ship is becalmed, or is moving slowly, they often alight on the surface of the water, and in doing this they expand their tails like a fan. I think they always take their food, when thus swimming. When offal is thrown overboard, they frequently dive to the depth of a foot or two. They are very apt to quarrel over their food, and they then utter many harsh but not loud cries. Their flight is not rapid, but extremely elegant; and as these prettily mottled birds skim the surface of the water in graceful curves, constantly following the vessel as she drives onward in her course, they afford a spectacle which is beheld by every one with interest. Although often spending the whole day on the wing, yet on a fine moonlight night, I have repeatedly seen these birds following the wake of the vessel, with their usual graceful evolutions. I am informed that the Pintado arrives in Georgia for the purpose of breeding, and leaves it, at the same time with the _P. glacialoïdes_. The sealers do not know any other island in the Antarctic ocean excepting Georgia, where these two birds (as well as the _Thalassidroma oceanica_) resort to breed.

THALASSIDROMA OCEANICA. _Bonap._

Thalassidroma oceanica, _Bonap._ Journ. Acad. Nat. Scien., Philadelphia, vol. iii. p. 233. Procellaria oceanica, _Forster_. Pétrel échasse. _Temm._

I obtained this bird at Maldonado, near the mouth of the Plata, where it was blown on shore by a gale of wind. These birds, although seeming to prefer on most occasions the open ocean, and to be most active, walking with their wings expanded on the crest of the waves, when the gale is heaviest, yet sometimes visit quiet harbours, in considerable numbers. At Bahia Blanca I saw many, when there was nothing in the weather to explain their appearance. I was informed by a sealer, that they build in holes on the sea cliffs of Georgia, where they arrive very regularly in the month of September. No other place is known to be frequented by them for the purpose of breeding.

PRION VITTATUS. _Cuv._

Procellaria Vittata, _Gmelin._ Syst. i. 560.

I did not procure a specimen of this bird, although I saw numbers on both sides of the Continent from about lat. 35° S. to Cape Horn. It is a wild solitary bird, appears always to be on the wing: flight extremely rapid. Mr. Stokes (Assistant surveyor of the Beagle) informs me that they build in great numbers on Landfall Island, on the west coast of Tierra del Fuego. Their burrows are about a yard deep: they are excavated on the hill-sides, at a distance even of half a mile from the sea shore. If a person stamps on the ground over their nests, many fly out of the same hole. Mr. Stokes says the eggs are white, elongated, and of the size of those of a pigeon.

1. LARUS FULIGINOSUS. _Gould._

_L. Mas. corpore toto obscurè plumbeo-griseo, tegminibus caudæ
superioribus inferioribusque pallidioribus; rostro basi rubro, apice
nigro; pedibus nigris._

Long. tot. 16½ unc.; _alæ_, 13½: _caudæ_, 6; _tarsi_, 2⅛; _rostri_ 2⅜.

The whole of the plumage deep leaden grey; the upper and under tail
coverts being lightest; bill red at the base, black at the tip; feet
black.

Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago (_October_).

This species of gull has many characters in common with the _Larus hæmatorhynchus_ of King, from the continent of S. America; but may at once be distinguished from it by the general extreme duskiness of its plumage, feet, tarsi, and bill; and by the more elongated form of the latter. My specimen was killed at James Island. I observed nothing particular in its habits. It is the only species of gull frequenting this Archipelago.

2. LARUS HÆMATORHYNCHUS. _King._

Larus hæmatorhynchus, _King_, Zool. Journ. iv. 103.
—— _Jard. & Selb._ Ill. Orn. p. 106.

This bird was killed at Port St. Julian on the coast of Patagonia. Beak (when fresh killed) of a pale “arterial blood red,” legs “vermilion red.”

3. LARUS DOMINICANUS. _Licht._

Larus dominicanus, _Licht._ Cat. 82. sp. 846.
Grande Mouette, _Azara_, No. 409.

This gull abounds in flocks on the Pampas, sometimes even as much as fifty and sixty miles inland. Near Buenos Ayres, and at Bahia Blanca, it attends the slaughtering-houses, and feeds, together with the Polybori and Cathartes, on the garbage and offal. The noise which it utters is very like that of the common English gull (_Larus canus_, Linn.)

XEMA (CHROICOCEPHALUS) CIRROCEPHALUM. _G. R. Gray._

Larus cirrocephalus, _Vieill._ Nov. Dict. d’Histoire, 21. p. 502.
Larus maculipennis, _Licht._ Cat. 83. sp. 855.
Larus glaucodes, _Meyen_, Nov. Act. 1839, p. 115. pl. 24.
Mouette cendréc, _Azara_, No. 410.

This species so closely resembles the _Xema ridibundum_, Boie, that Mr. Gould observes, he should have hardly ventured to have characterized it as distinct; but as M. Vieillot and Meyen have deemed this necessary, he adopts their view. I have compared a suite of specimens, which I procured from the Rio Plata, the coast of Patagonia, and the Straits of Magellan, with several specimens of the _Xema ridibundum_; the only difference which appears to me constant, is that the primaries of the _X. cirrocephalum_, in the adult winter plumage, both of male and female, are tipped with a white spot (a character common to some other species), whereas in the _X. ridibundum_ the points are black. The beak of the latter species, especially the lower mandible, is also a little less strong, or high in proportion to its length. In the immature stage, I could perceive no difference whatever in the plumage of these birds. The proportional quantity of black and white in the primaries, given by Meyen as the essential character, varies in the different states of plumage. The specimens described by this author were procured from Chile.[30] The soles of the feet of my specimens were coloured, deep “reddish orange,” and the bill dull “arterial blood red” of Werner’s nomenclature.

In the plains south of Buenos Ayres I saw some of these birds far inland, and I was told that they bred in the marshes. It is well known that the blackheaded gull (_Xema ridibundum_), which we have seen comes so near the _X. cirrocephalum_, frequents the inland marshes to breed. It appears to me a very interesting circumstance thus to find birds of two closely allied species preserving the same peculiarities of habits in Europe and in the wide plains of S. America. Near Buenos Ayres this gull as well as the _L. dominicanus_ sometimes attends the slaughter-houses to pick up bits of meat.

RHYNCHOPS NIGRA. _Linn._

I saw this bird both on the East and West coast of South America, between latitudes 30° and 45°. It frequents either fresh or salt water. Near Maldonado (in May), on the borders of a lake, which had been nearly drained, and which in consequence swarmed with small fry, I watched many of these birds flying backwards and forwards for hours together, close to its surface. They kept their bills wide open, and with the lower mandible half buried in the water. Thus skimming the surface, generally in small flocks, they ploughed it in their course; the water was quite smooth, and it formed a most curious spectacle, to behold a flock, each bird leaving its narrow wake on the mirror-like surface. In their flight they often twisted about with extreme rapidity, and so dexterously managed, that they ploughed up small fish with their projecting lower mandibles, and secured them with the upper half of their scissor-like bills. This fact I repeatedly witnessed, as, like swallows, they continued to fly backwards and forwards, close before me. Occasionally, when leaving the surface of the water, their flight was wild, irregular, and rapid; they then also uttered loud harsh cries. When these birds were seen fishing, it was obvious that the length of the primary feathers was quite necessary in order to keep their wings dry. When thus employed, their forms resembled the symbol, by which many artists represent marine birds. The tail is much used in steering their irregular course.

These birds are common far inland, along the course of the Rio Parana; and it is said they remain there during the whole year, and that they breed in the marshes. During the day they rest in flocks on the grassy plains, at some distance from the water. Being at anchor in a small vessel, in one of the deep creeks between the islands in the Parana, as the evening drew to a close, one of these scissor-beaks suddenly appeared. The water was quite still, and many little fish were rising. The bird continued for a long time to skim the surface; flying in its wild and irregular manner up and down the narrow canal, now dark with the growing night and the shadows of the overhanging trees. At Monte Video, I observed that large flocks remained during the day on the mud banks, at the head of the harbour; in the same manner as those which I observed on the grassy plains near the Parana. Every evening they took flight in a straight line seaward. From these facts, 1 suspect, that the Rhynchops frequently fishes by night, at which time, many of the lower animals come more abundantly to the surface than during the day. I was led by these facts to speculate on the possibility of the bill of the Rhynchops, which is so pliable, being a delicate organ of touch. But Mr. Owen, who was kind enough to examine the head of one, which I brought home in spirits, writes to me, (August 7, 1837,) that—

“The result of the dissection of the head of the _Rhynchops_, comparatively with that of the head of the duck, is not what you anticipated. The facial, or sensitive branches of the fifth pair of nerves, are very small; the third division in particular, is filamentary, and I have not been able to trace it beyond the soft integument at the angles of the mouth. After removing with care, the thin horny covering of the beak, I cannot perceive any trace of those nervous expansions which are so remarkable in the lamelli-rostral aquatic birds; and which in them supply the tooth-like process, and soft marginal covering of the mandibles. Nevertheless, when we remember how sensitive a hair is, through the nerve situated at its base, though without any in its substance, it would not be safe to deny altogether, a sensitive faculty in the beak of the Rhynchops.”

M. Lesson (Manuel d’Ornithologie, vol. ii. p. 385.) has stated, that he has seen these birds opening the shells of the Mactræ, buried in the sandbanks on the coast of Chile. From their weak bills, with the lower mandible so much produced, their short legs and long wings, it seems very improbable that this can be a general habit, although it may sometimes be resorted to. Wilson, who was well acquainted with this bird, does not believe “the report of its frequenting oyster beds, and feeding on these fish.” The existence, however, of this same report in the United States, makes the question, whether the Rhynchops does not sometimes turn the peculiar structure of its beak to this purpose, worthy of further investigation.

VIRALVA ARANEA. _G. R. Gray._

Sterna aranea, _Wils._ Am. Orn. pl. 72. f. 6.

My specimen was procured at Bahia Blanca, in Northern Patagonia. I may here observe, that many navigators have supposed that terns, when met with out at sea, are a sure indication of land. But these birds seem not unfrequently to be lost in the open ocean; thus one (_Megalopterus stolidus_) flew on board the Beagle in the Pacific, when several hundred miles from the Galapagos Archipelago. No doubt, the remark made by navigators, with respect to the proximity of land where terns are seen, refers to birds in a flock, fishing, or otherwise showing that they are familiar with that part of the sea. I, therefore, more particularly mention, that off the mouth of the Rio Negro, on the Patagonian shore, I saw a flock (probably the _Viralva aranea_) fishing seventy miles from land: and off the coast of Brazil a flock of another species, 120 from the nearest part of the coast. The latter birds were in numbers, and were busily engaged in dashing at their prey.

MEGALOPTERUS STOLIDUS. _Boie._

Sterna stolida, _Linn._ Syst. i. 227.

My specimens were procured from the Galapagos Archipelago. It is well known to be an inhabitant of the seas in the warmer latitudes over the whole world. The Rocks of St. Paul’s, nearly under the equator, in the Atlantic ocean, were almost covered with the rude and simple nests of this bird, made with a few pieces of sea-weed. The females were sitting upon their eggs (in February), and by the side of many of their nests, parts of flying-fish were placed, I suppose, by the male bird for his partner to feed on during the labour of incubation.

PHALACROCORAX CARUNCULATUS. _Stephens._

Phalacrocorax carunculatus, _Steph._ Gen. Zool.
Pelecanus carunculatus, _Gm._ Syst. i. 576.
Phalacrocorax imperialis, _King_, Zool. Proc. vol. i. pt. 1. 30.

I procured a specimen of this bird at Port St. Julian, on the coast of Patagonia, where, during January, many were building. I merely mention it here, for the purpose of describing the singularly bright colours of the naked skin about its head. Skin round the eyes “campanula blue;” cockles at the base of the upper mandible, “saffron mixed with gamboge yellow.” Marks between the eye and the corner of the mouth, “orpiment orange;” tarsi scarlet.

FREGATA AQUILA. _Cuv._

Pelecanus Aquilus, _Linn._

I had an opportunity, at the Galapagos Archipelago, of watching, on several occasions, the habits of this bird, which are very interesting in relation to its peculiar structure. The Frigate bird, when it sees any object on the surface of the water, descends from a great height, in an inclined plane, head foremost, with the swiftness of an arrow; and at the instant of seizing with its long beak and outstretched neck, the floating morsel, it turns upwards, with extraordinary dexterity, by the aid of its forked tail, and long, powerful wings. It never touches the water with its wings, or even with its feet; indeed I have never heard of one having been seen on the surface of the sea; and it appears that the deeply indented web between its toes is of no more use to it, than are the shrivelled wings beneath the wing cases of some coleopterous beetles. The Frigate bird has a noble appearance when seen soaring in a flock at a stupendous height (at which time it merits the name of the Condor of the ocean), or when many together are dashing, in complicated evolutions, but with the most admirable skill, at the same floating object. They seem to scorn to take their food quietly, for between each descent they raise themselves on high, and descend again with a swift and true aim. If the object (such as offal thrown overboard) sink more than six or eight inches beneath the surface, it is lost to the Frigate bird. I was informed at Ascension, that when the little turtles break through their shells, and run to the water’s edge, these birds attend in numbers, and pick up the little animals (being thus very injurious to the turtle fishery) off the sand, in the same manner as they would from the sea.