26 BULLETIN 133^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



in the hollow tibiotarsal bone, when applied externally, is claimed 

 to be an excellent remedy in cases of rheumatism. 



The rhea is known as avestmz^ or more commonly in the north as 

 ftandu, a guarani term also used to designate a spider. Occasionally 

 when there was danger of confusion the rhea was indicated as 

 nandu guaqu^ or large nandu. The bird was also called sure^ while 

 to the Anguete Indians it was known as pil-ya-pin. The booming: 

 of the male was spoken of as hureado nandu. 



On large estancias where rheas are not molested they increase 

 rapidly in number, and many landowners complained that the great 

 birds were expensive, as they consumed much feed otherwise avail- 

 able for stock. Some said that their daily consumption of food 

 equaled that of a sheep; others placed it as equivalent to that of a 

 steer. As there was little return from sale of feathers, sentiment in 

 many quarters is arising against them. 



The only specimens secured were two chicks (mentioned above), 

 taken September 23, 1920, at Kilometer 110 west of Puerto Pinasco,. 

 Paraguay. These were apparently about 3 days old. Both are 

 females, and though of the same sex show considerable difference in 

 tone of color, one being browner than the other. 



Three subspecies of Rhea have been recognized, the typical ameri- 

 cana from North Brazil, intermedia Rothschild and Chubb ^ from 

 South Brazil and Uruguay (type locality Barra San Juan, Colonia, 

 Uruguay), and albescens Lynch Arribalzaga and Holmberg^ from 

 Argentina (type locality Carhue, Province of Buenos Aires). The 

 bird from Argentina was separated by Brabourne and Chubb * 

 under the subspecific name rothschildi on the basis of specimens from 

 the Estancia Los Yngleses, near Lavalle (formerly Ajo), Province 

 of Buenos Aires. The name Rhea albescens., proposed for a sup- 

 posed distinct species, the white rhea, though based on albinistic 

 specimens, is obviously applicable to the present form, since Carhue 

 is far to the northward of the known range of Darwin's rhea. In 

 passing it may be noted that Rhea a^nericana, var. albinea of Doer- 

 ing° is simply a new name for albescens of Lynch Arribalzaga and 

 Holmberg. 



The status of rheas from Paraguay is uncertain. Two supposi- 

 tions are open, either that they represent an undescribed form or that 

 they are representative of intermedia known from South Brazil. 

 The tAvo juvenile specimens from Puerto Pinasco differ from a newly 

 hatched specimen of R. a. albescens^ taken near Bahia Blanca, Argen- 



2 Nov. Zool., vol. 21, 1914, p. 223. 



3 El Naturalista Argentine, vol. 1, pt. 4a, April, 1878, p. 101. 

 *Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 1911, p. 273. 



^ Exped. al Rio Negro, Zool., 1881, p. 58. 



