BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 143 



A female shot September 8 at Kilometer 80, west of Puerto 

 Pinasco, Paraguay, had the ovaries enlarged and was near the 

 period of oviposition. At Rio Negro, Uruguay, on February 18 a 

 fully grown yolingster was still under the anxious care of its 

 parents. Although the adults, as demonstrative as avocets under 

 similar circumstances, fearlessly ran or flew after me with clatter- 

 ing scolding calls, or when I looked in their direction lay prostrate 

 with feebly fluttering wings to draw my attention, the young, con- 

 spicuous in its light plumage, watched me suspiciously and kept 

 well out of range. 



Jacanas are silent unless on the alert, when they utter a variety 

 of grunting calls or a whistled alarm, or when bickering among 

 themselves give vent to displeasure in scolding, clattering notes. 



An adult male, when shot on July 23, had the base of the maxilla, 

 rictal lappets, and the frontal leaflet mineral red ; rest of bill cinna- 

 mon, becoming more yellow below, and tinged with slate at tip ; iris 

 A'^ery dark brown; tarsus deep neutral gray; posterior face of crus 

 tinged with vetiver green ; toes dusky brown. 



Family RECURVIROSTRIDAE 



HIMANTOPUS MELANURUS Vieillot 



Himantopus melanurus Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 10, 1817, p. 42. 

 (Paraguay.) 



Near Santa Fe, in the Province of Santa Fe, on July 4, 1920, the 

 stilt was observed in flocks on marshy ground in the lowlands that 

 border the Rio Parana and on the following day from the train was 

 noted at intervals in suitable localities between Vera, Santa Fe, and 

 Charadai, Chaco. On July 26 two came to a lagoon near Las 

 Palmas, Chaco, but were too wild to allow near approach. Near 

 Kilometer 80, west of Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, stilts visited a 

 lagoon near the ranch house on September 6, 13, and 20, but did not. 

 frequent it or others near by regularly. As this happened also at 

 Las Palmas it would appear that they may wander during winter 

 to some extent. Two were shot at Kilometer 80 on September 6, and 

 two more on September 20. The Anguete Indians called them keh 

 tsay a nah^ while in Guarani they were designated as ta too. In 

 the Chaco stilts were found only about the more open lagoons and 

 did not occur about those with borders heavily grown with rushes. 



In the vicinity of Lavalle, eastern Buenos Aires, stilts were seen 

 from October 22 to November 15, but were not very common, though 

 the open ponds and marshes of that region were well suited for their 

 needs. They were seen on the coastal mud flats at the mouth of the 

 Rio Ajo. It is probable that increase in grazing and cultivation has 

 caused a decrease in their numbers, and, as the birds are large and 



