BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 183 



tracted them, and also congregated on occasional newly plowed 

 fields. When one or two drop in to some feeding ground, others 

 that chance to pass decoy to them until in a comparatively short time 

 from 50 to 100 may be found in company. On the ground they 

 walk quickly with characteristic jerking, nervous, pigeon gait, peck- 

 ing at any food that may offer. When satisfied they leave, a few at 

 a time, to fly to water to drink, and then come stringing back 

 singly or in little groups. One or two may alight in low trees and 

 all that pass that way are sure to join them. Some of the birds 

 rest on open branches and others among leaves, where in spite of 

 their large size they are w^ell concealed. They usually gather in 

 close proximity where they may catch the warmth of the sun. 



They flush with loudly clapping wings, but the ensuing flight 

 is noiseless. In the air their wings appear broad and heavy, and 

 only slightly pointed, so that with their short tails they have a 

 heavy, fore-shortened ap2:)earance. The flight was direct but only 

 moderately swift. The birds roosted somewhere to the south of the 

 ranch where I was stopping and during the day were observed 

 frequently, in early morning as they came from their roost, and 

 later as they passed to feeding grounds or watering places. They 

 are heavy in body and furnish an abundance of excellent meat. 

 At intervals I heard males give an odd call koh huh kwaoh^ given 

 rapidly four or five times, and then, after a brief rest, repeated 

 once more. 



Others w^ere seen at Formosa, Formosa, on August 23 and 24 

 (perhaps of the following form), and at Kilometer 110, west of 

 Puerto Pinasco, I saw a number on September 23. 



In Guarani they were known as picaztiro. 



A male killed August 16 had the bill dawn gray with a wash 

 of fuscous at the tip; cere neutral gray obscured by a Avhitish, 

 flaky encrustation; bare skin about e^'e acajou red, save for the 

 lids which are Hathi gray, Avith the margin about the eye acajou 

 red; iris flesh ocher; scutes on tarsus and toes acajou red; nails 

 fuscous. 



Since no one appears to have examined specimens of this pigeon 

 from Paraguay, the type-locality, as Temminck's description is 

 based on that of Azara, there is a reasonable doubt as to whether 

 birds from that region belong to the pale northern form, as was 

 assumed by Hartert when he described the dark southern bird as a 

 distinct subspecies. Should it prove true that it belongs to the 

 southern form it will be necessary to describe the northern bird. 

 In the present case I find that an adult male from the interior of 

 Formosa is paler than others from central Argentina and Uruguay. 

 Hence I identify it as the typical form. 



