BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 243 



The miner was local in its distribution and was found only where 

 areas of open sandy soil offered it a suitable habitat. Near Lavalle, 

 Buenos Aires, it was encountered among the dunes near the coast in 

 a broad area that intervened between the bare wind-swept, con- 

 stantly shifting sand hills just back of the beach, and the inner land- 

 ward tract that had been covered entirely by vegetation. Others 

 were recorded at sandy blow-outs farther inland where open sand 

 was exposed for more limited areas; elsewhere they were found in 

 one or the other of two types of country, among dunes or along 

 sandy hill slopes. Frequently the birds were shy and from their in- 

 conspicuous coloration were overlooked. Their undulating flight 

 carries them in sweeping bounds a meter or so above the earth, while 

 w^hen they alight they walk or run about among the scant growths 

 of vegetation that maintain a precarious foothold in the soil. With 

 head and body well erect they walk with nervous hesitant strides 

 like Fumarlus, or run for several steps and then pause. The tail in 

 old and young is constantly vibrated when the birds are otherwise 

 at rest. Among the dunes they disappear constantly over distant 

 ridges, so that it is difficult to follow them. The only note that I 

 heard them give Avas a curious song, attributed to the males, a high 

 pitched he he he he he he he, uttered in a laughing tone as the birds 

 rose from 4 to 10 meters in the air, and then descended wuth tremu- 

 lously vibrating wings, or as they circled and swung about in erratic 

 dips and curves over the undulating surface below. In the high 

 winds that usually prevailed in their haunts their calls seemed 

 ventriloquial, and may be confused with some of the notes of the 

 more common burrowing owl. This song seems to be given without 

 regard to the season of the year, as I heard it from the first week in 

 November to the end of April whenever I chanced to encomiter the 

 species. From its habit of wagging the tail this bird is often called 

 nienio-cola. 



An adult male shot November 7 shoAved developed testes, and had 

 the abdomen bare, indicating that it had been incubating. An imma- 

 ture bird, fully grown, was taken at the same time. 



GEOSITTA CUNICULARLA. HELLMAYRI Peters 



Geositta cunicularia hellmayri Peters, Occ. Pap. Boston Sec. Nat. Hist., 

 vol. 5, Jan. 30, 1925, p. 145. (Huanuluan, Rio Negro, Argentina.) 



Two males from Zapala, Neuquen, an adult taken December 8 and 

 an immature specimen shot on the following day, are referred to 

 the present form, described recently by Peters. These two have 

 wing measurements of 94.2 and 96 mm., respectively, and, in addi- 

 tion to larger size, are slightly grayer than skins from Buenos Aires 

 and Uruguay. 



