276 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



tember 7); Dolores, Buenos Aires, October 21; Lavalle, Buenos 

 Aires, October 29 to November 13 (adult male, November 13) ; 

 Victorica, Pampa, December 26 (adult male) ; Carrasco, Uruguay, 

 January 9 and 16, 1921; La Paloma, Uruguay, January 23; San 

 Vicente, Uruguay, January 25 to February 2; Lazcano, Rocha, 

 February 3 to 9 (two adult males, February 3) ; Rio Negro, Uru- 

 guay, February 17 to 19; Guamini, Buenos Aires, March 3 to 8 

 (four taken March 6 include adult and immature males and fe- 

 males). 



The material secured indicates that there are two forms of this 

 curious and interesting bird, but as the ranges to be assigned and 

 the names to be applied are uncertain my notes are given under the 

 specific name. Two skins from the vicinity of Puerto Pinasco, 

 Paraguay, in the Chaco, are somewhat duller in color and seem 

 more heavily streaked above than those from the pampas. Two 

 skins from Formosa are somewhat intermediate in appearance 

 between these two northern birds and the paler, huffier, less heavily 

 streaked birds secured in the Province of Buenos Aires and Uru- 

 guay. Vieillot takes his Furnarius annurribi from Azara, but makes 

 no mention of locality. Azara (vol. 2, p. 226) remarks that the 

 anunibi is fairly common, without being abundant in the countries 

 of the Rio de la Plata, and that it seems most common in Para- 

 guay. Paraguay is commonly accepted as the type locality. Anthus 

 acuticaudatus Lesson *° is described with no locality indicated. 

 Anunibius anthoides d'Orbigny and Lafresnaye*^ was said to have 

 come from Corrientes, which is near the boundary of Paraguay. 



This species ranges through areas of open brush, often scanty in 

 character, or may even penetrate far into the open where heavy 

 growths of thistles afford low coverts. During the entire year it 

 seems to remain paired, so that only after the close of the breed- 

 ing season, when grown young still accompanied their parents, 

 were more than two found in company. The birds were tame, 

 inconspicuous, and usually quiet in actions. They fed on the ground 

 where they walked about on open grass sward or in shelter of low 

 tussocks or clumps of weeds. Often they rested on fence posts or 

 wires at a considerable distance from cover. When alarmed or at 

 rest it was usual for them to seek refuge near their stick nests, or 

 in spiny clumps of thistles, and when frightened they passed from 

 one such covert to another, dropping down to fly with a direct or 

 slightly undulating flight just above the ground. Save for an 

 occasional flash of white from the tail they were wholly plain in 

 appearance. 



■>« Traits Ornith., 1831,, p. 424. « j^Iag. Zool., 1838, CI. II, p. 17. 



