423 Mr. E. Gibson on the Ornithology of 



she went out of doors, all the Chimangos personally and openly 

 ridiculed her ! 



In appearance it is never repulsive, but looks ugly and 

 uninteresting till seen within a yard or so ; then, indeed, the 

 shadings and markings o£ the plumage are really beautiful. 



Though too energetic to take a regular siesta, like the 

 Carancho, in the plains it seeks the shade of a cardoon or 

 other plant during the heat of a summer day, in a very 

 similar manner. 



I have observed that in the month of June (midwinter) 

 the Chimangos roosted at night in one of the deepest 

 and largest swamps. But only two or three such cases 

 have come under my notice; so this may not be a fixed 

 habit. However, I have never found it about the woods at 

 night. 



Breeding-Notes. — My own observations on the breeding- 

 habits of the Chimango seem to be at variance with those of 

 all other ornithologists whose writings I have consulted. For 

 example, Mr. Durnford writes (in his Baradero paper, to 

 which reference has already been made) that " it nests both 

 on the ground and in low trees or bushes, building a large 

 structure of twigs and sticks, lined with wool and hair.^' 

 And again, in his Chupat (Patagonia) notes, also previously 

 alluded to, " Very common, nesting on the tufts of pampas 

 grass •'^ (October). The natives and residents in. our district 

 furnished me with data to the same effect ; but, common as 

 the bird is, all searches founded on the above information 

 have been unsuccessful, nor have I yet had a nest brought to 

 me from the woods or the plains. The swamps are where 

 the Chimango breeds here ; and since the first nests I found, 

 in 1873, I have had annual opportunities of verifying this 

 fact. 



October and the first half of November constitute the 

 breeding-season, my earliest eggs being dated 30th September. 

 The site is always the largest and deepest swamp, in the centre 

 of which a semigregarious colony is established, the number 

 of breeding birds varying greatly, but perhaps not exceeding 

 a dozen pairs, and the nests being placed further apart than 



