276 Mr. E. Gibson on the Birds 



gradually sloping ascent as not to cliccl< a horse's gallop. In 

 most of the vallcj^s arc streams or rivulets^ as a rule of little 

 importance. The soil is exceptionally fine, except where in- 

 terrupted by the approach of the stony '' tosca " formation to 

 the surface. Along the river Uruguay exists a strip of wood, 

 more or less broad^ consisting of " sauce " [Salix humbold- 

 liana?), '^nioya" {Moj/a spinosa't), "seybo" [Erythrina 

 cris(a-(/fi//i), " ta\ii" [CeUis tala), '' coronillo ^' {Scutia buxi- 

 folia), and " quebrachillo " [Qmbrachia, sp. ?), together 

 with a great number of shrubs. These trees also extend for 

 a certain distance up the valleys of the larger streams, tribu- 

 taries of the Uruguay. On the higher land they are replaced 

 by the stunted "algoroba^' [Prosopis julijlor'a'i) ," e%\)m.\\\o'' 

 [Acacia, sp.), and — a very fe^v — "nandubay^' [Prosopis 

 nandubey), gradually thinning out as they retire from the 

 vicinity of the great river. The grasses are a mixture of 

 what is called " hard ^^ and " soft," interspersed Avith a con- 

 siderable variety of other plants. The wealth and beauty of 

 the wild flowers iu spring is something extraordinary ; the 

 ground is one blaze of colour, to an extent probably unknown 

 in any other country ; the three varieties of verbenas, scarlet, 

 mauve, and white, greatly predominate. In the woods are 

 also to be found very pretty ferns, creepers, cacti, and air- 

 plants. At this season also the "^ espinillo " and ^' quebra- 

 chillo " trees are a mass of golden feathery bloom, and literally 

 perfume the air. It is rather curious, though, in view of the 

 foregoing, that I only counted about twenty-five species of 

 butterflies, and was equally disappointed by the paucity in 

 both numbers and species of other insects, barring mosquitos 

 and tarantulas. Round the house in which I resided were 

 several paddocks, containing a few espinillo-trees and several 

 coverts of hard grass, the latter two or three feet high. In 

 these and their accompanying hedges of napinda [Acacia hona- 



diiring a short stay made 1)y him in the above district during the mouths 

 of October, November, and December 1883. They accompanied a small 

 collection of skins and eggs, the former of which, so far as necessary, 

 have been kindly identified by Mr. Sclater. The notes I give in Mr. 

 Gibson's own words. — .T. J. D.] 



