Birds of Paraguay. 75 



a. $ ad. Sapucay, November 30, 1902. 



Jns light warm brown. 



/),c J ; d,e. ? ad. Sapucay, April 25, 1904. 



Bill of a slate-colour at the tip, lighter at the base; cere 

 and hare skin round the eyes yellowish ; feet buff, claws 

 black ; iris brown. 



The two males have blue heads with a little patch of 

 rufous on the occiput. One has the hack almost devoid 

 of black bars, whereas in the other, obtained on the 25th of 

 April, there are numerous broad black bars. The hen birds, 

 whether they have blue heads or a little rufous on the crown, 

 are always distinguished by the brown streaks on tin 1 breasl 

 and sides of the body, whereas in the male these parts have 

 black spots, very distinct on the side-*. 



Four eggs were sent, collected on November 29, 1902. 

 Three of these have a whitish ground-colour : one has 

 minute chestnut-coloured spots evenly distributed over the 

 entire surface, except at the larger end, where there are 

 scarcely any at all ; the second is similar, but has large 

 blotches of chestnut-colour at the larger end ; the third 

 has a cluster of blotches of the same colour at the large end ; 

 while the fourth has a reddish ground-colour with large spots 

 distributed over the entire surface of the egg. 



[Resident and common all through Paraguay, nesting 

 invariably in holes of trees. Along the streams which flow 

 through the open camps and in the southern province, it lives 

 to a very great extent upon fish and small reptiles. I have 

 only seen the birds singly, never in pairs, and the nesting- 

 habits are unknown to me. — W. F.~\ 



32. PlZORHINA CHOLTBA. 



Cholibu Azara, Apunt. i. p. 218. no. xlviii. (1802). 



Strix choliba Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. v. p. 39 (1817, 

 ex Azara). 



Scops brasiliunus (nee Gm.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. 

 p. 108 (1875) ; Berlepsch, J. f. O. 1887, pp. 27, 122 (Lam- 

 bare) ; Kerr, Ibis, 1892, p. Ml (Rio Paraguay); Gates, Cat. 

 Eggs Brit. Mus. ii. .p. 328. 



