iti the Chuput Valleij, Patagonia. 45 



in the habit of nesting close to the sea^ it would scarcely be 

 found breeding so far inland. 



Larus dominicanus. 



Not uncommon about the mouth of the river, but seen also 

 at Ninfas Point. I obtained specimens in both adult and 

 immature plumage. Two adult birds from the river Chuput 

 differ from an adult specimen from Buenos Ayres in the re- 

 spective size of their beaks and tarsi, but otherwise they are 

 precisely similar. The Buenos-Ayres bird is the larger. 



PODICEPS ROLLANDI. 



Common in almost every pool and ditch in the valley. 



PODICEPS CALIPAEEUS. 



On the 6tli November I saw two in the large lagoon to the 

 north of Chuput, and during a second visit on the 11th was 

 fortunate enough to find them again in a ditch bordering the 

 lagoon, from which it was separated by a narrow strip of sand. 

 Both of these I procured ; and they proved on dissection to 

 be male and female. The former is considerably the larger; 

 the breast and stomach are of a purer white ; the feathers on 

 the crown of the head and throat are of a lighter grey ; and 

 those behind the eyes and ears, forming a sort of ruff, are 

 longer than in the female bird. I did not observe this species 

 again. 



NOTHURA MACULOSA. 



Not so common as Calodromas elegans, but occasionally 

 seen amongst the thick grass and rushes bordering the river. 

 Not seen on the hills. 



Calodromas elegans. 



Common both in the valley and on the hills in very dry 

 spots. It nests under the shelter of a small bush, and after 

 scraping a slight hollow in the ground, lines it with a few 

 fragments of grass and feathers, laying sometimes as many 

 as ten eggs. The remarkable character of these, of a uniform 

 pea-green colour, with a highly polished appearance, is well 

 known. About dusk these birds come from the shelter of 



