the Province of Buenos Ayres. 179 



being aware, before having gone a great distance, of a small 

 and active bird which, constantly keeps flitting just in front 

 of your horse, every now and then alighting on a clod of 

 earth, but off again before you have reached it. It lives on 

 the ground, like our familiar little Wheatear, and constantly 

 flits its tail up and down ; it also has a habit, like that bird, 

 of sometimes taking short quick runs and stopping as sud- 

 denly as it started. Resident here. Pretty common at Ba- 

 radero in April. 



51. TuRNARius RUFUs (Gm.) ; Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, 

 p. 140. 



Resident and common throughout the year. One of the 

 most homely birds we have, there being scarcely a rancho or 

 hut in the campo that has not got its pair of Oven-birds. It 

 has a loud and rather melodious whistle, which it constantly 

 utters, but especially in the spring when its nest is threatened. 

 During the winter it is busily engaged in repairing its nest for 

 the ensuing spring. It usually lays in October ; but its breed- 

 ing-habits are rather irregular. Common at Baradero in 

 April. 



53. CiNCLODEs ruscus (Vieill.) ; Scl. et Salv. /. s. c. 



I spent nine days in quarantine a year ago last March on 

 Flores Island, at the mouth of the river Plate and about twenty 

 miles from Montevideo ; and during that time this was the 

 only land-bird which inhabited that lonely spot, though a 

 flock of " Chorlos " {Eudromias modest a) paid us a flying 

 visit one morning. It feeds on small larvae and insects, and 

 is fond of rough ground, where there is little herbage, in the 

 neighbourhood of water, I have observed it in this district 

 from March to the end of July ; whether it breeds here or 

 not I do not know. In the winter it generally goes in small 

 parties, sometimes in large flocks. Common at Baradero in 

 April. 



53. Phlceocryptes melanops (Vieill.), 

 Synallaxis melanops, Scl. et Salv, I. s. c. 

 Resident, and the commonest of the marsh-loving Synal- 

 laxinae. They frequent reed-beds, especially where there is 



