From Buenos Ayres to Mendoza the country is perfectly 

 flat, and the whole journey took about 24 hours. 



The summer had been very dry so that the general 

 aspect of the country was very barren and meagre and 

 dead cattle were a usual sight. 



As soon as we left the town the Chiiuangos became 

 apparent and were my nearly constant travelling compa- 

 nions ever after. 



The railway usually led along the old carriage or wag- 

 gon track and as I afterwards found out, the Chlmanrjo is 

 the bird of the road living on any refuse that he may 

 gat there. 



Past Mercedes station we passed a large Ostrich farm 

 of Ainerica)(, Blieas and in the fields several Vanellm 

 cai/ennensls were very busy and very noisy. 



The Burrowing Oui, Speotyto cunicularia^ was also seen 

 everywhere generally in pairs perched on the poles that 

 carried the wires between the fields or along the railroad. 



In a pool at some distance, we passed a great flock of 

 White Herons which completely filled the shallow water. 



On a wire fencing the railroad was a beautiful MihuJiis 

 tyrannus with its long tail and beautiful white and black 

 plumage. 



In the afternoon the train passed through an enormous 

 shallow pool in which had assembled thousands of the S. 

 Amer. Flamingo^ Phoenicopterus ignipalliatus. 



Amongst them, close near the railway, were half a dozen 

 Coscoroba Straus. 



It was a wonderful sight and great luck that I could 

 enjoy it, because two months later when I returned by 

 the same road the pool was almost dry and nearly all the 

 birds had gone. 



In some parts the pampasgras, Ggnerium argenteum, was 

 in full bloom and the beautiful plumes shaded from silvery 

 white into wine colour. 



On one occasion as the train stopped to repair some 

 damage I got out and found the whole road overgrown 

 with Portidacca. 



Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XXXV. 



