24 BIRDS OF pe PLATA 
family, with the plumage and some of the habits of 
a crow, being almost entirely of a uniform black, 
glossed with bronze, dark green, and purple. Its 
most peculiar feature is the beak, which is greater 
in depth than in length, and resembles an immense 
Roman nose, occupying the whole face, and with the 
bridge bulging up above the top of the head. The 
Ani is found only in the northern portion of the 
Argentine territory. According to Azara it is very 
common in Paraguay, and goes in flocks, associating 
with the Guira Cuckoo, which it resembles in its 
manner of flight, in being gregarious, in feeding on 
the ground, and in coming a great deal about houses : 
in all which things these two species differ widely 
from most Cuckoos. He also says that it has a loud 
disagreeable voice, follows the cattle about in the 
pastures like the Cow-bird, and builds a large nest 
of sticks lined with leaves, in which as many as twenty 
or thirty eggs are frequently deposited, several 
females laying together in one nest. His account of 
these strange and disorderly breeding-habits has 
been confirmed by independent observers in other 
parts of the continent. The eggs are oval and out- 
wardly white, being covered with a soft white 
cretaceous deposit; but this can be easily scraped 
off, and under it is found a smooth hard shell of a 
clear beautiful blue colour. 
The second species is the Brown Cuckoo, Diplop- 
terus nevius, called Crispin in the vernacular and 
found throughout the hot portion of South America, 
and in different districts varying considerably in 
