218 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
feathers of the nape in“fhe form of a horn. The 
species is found throughout Eastern Argentina, from 
its northern limits to Central Patagonia, where 
Durnford found it common and resident. On the 
Rio Negro I found it abundant, and it was formerly 
just as common along the Plata river, but owing to 
its large size and the great beauty of its lustrous 
under-plumage it is very much sought after and is 
becoming rare. 
It is impossible to make this Grebe leave the 
water, and when discovered in a small pool it may 
be pursued until exhausted and caught with the 
hand ; yet it must occasionally perform long journeys 
on the wing when passing from one isolated lake to 
another. Probably its journeys are performed by night. 
There is little diversity in the habits of Grebes, 
and only once have I seen one of these birds acting 
in a manner which seemed very unusual. This Grebe 
was swimming about and disported itself in a deep, 
narrow pool, and showed no alarm at my presence, 
though I sat on the margin within twenty-five yards 
of it. I saw it dive and come up with a small fish 
about three inches long in its beak; after sitting 
motionless for a little while, it tossed the fish away 
to a considerable distance with a sudden jerk of its 
beak, and then at the instant the fish touched the 
water it dived again. Presently it emerged with 
the same fish, but only to fling it away and dive 
as before; and in this way it released and recap- 
tured it about fifteen times, and then, tired of 
play, dropped it and let it escape. 
