226 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
Swallow, Gull, or Hawlgesoaring about in a high 
wind, suddenly turn the under surface of its wings 
to the wind and instantly shoot straight up, apparently 
without an effort, to a vast height, then recover itself, 
and start off in a fresh direction. The Tinamu, 
when once launched on the atmosphere, is at the 
mercy of chance; nevertheless had this incident 
been related to me by a stranger I should not have 
recorded it. 
This Tinamu is frequently run down and caught 
by well-mounted gaucho boys; the bird frequently 
escapes into a kennel in the earth, but when it sees 
no refuge before it and is hotly pursued, it sometimes 
drops dead. When caught in the hand they “ feign 
death,” or swoon, but on being released quickly 
recover their faculties. 
The nest is a slight hollow scratched in the ground 
under a thistle or in the grass, and lined with a few 
dry leaves. The number of eggs laid varies from five 
to eight. These are elliptical, with polished shells, 
and as a rule are of a wine-purple colour; but the 
hue varies somewhat, some eggs having a reddish 
tinge and others a deep liver-colour. 
In Patagonia the Spotted Tinamu is replaced by the 
very closely allied Darwin’s Tinamu, Nothura darwini. 
This species, called Perdiz chico, or Little Partridge, 
by the natives, is somewhat smaller and paler in 
colouring than the common Tinamu of the pampas, 
but very closely resembles the young of that species. 
It inhabits Patagonia, and is nowhere very numerous, 
but appears to be thinly and equally distributed on 
