112 The Naturalist in La Plata. 
life from the very moment of leaving the shell, as I 
once accidentally observed. I found a nest on a 
small mound of earth in a shallow lagoon, contain- 
ing four eggs, with the shells already chipped by 
the birds in them. ‘lwo yards from the small nest 
mound there was a second mound covered with 
coarse grass. I got off my horse to examine the 
nest, and the old birds, excited beyond measure, 
fluttered round me close by pouring out their shrill 
rapidly-reiterated cries in an unbroken stream, 
sounding very much like a policeman’s rattle. While 
I was looking closely at one of the eggs lying on 
the palm of my hand, all at once the cracked shell 
parted, and at the same moment the young bird 
leaped from my hand and fell into the water. I 
am quite sure that the young bird’s sudden escape 
from the shell and my hand was the result of a 
violent effort on its part to free itself; and it was 
doubtless inspired to make the effort by the loud 
persistent screaming of the parent birds, which it 
heard while in the shell. Stooping to pick it up to 
save it from perishing, I soon saw that my assistance 
was not required, for immediately on dropping into 
the water, it put ont its neck, and with the body 
nearly submerged, like a wounded duck trying to 
escape observation, it swam rapidly to the second 
small mound [ have mentioned, and, escaping from 
the water, concealed itself in the grass, lying close 
and perfectly motionless like a young plover. 
In the case of the pampa or creolla sheep, I have 
shown that during its long, rough life in La Plata, 
this variety has in some measure recovered the 
natural vigour and ability to maintain existence in 
