BIRDS. 83 



trees. Its manners appeared to me to resemble those of Certhia familiaris. I 

 found Coleopterous insects in its stomach. Its range does not appear to be 

 extensive ; Chiloe to the south, and some woods near Rancagua (a degree south 

 of Valparaiso) were the extreme points where I met with it. The Dendrodramus 

 is not found in Tierra del Fuego, where the O. tupinieri is so numerous. Mr. G. 

 R. Gray remarks that this genus is very nearly allied to Dendroplex of Mr. 

 Swainson. 



Family.— S Y L V I A D ^. 

 Sub-Fam.— MOTACILLIN^. 



1. MuSCISAXICOLA MENTALIS. D'Oih. 6^- Lafr. 



M. mentalis, UOrh. Sf Lafr. Mag. de Zool. 1S37, p. CC. 

 Voy. dans I'Amer. Mer. Ornitli. pi. 40, f. 1. 



I procured specimens of this bird from Bahia Blanca, in Northern Patagonia, 

 from Tierra del Fuego, from Chiloe, and from Central and Northern Chile. It is 

 everywhere common. It frequents open places ; so that in the wooded countries 

 it lives entirely on the sea-beaches, or near the summits of mountains, where trees 

 do not grow. In the excessively sterile upper valleys of the Cordillera of Northern 

 Chile I met with this bird, even at a height of little less than ten thousand feet, 

 where the last traces of vegetation occur, and where no other bird lives. It gene- 

 rally moves about in very small flocks, and frequents rocky streams and marshy 

 ground : it hops and flies from stone to stone, very much after the manner of our 

 whinchat {Motacilla rubetra), but when alighting it frequently expands its tail 

 like a fan. The sexes are exactly similar in size and plumage. 



Mr. G. R. Gray observes, that the genus Muscisaxicola is probably synony- 

 mous with Lessonia of Mr. Swainson ; but the latter name cannot be used, as it 

 has already been twice employed in other branches of Natural History. 



2. Muscisaxicola macloviana. G. R. Gray. 



Sylvia macloviana, Gam. Voy. de la Coqu. Zool. p. 663. 

 Curruca macloviana. Less. 



I brought home only one specimen of this bird ; it came from East Falkland 

 Island, whence also those described by Messrs. Lesson and Garnot were procured. 

 Mr. Gould considered it a distinct species, but having carefully compared it with 

 M. mentalis, I can see not the smallest difference in any point, excepting that it 



