732 



PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS: ZOOLOGY. 



and attached by one side and bottom to some thin upright twigs ; inter- 

 nally it is thickly lined with a felt, formed of the pappus of some compos- 

 ite flower." 



E. W. White, 1 who found it at Fuerte de Andalgala, Catamarca, Argen- 

 tina, says : "This magnificent bird, which the natives say they never have 

 seen before at Andalgala, was shot on the 'palan-palan,' the usual plant that 

 it frequents at this season. It appeared here just after a two-days' severe 

 snow storm, so that in all probability it had been driven down hither by it. 



Fig. 377. Patagona gigas, outline of tail. Natural size. 



" It is exceedingly powerful on the wing, and flutters in front of a flower, 

 sipping the nectar, exactly like the smaller species of this family. They 

 have a most peculiar, zig-zag, jerky flight, which, when making a long de- 

 tour for any particular spot, becomes undulating. 



"They are without doubt partially insect-eaters, as I have not only ob- 

 served their crops full of flies and small beetles, but have also seen them 

 pursue and catch them in the air, with the motions of a Flycatcher. 



"They perch on some bare branch of a plant, which they entirely appro- 

 priate, driving off every other bird that dares to approach, and every now 

 and then visit all its flowers to sip the sweets. The large bumble-bees, 

 however, cause them some trouble, as they likewise are addicted to sip- 



»P. z. S. 1882, pp. 615-616. 



