AVES DENDROCOLAPTID^. 763 



triangular on the upper breast, throat and sides of neck white, most of 

 the feathers narrowly edged with gray, feathers of the lower abdomen 

 whitish at the tips, flanks browner, ear coverts dark brown, streaked with 

 white, long superciliaries white tinged with buff anteriorly ; two outermost 

 tail feathers with tawny white tips. Other specimens are somewhat brighter 

 with the primary coverts strongly tawny on the outer webs. Sexes alike. 



Geographical Range. — Tierra del Fuego and Straits of Magellan. 



The naturalists of the Princeton Expeditions found this bird to be very 

 common at Punta Arenas, Chili, and noted it or collected it on every visit 

 they made to that point. The birds do not appear to be migratory any- 

 where within the territory where they occur, but though this is one of the 

 commonest representatives of the genus, and known for over one hundred 

 years, yet accurate data are still wanting to give anything like definite ac- 

 counts of its distribution. The record of this species from Bolivia (P. Z. S. 

 1879, p. 619) is cited in most recent works but is presumably incorrect; 

 with the data at present available it is probable that this species ranges as 

 far north as 45° S. latitude and that an allied form replaces it farther to the 

 northward. 



The birds breed in natural cavities beneath tree roots, or in banks or 

 caves, and in the Straits of Magellan December represents the height of 

 the breeding period. Fully fledged nestlings are reported from Cold Har- 

 bour in the Straits early in January. [Scott Ms.] 



Darwin's account of this species is here appended: "On the 20th of 

 September, I found, near Valparaiso, the nest of C. Patagoiiiciis, with young 

 birds in it : it was placed in a small hole in the roof of a deep cavern, not 

 far from the bank of a pebbly stream. Three months later in the summer 

 I found, in the Chonos Archipelago (Lat. 45°), a nest of this species, placed 

 in a small hole beneath an old tree, close to the sea-beach. The nest was 

 composed of coarse grass and was untidily built. The ^'g<g rather elongated ; 

 length I.I I of an inch, width in broadest part .8 of an inch; perfectly 

 white." (Voyage of Beagle, Birds, pp. 68-69, 1841.) 



Cunningham says of it at Punta Arenas: "On the rocks a pretty 

 little gray bird, with a white line on each side of the head, the Cinclodes 

 Patagonicus, very common in the Strait and Channels, was hopping about, 

 approaching very close to us at times. This little creature has the curious 

 habit of lighting on the floating masses of kelp not far from the shore, and 

 searching the fronds for its food, which consists principally of marine ani- 



