392 HussEY, Spring Birds of La Plata. [()"( 



But as far as unusual situations are concerned, the prize goes to a pair 

 o^ Lenateros that built their nest directly upon a trolley wire where a guy 

 wire gave the necessary support; and they seemed utterly unconcerned 

 at the regular passing of the trams below them. I could not see why the 

 nest did not fall from its position; as far as I could tell it was not secured 

 to the wires in any way, but seemed merely to be laid upon them. I 

 finallj^ came to the conclusion that the mere weight of the nest was probably 

 what gave it its stability. 



The Leiiatero is very plentiful, especially about the edge of the town, 

 and his unpretentious trilling song is heard all daj' long, in the cooler 

 months as well as in the summer. I rarely saw it perch upon fences, and 

 scarcely more often in trees. It feeds entirely on the ground, and its flight 

 seems feeble. 



36. Thryolegus curvirostris (Gould). — Another bird of the marsh, 

 seldom seen in the middle of the day, though its rattling, jarring notes may 

 be heard at any time. Toward evening it comes to the top of the reeds to 

 give its peculiar song. 



37. Phacellodomus striaticoUis (Orb. et Lafr.). — This loud-voiced 

 bird is quite common beside the canals and ditches, particularly where 

 there are scattered bushes. It does not seem very shy. 



About the middle of October I had an opportunity to watch a pair of 

 these birds building a nest, in a fork of a young tree about eight feet above 

 the water in a canal. The birds did not work continuously at building; 

 at about ten minute intervals they appeared with sticks and twigs, then 

 worked for about five minutes, after which they rested again. During 

 these brief working spells one bird stayed at the nest and put into plac? the 

 material which the other brought. At intervals one bird or the other gav^e 

 its peculiar song, the following description of which is taken from mj' 

 note-book : 



" The Reed-bird's song began with a few chuckling notes, followed 

 abruptly by a series of shrill penetrating shrieks, high-pitched at first, but 

 each a little lower than the one preceding it. The ' song ' continued about 

 eight seconds, then stopped abruptly. Sometimes the two birds united in 

 a shrieking duet, as do the Oveni)irds and other familiar species." 



While not at work upon the nest the birds kept out of sight in the rushes 

 at the side of the canal. Unfortunately this nest was destroyed before 

 it was completed, and the birds left the place. 



38. Taenioptera dominicana (Vieill.).— These black-crowned tyrants 

 were not seen often, probably because very little time was spent in working 

 the dry barren regions to which they are partial. 



39. Fluvicola albiventer (Spix). — The contrasting areas of black and 

 white on this bird make him very conspicuous. He is quite frequently 

 seen in the marshes and along the banks of the canals. 



I was surprised to read that Hudson considered this a shy bird, and rather 

 difficult to see. On the contrar,y, I often saw it perched consiaicuously on 

 low branches and on reeds, close to the water, from where it made 



