190 Mr. Ambrose A. Lane — Field-Notes 



being wine-purple. Legs and feet pale yellow. The young 

 birds^ I was told, are white^ or nearly so. 



75. Chloephaga melanoptera (Eyton). 



Bernicla melanoptera, James, New Cat. p. 9 ; Sclater, 

 P.Z.S. 1891, p. 136. 



Chloephaga melanoptera, Salvad. B.M.C. xxvii. p. 129. 



(Cueva Nigra, Lake Huasco, and Sacaya.) 



I only met these birds in the Cordilleras of Tarapacii, 

 ■where they breed and appear to be resident. The Bolivians call 

 them the '' Huaillata ^' (pronounced Wy-1-ya-ta) . They are 

 said to occur at certain times all through Chili, where they 

 are known as the " Piuquen." They perhaps reside in small 

 numbers in certain localities, but are most likely, on the 

 whole, a migratory species. 



I was told that when shot in lowland localities the flesh is 

 strong, but I thought those I ate in the Cordilleras exceed- 

 ingly palatable ; however, a keen appetite and uncertain 

 supply gives great flavour to such dishes. 



I found a nest of this Goose atCancosaon Jan. 29th, 1890. 

 It was placed in a hole in a low sandy cliff, and I had to get 

 the men with me to lower me from the top with a lasso, 

 which I secured to ray body. It was a rather tedious opera- 

 tion, as I had to remain hanging in a most unenviable position 

 for about three-quarters of an hour, and the high wind blew 

 the sand unceasingly into my eyes. I could see the old 

 female Goose sitting on the nest, which she stubbornly 

 refused to leave; but she was just beyond my reach where 

 I hung. 



I then got a man to go below, and placed myself in com- 

 munication with him by means of a cord. He provided me 

 with the ramrod of a muzzle-loader, and with that, after a 

 while, I got a slip-knot round the Goose, and going on one 

 side, let the man haul her out from below, so that she was 

 pulled fluttering to the ground. I now found that the eggs 

 were in a slight hollow, so that, although I tied some bits of 

 stick crosswise on the end of the ramrod, so as to make a 

 most efl&cient rake, I had some difficulty in extracting them. 



