on the Birds of Chili, 301 



It is locally known as the " Llagareto," and nests in rushes, 

 sedge^ &c., laying about five eggs in January or February. 

 This Water-hen is a very hard bird to shoot^ as it is a most 

 extraordinary skulker, and on being sighted it creeps into a 

 tuft or busli, which the gunner naturally approaches and 

 examines cautiously, but seldom flushes the bird, though he 

 may see it walking about a hundred yards away quite un- 

 coucernedly. In this way, even when assisted by a couple of 

 keen-ej^ed natives, one of these birds has completely deluded 

 me from spot to spot. It will be found as frequently on 

 the drier parts of the valley as on water ; but I never 

 saw more than a pair together, nor did I find it amongst 

 the Coots which live in colonies. It occurs up to 11,000 

 feet. The sexes are of the same size, and the females appear 

 to be of the same plumage as the adult male. 



96. FuLicA GiGANTEA, Eyd. et Soul. 



Fulica giynntea, Sharpe, B. M. C. xxiii. p. 219 ; Scl. 

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



(Sacaya.) 



I only observed this fine Coot in Tarapaca, and even there 

 it was very local, being confined to certain pools. 



There was a small piece of marsh at Sacaya in the upper 

 part of the valley with a few acres of water and a fair amount 

 of sedgy grass about it. On this I found a colony of F. gi- 

 gantea and F. ardesiaca ; but I never saw them anywhere 

 else but in this one spot, from which they appeared never to 

 stray. The altitude of this place was nearly 11,000 feet. 



The two species, when swimming on the ponds along with 

 ducks and other birds, usually make a considerable clamour, 

 some of their cries being most peculiar. On the ponds they 

 occupied I observed about six nests, some of which were 

 composed of materials enough to fill a horse-cart, the part 

 above water being about 3 feet in diameter. I swam, or 

 rather floated myself, over a layer of dirty black mud (which 

 I found was covered only by about twelve inches of clear 

 water and too deep and sticky to wade through) to visit these 

 nests, but found no eggs, only broken shells. This was in 

 January but later on I got an Indian to go to a nest which 



