306 Mr. Ambrose A. Lane — Field-Notes 



tried to hide by flattening itself down in some hollow. In 

 this way I nearly lost it once or twice, and often was near 

 treading on it. I accustomed it by degrees to eat bread and 

 canary-seed^ but it did not take to the latter for some time. 

 Before leaving Maquegua for good, I kept it for about a week 

 in a pit in a garden. During this time I generally brought 

 it in at night, and it remained quiet all day as it could not 

 get out, and fortunately was not stolen ; whilst as it had a 

 good run and a plentiful supply of food, it throve exceed- 

 ingly well. It was never apparently wild or frightened, 

 even when first caged, though it constantly pecked and 

 hammered with its bill as if to get out. It continued this 

 habit more or less and never got much tamer, nor would it 

 feed from hand. However, it proved so interesting and was 

 so easily kept that I brought it with me on moving south, 

 and it went through a more marvellous amount of travelling 

 than I should think ever came to the lot of a bird before. 

 Though it got on well enough on the steamers, its occasional 

 position on the jolting bullock-waggon was, I fear, unen- 

 viable; and, finally, I found it advisable to carry it in a 

 little box in my saddle-bag to Rio Bueno; but even this 

 did not affect it, and it continued to flourish until I foolishly 

 trusted it in a cage with a specimen of Glaucidium nanum, 

 which appeared too small to be offensive. But the Owl ate 

 the head oft' the Quail-Snipe, after I had kept it safe for six 

 months. 



105. Thinocorus orbignyanus, Geoffr. et Less. 



Thinocorus orbignyanus, Sharpe, B. M. C. xxiv. p. 718; 

 Scl. P. Z. S. 1891, p. 137. 



(Sacaya, Cancosa, and Lake Huasco.) 



These birds were plentiful about Sacaya, especially on grassy 

 slopes near water, in which I have even seen them paddle. 

 They occurred also at Huasco and Cancosa, and at all the 

 springs in Tarapaca giving rise to verdure. The Bolivians call 

 this bird '^'Puca-puca," probably from its gurgling or Snipe- 

 like notes, which are similar in most respects — as are the 

 general appearance and behaviour of this bird — to those of the 



