Letters from Mr. J. Graham Kerr. 371 



common by the river's margin. Grebes I had collected none 

 of until, the other night, an Indian pointed out to me some- 

 thing in the river close by which I fired at, and it turned out 

 to be a Thick-billed Grebe {Podilymbus podiceps), a species I 

 had met with at Mate Grande. Soon after we entered the 

 river I saw a Holland's Grebe in a laguna, so that up to the 

 present I have met with two species on the Pilcoraayo. The 

 other chief family of water-frequenting birds is that of the 

 Kingfishers, of which all three Argentine species were at first 

 abundant. But these birds, like others, have become much 

 less frequent during the long- continued season of drought. 

 During this season, then, perhaps the most striking defi- 

 ciencies in the avifauna compared with that met with at Mate 

 Grande are the almost entire absence of Ducks, the absence 

 of Coots altogether, and also of Flamingos, 



I have been rather surprised to find Woodpeckers in such 

 comparative abundance. This is especially marked as regards 

 individuals, while of species I have collected examples of eleven 

 or twelve, several of which I have been unable to identify. 

 Dryocopus erythrops (?) I have met with pretty frequently, and 

 I believe that I have got one or two species of Chloronerpes. 

 Up to the present I have ascertained the occurrence of about 

 152 species of birds upon the banks of thePilcomayo, and about 

 27 species of mammalia. The majority of the former I shall 

 endeavour to bring home as skins, but the mammalia I find 

 very difiicult to get hold of. Skins of these, however, are of 

 less importance owing to their usually much easier identifi- 

 cation. I do not attempt to make out a list of either birds 

 or mammals at present, as of the former there are a con- 

 siderable number, and of the latter several, especially mice 

 and bats, not yet identified. I am having much difiiculty in 

 keeping skins and plants intact, owing to the swarms of cock- 

 roaches, beetles, and ants with which the ship is constantly 

 being invaded, as well as the damp and entire want of venti- 

 lation of the only place I have for storage of specimens. In 

 my last letter, written in the end of October, I think I con- 

 fined myself to a narrative of our past experiences, necessarily 

 very brief, owing to the very short time at my disposal, and 

 did not say anything about future movements. We have 



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