358 Extracts from the 



stems at a distance of about three feet above the surface of 

 the water. There is another beautiful little nest to be found 

 amongst the rushes ; this is in the form of a little cup made of 

 small bits of grass &c. cemented together, fixed to a single rush- 

 stem about four feet above the water. This nest is tenanted 

 by a most beautiful little bird (Cyanotis azarte) of about 

 the size of a wren, its plumage gleaming with the deepest 

 shades of yellow and black and green. Amongst the rushes, 

 too, are innumerable nests of Coots, Ducks, Grebes, and an 

 occasional Stork. There is an extraordinary number of 

 Ducks here, both of individuals and of species, and many of 

 them are extremely beautiful birds. When I first arrived 

 every laguna and Canada literally swarmed with them. [A 

 "laguna" is permanent, and a " Canada" is temporary.] 

 Perhaps the most numerous was a beautiful little Teal, with 

 sober vestments of clear grey (Querquedula versicolor) , and 

 with a bill of blue-grey, with a yellow patch on each side. 

 Shovellers, Pintails, and Chiloe Widgeons were also abun- 

 dant on every laguna. Not uncommon was the Rosy-bill 

 Duck {Melopiana peposaca), a large Duck nearly black in 

 colour above, but having a large tumid bill of deep pinky 

 red. Sailing majestically about some of the deeper lagunas 

 may be seen a pair of Black-necked Swans {Cygnus nigri- 

 collis), while on others their place was taken by the smaller 

 Coscoroba Swan, or Gansa, as the people call it {Coscoroba 

 Candida). It is rather smaller than the Black-necked Swan, 

 and resembles our European Swan in being nearly pure 

 white. Grebes are very abundant here. I have obtained on 

 this estancia alone four out of the five species known to 

 occur in the Republic. The finest of these is the Bright- 

 cheeked Grebe (Podiceps calipareus), obtained by Darwin at 

 Bahia Blanca. Above it is of a dark- grey colour, but beneath 

 it is of the snowiest white, smooth as the finest satin, while 

 each ear-covert is composed of hair-like feathers of a shining 

 metallic golden bronzy tint. The commonest of the Grebes 

 is, however, Rolland's Grebe (P. rollandi), which swarms on 

 every laguna. It is a much smaller bird than the last- 

 mentioned, has conspicuous white cheeks and a satiny breast- 



