360 Extracts from the 



well, as the male has a bill of beautiful bright blue colour. 

 It is most amusing to watch the just-mentioned drake court- 

 ing the female. He commences operations after the ordinary 

 anatirie fashion, i.e. he slowly and with the utmost gravity 

 bobs his head up and down, trying to get a responsive bow from 

 the female. If this fails, he then resorts to a method of 

 courtship quite peculiar to himself. He stretches out his 

 neck on the surface of the water right in front of him, and 

 then ruffles up the feathers of his neck and inflates his crop 

 until his neck seems to disappear altogether ; then folding 

 his remarkable tail, fully spread, right forwards over his 

 back, like a fan, he advances towards the female, giving his 

 neck convulsive jerks the while, and presenting one of the 

 most extraordinary spectacles it is possible to conceive, re- 

 minding one, if of anything, of an Ornitkorhynchus. 



Amongst the grasses of the dry ground we have another 

 facies of bird-life. Carrion-feeding birds abound, due to the 

 immense number of carcases littering the country in all 

 directions. Milvago chimango (a small carrion Hawk) and 

 the large almost Vulture-like Carancho (Polyborus tharus) 

 are the two common species. The latter does a good deal of 

 damage to stock, frequently picking the eyes and tongue out 

 of living sheep. Of Owls, the little Prairie Owl abounds, a 

 pair being seen on almost every biscachera. A Pipit (Anthus 

 correndera) and a Wren {Cistothorus platensis) are common 

 in the open camp. Especially near lagunas may be seen 

 several Icteridae : the Yellow-breast (Pseudoleistes virescens), 

 resembling a Blackbird with a yellow breast ; the Red-breast 

 (Leistes super ciliar'is) , like a Starling, with gorget and breast 

 of bright scarlet ; and Agelceus thilius, a smaller bird of a 

 deep black, with a bright yellow patch on each shoulder ; 

 then, lastly, among the common Icteridae, is the Cow-bird 

 (Molothrus bonariensis) , a little black bird, somewhat larger 

 than a Sparrow. The Cow-birds are well known from their 

 habit of frequenting the company of cattle. One constantly 

 sees them here perched and busily feeding on the sheep's back, 

 picking off, no doubt with relish, the various parasites 

 amongst the wool. Of Finches there are few here : a Spar- 



