152 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the 



out o£ sight, some 32 miles off. A De Filippi's Marsli 

 Starling- [Trupialis defilippii) came on board on the morning 

 of the 5th, and a Cayenne Lapwing [Vanellus cayennensis) 

 flew over, calling, but out of sight. The next day three 

 small birds were about the ship ; one (a species of Tyrant ?) 

 was busy catching flies. The wind was north, which would 

 of course be full aft for birds crossing the Rio de la Plata on 

 the spring migration, and this probably checked their passage. 

 On the 9th a Great Grebe [jEchmophorus major) passed close 

 alongside. There were many Cormorants in the new docks 

 at Buenos Ayres. Some v/ ere Phalacrocorax brasilianus, but 

 others were smaller and were, I believe, P. penicillatus. I saw 

 specimens of the latter in the Museum at Buenos Ayres, 

 and the official who showed me round said it was one of 

 the species inhabiting the Darcena ; it was the more common 

 of the two. 



On the afternoon of the 12th October, six weeks all but 

 a day after leaving England, I went on board the Platense 

 Flotilla Company's paddle steamer ' San Martin,' and woke 

 up at half-past six the next morning in the Bay of Monte- 

 video — at least a fortnight later than I had intended to be. 



Here I found that the arrangements for my residence in 

 the Departamento de Minas had broken down. Thanks, 

 however, to the kind offices of H.B.M.'s Minister, Mr. E. M. 

 Satow (to whom I had letters of introduction) and Mr. 

 Charles J. F. Davie, British Vice-Consul (who during my 

 stay in the country did everything to render it successful 

 and pleasant) , I was introduced to Senor Don Felix Buxareo, 

 who with true South American hospitality most kindly invited 

 me to make my headquarters upon one of his '^ estancias " — 

 that of Santa Elena, on the Monzon River, Departamento de 

 Soriano. I take this opportunity of once more thanking Don 

 Felix for all his kindness and hospitality, qualities for which 

 the inhabitants of the Banda Oriental have long been famous. 

 Sta. Elena is (or rather was until just recently) under the 

 management of my friend Mr. T. W. Burgess, whose large 

 experience of this and many other countries, as well as the 

 warm interest which he took in my pursuits, furthering 



