Birds of Uruguay. 205 



Coot at the same time) . The Yellow-billed Coot nods very 

 little, and shows the white of the tail-lining much less. 

 The present species looks smaller on the water. 



115. FuLiCA LEUCOPTERA. Yellow-billed Coot. 



The more numerous of the two ; a typical Coot in ap- 

 pearance and manners. 



116. Parra jacana. Jacana. 



This bird is found on the Rio Negro. Mr. Sloane showed 

 me the wing of one shot there and described the bird. 



117. Vanellus cayennensis. Cayenne Lapwing. 

 Resident and common ; abundant on some camps. They 



mob the unfortunate human being on all occasions, whether 

 in the breeding-season or not. Sportsmen hate them most 

 heartily, as it is well-nigh impossible to stalk anything if 

 there are any " Teru-Terus " about. Apart from this, the 

 harsh ear-piercing cries become most wearisome and even dis- 

 tressing after a time when you are passing over ground where 

 there are many of these beautiful birds. Even in autumn I 

 have had a bird dash at me time after time as I rode along 

 and come so close that T struck at it with my " revenque " 

 (the short cow-hide whip one invariably carries). The eggs, 

 which are fully as hard to find as our Peewit^s, are laid on 

 the open camp, and the breeding-habits seem very similar to 

 those of our bird. For instance, Mr. Burgess rode suddenly 

 on to a pair (11th November), and, disregarding the wing- 

 trailing business of the male, saw the female standing up 

 over a single fresh egg, doubtless waiting for a good oppor- 

 tunity to slip quietly away. The peones say that when a 

 pair find their eggs in danger from a flock of sheep coming 

 in their direction they remain over the eggs, making violent 

 demonstrations, and that the sheep open out when they 

 come to them and close up again when they get past. In 

 the early part of January, when the young were on the 

 wing, they went in flocks. A young one shot on the 9th 

 had colour of soft parts very dull, and wing-spur very little 

 developed, or about 0*2 inch long. Later in the year the 

 flocks broke up again, although little parties of half a dozen 



