500 Mr. E. Gibson on Ihe Ornithology of [Ibis^ 



suitable for a permanent residence. The laguna is large, 

 with open water to half its extent and quite six feet deep, 

 where bauks rise to a height of three or four feet : the 

 shallower extremity contains great beds of rushes and flags; 

 and it possesses a large permanent stock of fish (of uatural 

 introduction and now fully acclimatized), such as the 

 *^Liza" or Grey Mullet and the '' Pejerrey/^ a species of 

 Merluce. In any case, the bird was certainly a Kingfisher, 

 and in size corresponded to C. americana. 



268. Guira piririgua Vieill. Guira Cuckoo. 



If the " llrraca ^^ (vernacular for Magpie) has had a fair 

 account of itself in my former paper, and a still fuller life- 

 history from Mr. Hudson, the reason probably arises from 

 the fact that the bird is "^ sui generis*' wherever it is found 

 — unique in plumage, flight, and gait ; curious in its habits 

 of everyday life ; attention-compelling in all its vocal reper- 

 toire ; eccentric from its method of nidification, where the 

 nest is lined with green leaves, and the large but varying 

 number of eggs are as often wasted on tlie ground as 

 deposited in their proper situation ; whilst the same eggs 

 resemble large and lovely turquoises enveloped in snowy 

 lace. 



Harmless and unpersecuted. it is as numerous as ever 

 in the Ajo district; perhaps, to judge from the increased 

 number of nests found, more so in the summer than 

 formerly. 



The nest is generally situated in the centre and towards 

 the top of the very thorny Coronillo tree about eight or 

 nine feet from the ground and is built of sticks and twig>, 

 sometimes nearW as flat as a Wood-Pigeon's, at other times 

 with a considerable depression or hollow ; in the latter case 

 there is a lining of green leaves from the elder or '' duras- 

 nillo negro. '^ Generally, the parent bird is very wary when 

 approaching or leaving the nest — 1 was particularly struck 

 with this fact in the case of a nest situated in a Coronillo 

 tree in front of the Yngleses dwelling-house and only some 

 ten yards from the main door, and it only happened by mere 



