96 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



centre of abdomen more stained with brownish. Hab., 

 Argentina. Uruguay, and Paraguay. 



Hudson says ("Argentine Ornithology," Vol. I., pp. 

 167-170) : " This species is usually named Hornero 

 or Casera (Oven-bird or House-builder) in Argentina, 

 but in Paraguay and Carrie ntes Alonzo Garsia or 

 Alonzito." He 'continues: "I have frequently been 

 at-eured by natives that the Hornero is a pious bird, 

 and always suspends its labours on sacred days. With 

 this pretty belief about it in their minds it is not strange 

 that in some districts they have called it by a human 

 name. 



" It is resident, pairs for life, and finds its food, 

 which consists of larva? and worms, exclusively on the 

 ground. It deligihts in open places, where it can move 

 freely aboat on the ground, and is partial to courtyards, 

 clean garden-walks, etc., where, with head thrown back 

 and bosom prominent, it struts along with an air of 

 great gravity, lifting its foot high at each step, and 

 holding it suspended for a moment in the air before 

 setting it firmly down. I once saw one fly down on to 

 a narrow plank about 10ft. long lying out on the wet 

 grass ; it walked gravely to the end of the plank, then 

 turned and deliberately* walked back to the other end, 

 and so on for about twenty times, appearing to take 

 the greatest pleasure in the mere act of promenading 

 on asmooth, level surface. When disturbed the Oven- 

 bird has a loud, monotonous note of alarm or curiosity, 

 which never fails to bring all its fellows within hearing 

 distance to the spot. The movements of a fox, weasel, 

 or cat in a plantation can always be known from the 

 noisy turmoil among the Oven-birds. At frequent in- 

 tervals during the day the male and female meet and 

 express their joy in clear, resonant notes sung in concert 

 a habit common to a very large number of Dendroco- 

 laptine birds, including, I think, all those species which 

 pair for life. In a majority of species this vocal per- 

 formance merely consists of a succession of confused 

 notes or cries, uttered 'with great spirit and emphasis; 

 in the Oven-bird it has developed into a kind of har- 

 monious singing. Thus, the first bird, on the appearance 

 of its mate "flying to the place of meeting, emits loud 

 measured notes, sometimes a continuous trilling note 

 with a somewhat hollow metallic sound; but imme- 

 diately on the other bird joining, this introductory pas- 

 sage is changed to rapid triplets, strongly accented on 

 the first and last notes, while the second bird utters a 

 series of loud measured notes perfectly according with 

 the triplets of the first. While thus singing they stand 

 facing each other, their necks outstretched, wings hang- 

 ing and tail spread, the first bird trembling with its 

 rapid utterances, the second beating on the branch with 

 its wings. The finale consists of three or four notes 

 uttered by the second bird alone, and becoming suc- 

 cessively louder and more piercing until the end. There 

 is an infinite variety in the tone in which, different 

 couples sing, also in the order in which the different 

 notes are uttered, and even the same couple do not 

 repeat their duet in precisely the same way ; but it is 

 always a rhythmical and, to some extent, an harmonious 

 ])erformance. and as the voices have a ringing, joyous 

 character, it always produces a pleasing effect on the 

 mind. 



"In favourable seasons the Oven-birds begin building 

 in the autumn, and the work is resumed during the 



winter whenever there is a spell of mild wet weather. 

 Some of their structures are finished early in winter, 

 others not until spring, everything depending on the 

 weather and the condition of the birds. In cold dry 

 weather, and when food is scarce, they do not work at. 

 all. The site chosen is a stout horizontal branch, or 

 the top of a post, and they also frequently build on a 

 cornice or the roof of a house, and sometimes, but rarely, 

 on the ground. The material used is mud, with the 

 addition of horsehair or slender fibrous rootlets, which 

 make the structure harder and prevent it from cracking. 

 I have frequently seen a bird, engaged in building, first 

 pick up a thread or hair, then repair to a puddle, where 

 it was 'worked into a pellel of mud about the size of a 

 filbert, then carried to the nest. When finished the 

 structure is shaped outwardly like a baker's oven, only 

 with a deeper and narrower entrance. It is always- 

 placed very conspicuously and with the entrance facing 

 a building, if one be near, or if at a roadside it looks 

 toward the road; the reason for this being, no doubt, 

 that the bird keeps a cautious eye on the movements of 

 people near it while building, and so leaves the nest 

 opened' and unfinished on that side until the last, and 

 there the entrance is necessarily formed. When the 

 structure has assumed the globular form with only a 

 narrow opening, the wall on one side is curved inwards, 

 reaching from the floor to the dome, and at the inner 

 extremity am aperture as ilefit to admit (the (bird to the 

 interior or second dbamber, in wlbicih the eggs are laid. 

 A man's hand fiits easily into the finsit or entrance 

 chamber, (but cannot Ibe (twisted about so as [to reach the 

 eggs in ithe interior cavity, the entrance being so small 

 and high up. The inferior is lined iwiitfti dry, soft grass, 

 and five white, pear-shaped eggs are laid. The oven is 

 a foot or more dn diameter, and is sometimes very mas- 

 sive, weighing eight or nine pounds, and so strong that. 

 unless loosened by the swaying of the (branch, it dfiten 

 remains unharmed (for two or three years. The 'birds- 

 incubate by turns, and when one returns (from the tEeed- 

 ing-iground it sings its 'loud notes, on 'whidh ithe sitting 

 bird rushes (forth to join dn tihe joyous chorus, and then 

 flies away, the other taking its place on tihe eggs. The 

 young are exceedingly garrulous, and when only half 

 fledged may Ibe heard practising trills and duets in their 

 secure oven, in shrill, tremulous voices, which change 

 to the usual hunger -cry of young birds when the parent 

 enters with (food. After leaving 1 the nest, the old and 

 young birds live 'for two or (three montlhs together, 

 only one ibrood (being raised iin each year. A new oven 

 is built every year, and I have more than once eeen 

 a second oven built on ithe top of the first when this 

 has been placed very advantageously, as on a projec- 

 tion and against a wall." 



Russ dbservies : " This Oven-ibird arrives an our 

 market extremely rarely and singly ; it first reached 

 the London Zoological Gardens dn the year 1873, tlhen 

 the wholesale deailers advertised It Ifrom time to time as 

 a single example, and lastly, iin the year 1887, it (arrived 

 also at the Zoological Gardens otf \Amistendam." 



In 1893 the London Zoological Society purchased two 

 examples ; in 1903 several examples were imported, and 

 I was offered a pair, but did not care to add to the 

 number of my insectivorous bdrds. I believe they were 

 purchased by my friend Mr. Seth-Smith, since I cer- 

 tainly saw a pair at ihie house. If I remember rightly- 

 one of them did not lire very long. 



