1 1 2 The Naturalist in La Plata. 



life from the very moment of leaving the shell, as I 

 once accidentally observed. I found a nest on a 

 small mound of earth in a shallow lagoon, contain- 

 ing four eggs, with the shells already chipped by 

 the birds in them. Two yards from the small nest 

 mound there was a second mound covered with 

 coarse grass. I got off my horse to examine the 

 nest, and the old birds, excited beyond measure, 

 fluttered round me close by pouring out their shrill 

 rapidly-reiterated cries in an unbroken stream, 

 sounding very much like a policeman's rattle. While 

 I was looking closely at one of the eggs lying on 

 the palm of my hand, all at once the cracked shell 

 parted, and at the same moment the young bird 

 leaped from my hand and fell into the water. I 

 am quite sure that the young bird's sudden escape 

 from the shell and my hand was the result of a 

 violent effort on its part to free itself; and it was 

 doubtless inspired to make the effort by the loud 

 persistent screaming of the parent birds, which it 

 heard while in the shell. Stooping to pick it up to 

 save it from perishing, I soon saw that my assistance 

 was not required, for immediately on dropping into 

 the water, it put out its neck, and with the body 

 nearly submerged, like a wounded duck trying to 

 escape observation, it swam rapidly to the second 

 small mound I have mentioned, and, escaping from 

 the w r ater, concealed itself in the grass, lying close 

 and perfectly motionless like a young plover. 



In the case of the pampa or creolla sheep, I have 

 shown that during its long, rough life in La Plata, 

 this variety has in some measure recovered the 

 natural vigour and ability to maintain existence in 



