166 



CHARADRIID^E. 



Teiit-te'ru, from its ever-repeated dissyllabic cry ; west of the Andes the 

 vernacular name is Queltregue, also in imitation of its notes. It has 

 red legs, crimson irides, a rosy beak tipped with black, and coral-red 



CAYENNE LAPWING. 



(Seebohm's l Plovers,' p. 216.) 



wing-spurs ; and these spots of bright colour add to its bold striking 

 appearance. In size, beauty, and spirit it is a king among the Plovers, 

 while its jealous aggressive disposition gives it the character of a tyrant 

 amongst birds in general. On the pastoral pampas (the district from 

 which the giant grasses have disappeared) it is excessively abundant ; 

 and it is there resident, although, as with most strong-winged resident 

 species, some individuals do certainly migrate, small parties being occa- 

 sionally seen in spring and autumn flying steadily at a great height, 

 apparently performing a long journey. As a rule the birds pair for 

 life, and remain always on the spot where they breed. They may be 

 persecuted with guns, their eggs taken year after year, even the ground 

 turned up with the plough, but they still refuse to be driven out. In 

 regions having a broken surface hills, woods, and sheltered hollows 

 birds naturally get attached to one spot, for each locality possesses its 

 own features, and individuals frequenting it acquire a knowledge of its 

 advantages. The vast pampas have a uniform level surface, and 

 produce the same kinds of food in the same quantities. They are 

 parched with droughts and flooded by rains alternately, and swept by 

 dust-storms in summer and cold gales in winter violent enough, one 



