jECHMOPHORUS MAJOR. 203 



(Buenos Ay res), et 1878, p. 405 (Centr. Patagonia) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, 

 p. 316 (Entrerios) ; White, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 433 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withingtm, 

 Ibis, 1888, p. 473 (Lomas de Zamora). Podiceps chilensis, Darwin, 

 Zool. 'Beagle,' iii. p. 137 (Buenos Ayres). Podiceps major, Scl. et Salv. Ex. 

 Oni. p. 190 j Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 164 (Buenos Ayres). 



Description. Above blackish ; occipital crest divided, bronzy black ; wide bar 

 across the wing white : beneath white ; chin dark ashy ; neck, breast, and sides 

 of belly (in adult) more or less red ; bill yellowish ; feet dark : whole length 21-0 

 inches, wing 8-0, tail 1-5. 



Hab. South America. 



This fine Grebe is said by Buffon to be from Cayenne, but we have 

 never seen specimens from anywhere so far north. It was not obtained 

 in Brazil by Natterer or Burmeister, but Azara met with it in Paraguay. 



This Grebe is called in the vernacular Macds cornudo the first word 

 being the Indian generic name for the Grebes, while cornudo signifies 

 horned, from the bird's habit of erecting, when excited, the feathers of 

 the nape in the form of a horn. The species is found throughout 

 Eastern Argentina, from its northern limits to Central Patagonia, where 

 Durnford found it common and resident. On the Rio Negro I found 

 it abundant, and it was formerly just as common along the Plata river, 

 but owing to its large size and the great beauty of its lustrous under 

 plumage it is very much sought after and is becoming rare. 



It is impossible to make this Grebe leave the water, and when dis- 

 covered in a small pool it may be pursued until exhausted and caught 

 with the hand ; yet it must occasionally perform long journeys on the 

 wing when passing from one isolated lake to another. Probably its 

 journeys are performed by night. 



There is little diversity in the habits of Grebes, and only once have I 

 seen one of these birds acting in a manner which seemed very unusual. 

 This Grebe was swimming about and disporting itself in a deep narrow 

 pool, and showed no alarm at my presence, though I sat on the margin 

 within twenty-five yards of it. I saw it dive and come up with a small 

 fish about three inches long in its beak ; after sitting motionless for a 

 little while, it tossed the fish away to a considerable distance with a 

 sudden jerk of its beak, and then at the instant the fish touched the 

 water it dived again. Presently it emerged with the same fish, but only 

 to fling it away and dive as before ; and in this way it released and 

 recaptured it about fifteen times, and then, tired of play, dropped it and 

 let it escape. 



Mr. Gibson has the following note on the breeding-habits of the 

 Great Grebe, as observed at Ajo, near the mouth of Rio de La Plata : 

 " P. major breeds about the end of August, placing its nest in the 



