NOTHURA MACULOSA. 211 



and flanks banded and freckled with blackish and cinereous ; under wing-coverts 

 with black and fulvous cross bands ; wings blackish, outer webs spotted with 

 fulvous; bill horn-colour, lower mandible and feet yellowish: whole length 

 12-0 inches, wing 6-8, tail 2-6. 



Hob. Northern Argentina. 



This fine and distinct species was first obtained by Dr. Burmeister 

 in Cordova and in Tucuman, where Durnford also obtained specimens 

 of it during his last journey. It is larger than N. pentlandi, and has 

 the breast thickly covered by somewhat rounded light spots upon a 

 cinereous ground; these are mixed with black points and slight 

 striations. 



430. NOTHURA MACULOSA (Temm.). 

 (SPOTTED TINAMOU.) 



Nothura maculosa, Sunn. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 499 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. 

 p. 153 j- wtf. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 143 (Buenos Ayres) ; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, 

 p. 547 (Rio Negro) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 203 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, 

 Ibis, 1880, p. 16S (Buenos Ayres); White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 629 (Misiones) ; 

 Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 317 (Entrerios, Bahia Blanca) ; Withington, Ibis, 

 1888, p. 473 (Loraas de Zamora). Nothura major, Darwin, Zool. ' Beagle} 

 iii. p. 119. 



Description. Above pale yellowish brown, barred with black and brown and 

 streaked with fulvous white ; wing-feathers ashy black, crossed on both webs 

 by fulvous bands: beneath rich yellowish brown; throat white; breast and 

 flanks spotted and banded with brownish black ; bill and feet yellowish brown : 

 whole length 11-0 inches, wing 5'5, tail 1-6. Female similar, but larger. 



Hab. Argentine Republic. 



The Perdiz comun or Common Partridge of the pampas, as it is 

 always called the naturalist's name of Tinamou being utterly unknown 

 in the southern part of South America is much smaller than the 

 " Perdiz grande/' but in its form, slender curved beak, bare legs, and 

 in the yellowish mottled plumage generally resembles it. It also 

 inhabits the same kind of open grassy, country, and is abundant every- 

 where on the pampas and as far south as the valley of the Rio Negro 

 in Patagonia. It is solitary ; but a number of individuals are usually 

 found in proximity ; and in lonely places on the pampas, where they 

 are excessively abundant, I have seen three or four meet together and 

 play in the manner of kittens, darting out from a place of concealment 

 at each other, the pursued bird always escaping by turning off at right 

 angles or by suddenly crouching down and allowing the pursuer to 

 spring over it. 



It is very tame in disposition, and flies so reluctantly that it is not 



p2 



