1833.4 THE OVEN-BIRD. C-g 



bird of La Plata, the Casara or housemaker of the Spaniards. The nest, 

 whence it takes its name, is placed in the most exposed situations, as 

 on the top of a post, a bare rock, or on a cactus. It is composed ol 

 mud and bits of straw, and has strong thick walls : in shape it pre- 

 cisely resembles an oven, or depressed beehive. The opening is large 

 and arched, and directly in front, within the nest, there is a partition, 

 which reaches nearly to the roof, thus forming a passage or antechamber 

 to the true nest. 



Another and smaller species of Furnarius (F. cunicularius), resembles 

 the oven-bird in the general reddish tint of its plumage, in a peculiar 

 shrill reiterated cry, and in an odd manner of running by starts. From 

 its affinity, the Spaniards call it Casarita (or little housebuilder), 

 although its nidification is quite different. The Casarita builds its nest 

 at the bottom of a narrow cylindrical hole, which is said to extend 

 horizontally to nearly six feet under ground. Several of the country 

 people told me, that when boys, they had attempted to dig out the nest, 

 but had scarcely ever succeeded in getting to the end of the passage. The 

 bird chooses any low bank of firm sandy soil by the side of a road or 

 stream. Here (at Bahia Blanca) the walls round the houses are built 

 of hardened mud ; and I noticed that one, which enclosed a courtyard 

 where I lodged, was bored through by round holes in a score of places. 

 On asking the owner the cause of this, he bitterly complained of the 

 little casarita, several of which I afterwards observed at work. It is 

 rather curious to find how incapable these birds must be of acquiring 

 any notion of thickness, for although they were constantly flitting over 

 the low wall, they continued vainly to bore through it, thinking it an 

 excellent bank for their nests. I do not doubt that each bird, as often 

 as it came to daylight on the opposite side, was greatly surprised at the 

 marvellous fact. 



I have already mentioned nearly all the mammalia common in this 

 country. Of armadilloes three species occur, namely, the Dasypus 

 minutus or pichy } the D. villosus or peludo, and the apar. The first 

 extends ten degrees further south than any other kind : a fourth species, 

 the Muh'fa,.does not come as far south as Bahia Blanca. The four 

 species have nearly similar habits ; the pelndo, however, is nocturnal, 

 while the others wander by day over the open plains, feeding on beetles, 

 larvae, roots, and even small snakes. The apar, commonly called 

 mataco, is remarkable by having only three movable bands ; the rest 

 of its tesselated covering being nearly inflexible. It has the power of 

 rolling itself into a perfect sphere, like one kind of English woodlouse. 

 In this state it is safe from the attack of dogs ; for the dog not being 

 able to take the whole in its mouth, tries to bite one side, and 

 the ball slips away. The smooth hard covering of the mataco offers a 

 better defence than the sharp spines of the hedgehog. The pichy 

 prefers a very dry soil ; and the sand-dunes near the coast, where for 

 many months it can never taste water, is its favourite resort : it often 

 tries to escape notice, by squatting close to the ground. In the course 

 of a day's ride near Bahia Blanca, several were generally met with. 

 The instant one was oerceived, it was necessary, in order to catch it, 



