72 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



to snatch up the small insects 'exposed where the 

 grass is cropped close* In spring they also follow 

 the plough to pick up worms and grubs* 



The song of the male, particularly when making 

 love* is accompanied with gestures and actions some- 

 what like those of the domestic Pigeon. He swells 

 himself out, beating the ground with his wings, and 

 uttering a series of deep internal notes, followed by 

 others loud and clear ; and occasionally, when utter- 

 ing them, he suddenly takes wing and flies directly 

 away from the female to a distance of fifty yards, 

 and performs a wide circuit about her in the air, 

 singing all the time. The homely object of his short- 

 lived passion always appears utterly indifferent to 

 this curious and pretty performance ; yet she must 

 be even more impressionable than most female birds, 

 since she continues scattering about her parasitical 

 and often wasted eggs during four months in every 

 year. Her language consists of a long note with a 

 spluttering sound, to express alarm or curiosity, and 

 she occasionally chatters in a low tone as if trying to 

 sing. In the evening, when the birds congregate on 

 the trees to roost, they often continue singing in 

 concert until it is quite dark ; and when disturbed 

 at night the males frequently utter their song while 

 taking flight. On rainy days, when they are driven 

 to the shelter of trees, they will often sing together 

 for hours without intermission, the blending of in- 

 numerable voices producing a rushing sound as of a 

 high wind. At the end of summer they congregate 

 in flocks of tens of thousands, so that the ground 



