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length by about two in breadth at the widest part, 

 the whole very much resembling a gigantic powder- 

 flask lying on its side among the lower branches of 

 a spreading tree. It is quite loosely built and the 

 nest-cavity is rather indefinite, being any portion 

 of the floor of the nest which the bird selects for 

 the reception of the eggs. These are usually three 

 or four in number, pure white, and are laid from 

 October until January, They can usually be counted 

 through the loose floor of the nest, though sometimes 

 its thickness prevents this/' 



Bancroft Library 



LAUGHING CACHALOTE 



Homorus gutturalis 



Nearly uniform earthy grey, faintly tinged with olivaceous brown 

 above, and much paler beneath ; lores and upper part of throat pure 

 white, lower part of throat black, or white and black mixed ; under 

 wing-coverts white, faintly tinged with pale cinnamon ; beak and feet 

 bluish grey ; length 94 inches. 



I FOUND this bird quite common on the dry open 

 plains in the neighbourhood of the Rio Negro in 

 Patagonia, In size, form, and crest it is like the 

 northern Cachalote, but has a white throat, while the 

 rest of the plumage is of a pale earthy brown instead 

 of rufous. Like the Rufous Cachalote it is also shy 

 in disposition, and, being so dull in colour and with- 

 out the bright beak and eye tints, has not the bold, 

 striking appearance of that species ; still I do not 

 think any ornithologist can meet with it and fail to 



