122 BAHIA BLANCA. 



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 gen- 

 eral 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 nidi- 

 fication 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 sti'eam. 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 mam- 

 malia common in this country. Of armadilloes 

 three species occur, namely, the Dasypus minutus 

 ov picliy, the D. villosus or jyehido, and the aj^ar. 

 The first extends ten degrees further south than 

 any other kind : a fourth species, the Mulita, does 



