1833. THE SCISSOR-TAIL. 131 



species, and hence does not sit in so stiff and upright a position. 

 Its flight also, instead of being direct and rapid, like the course of 

 an arrow, is weak and undulatory, as among the soft-billed birds. 

 It utters a low note, like the clicking together of two small stones. 

 A small green parrot (Conurus murinus), with a grey breast, 

 appears to prefer the tall trees on the islands to any other situation 

 for its building-place. A number of nests aro placed so close 

 together as to form one great mass of sticks. These parrots always 

 live in flocks, and commit great ravages on the corn-fields. I was 

 told that near Colonia 2500 were killed in the course of one year. A 

 bird with a forked tail, terminated by two long feathers (Tyrannus 

 savana), and named by the Spaniards scissor-tail, is very common 

 near Buenos Ayres : it commonly sits on a branch of the omlu tree, 

 near a house, and thence takes a short flight in pursuit of insects, 

 and returns to the same spot. When on the wing it presents in 

 its manner of flight and general appearance a caricature-likeness of 

 the common swallow. It has the power of turning very shortly in 

 the air, and in so doing opens and shuts its tail, sometimes in a 

 horizontal or lateral and sometimes in a vertical direction, just like 

 a pair of scissors. 



October IQth. Some leagues below Rozario, the western shore of 

 the Parana is bounded by perpendicular cliffs, which extend in a 

 long line to below San Nicolas ; hence it more resembles a sea-coast 

 than that of a fresh-water river. It is a great drawback to the 

 scenery of the Parana, that, from the soft nature of its banks, the 

 water is very muddy. The Uruguay, flowing through a granitic 

 country, is much clearer ; and where the two channels unite at the 

 head of the Plata, the waters may for a long distance be dis- 

 tinguished by their black and red colours. In the evening, the 

 wind being not quite fair, as usual we immediately moored, and 

 the next day, as it blew rather freshly, though with a favouring 

 current, the master was much too indolent to think of starting. 

 At Bajada, he was described to me as "hombre muyaflicto" a 

 man always miserable to get on ; but certainly he bore all delays 

 with admirable resignation. He was an old Spaniard, and had 

 been many years in this country. He professed a great liking to 

 the English, but stoutly maintained that the battle of Trafalgar 

 was merely won by the Spanish captains having been all bought 

 Over; and that the only really gallant action on either side was 

 performed by the Spanish admiral. It struck me as rather 



