Mr Dalgleish on Birds and Eggs from Central Uruguay. 79 



Eepublic northwards as far as Mexico. It frequents country 

 districts and populous towns, as Buenos Ayres, alike. It is 

 very like the purple martin {P. purpurea), but differs in the 

 hue of the under plumage and also in its breeding habits. 

 It is familiar, noisy, and, in the season of courtship, pug- 

 nacious. Its cry on approaching the nest, off which it flies 

 at once, is loud and startled, but at other times they have a 

 rather sweet and pleasing song, which, after the breeding 

 season is over, they often sit and utter in a low tone on the 

 top of an Ombu tree or a telegraph wire. They are fond of 

 sailing in circles, particularly in a high wind. They arrive 

 at Tala in October, and leave in April. 



Clutch of four eggs, taken 7th ^N'ovember 1880, from a nest 

 placed under the eaves of a shed at Tala, the largest of which 

 measures -fl x f^ inch, the smallest |^ x -J^ inch. They are 

 of a pyriform shape, and pure white colour ; occasionally five 

 eggs are laid. 



The nest is generally placed in chinks in walls or under 

 the eaves, and sometimes, as found by Bartlett in Peru, in 

 holes in trees. When the entrance to the hole is too large, 

 it sometimes closes it so far with mud and straw. The lining 

 of the above nest, and which was sent with the eggs, consists 

 of paca, a sort of grass. Sometimes lichens are used for the 

 purpose. It generally resorts to the same breeding places 

 annually. 



27. Chlorostilbon splendidus (Viell.) — native name "Pica- 

 flor." — This the only species of humming-bird found at Tala 

 seems to be confined to Bolivia, Southern Brazil, the Argen- 

 tine Eepublic, and Uruguay. Although possessing somewhat 

 of the beautiful metallic lustre common to the family, it may 

 be said to be rather unassuming in plumage. They are 

 generally found near flowers, on whose sweets they live. In 

 the Argentine Eepublic they feed greatly on those of the 

 ceiba tree. Durnford mentions having found fragments of 

 minute coleoptera in the stomach of one which he had dis- 

 sected. They are common at Tala, and migratory, arriving 

 in September and leaving in April, although a stray specimen 

 has been observed in winter. They are said to have a sweet 

 little song when hovering over the flowers to which they 



