1920.] Cape San Antonio. Buenos At/res. 19 



Duck in the Ajo district : it frequents, singly or in pairs, 

 open sheets of water in tlie larger reed-beds ; it swims ratlier 

 low in the water and reluctantly takes to flight/' I may add 

 that it is very shy and wary, quietly disappearing amongst 

 the reeds so soon as canoe or horseman appear on the scene. 

 On one occasion, however (28 February, 1899), I succeeded 

 in obtaining two males and a female out of a flock of about 

 twenty, which were in company with a large number of the 

 Yellow-billed Coot (Fiilica leucoptcra Vieill.) in the middle 

 of a deep cafiadon. Neither before nor since that time can 

 I recollect havino; seen more than a single pair. 



I can furnish no information as to the breeding-habits. 



345. Qnerquedula cyanoptera Vieill. Blue-winged Teal. 



I have little to add to Hudson^s brief account of this 

 handsome Teal, so generally distributed and abundant. 



A curious incident occurred on 31 October, 1915, when, 

 in the early morning, a pair alighted on the brick chimney 

 of one of the peones' quarters in the patio of the head- 

 station. They remained there for a quarter of an hour, 

 allowing me to approach the liasc of the buihling (to witliin 

 a {qw yards of them indeed) and contemplate their beauty 

 at my leisure. 



My diary only chronicles three nests. The fir^t, taken on 

 30 November, 1898, was situated on an island amitlst swamps, 

 where it had for neighbours three nests of the Brown Pin- 

 tail {Dafila spinicauda Vieill.). That of the iUue-winged 

 Teal consisted of a hollow amongst tiie grass, thickly lined 

 Avith down. The bird sat close, on a clutch of nine fresh 

 eggs. The second, taken with the bird, on 7 December of 

 the same year, was placed amongst some thistles at the edge 

 of a swamp, and consisted of a little dry grass, with some 

 down (the clutch being only five). These two nests weie 

 procured by myself in person. The third and last, collected 

 for me on 17 October, 1909, had ten eggs, but is wanting 

 in data as to situation and materials. 



The second of the above clutches averaged 50 x 35 mm. 



c2 



