1920.] Cape San Antonio, Buenos Ayres. 37 



36 i. Engyptila chalcauchenia Sc].& Salv, Solitary Pigeon. 



Iris yellow; bill black ; feet pink, inclining to magenta. 



Claude Grant's statement regarding the occurrence of this 

 species ('Ibis,' July 1911, p. 466j, in which he says: — "I 

 have an adult female from Aj6 collected by Miss Ilunnacles 

 in September 1909 ; this is the only example recorded from 

 the locality/'' caught my attention, and led me to watch for 

 any recurrence during my following visits to the Yngleses. 

 Accordingly, on the 14th of March, 1914, 1 recorded a pair 

 observed on one of the garden-paths. And the following 

 day, a most stormy one, on crossing the patio to the office, I 

 found lying in front of the door a very line specimen, quite 

 dead, but still warm. It seemed to me a rather comical if 

 sad instance of self-assertion. 



It has been borne in upon me that the species is not so 

 uncommon with us as might be supposed. As a wood- 

 inhabitant — our woods being dense and with much under- 

 growth — itmight easily be confounded with the innumerable 

 individuals of the Spotted Dove {Zenalda maculata Vieill.), 

 in spite of its larger size. And I have little doubt that 

 in ray former ignorance I had assumed it to be the latter, 

 possibly in immature plumage. Abundant, I think, it 

 cannot be, or Claude Grant would not have failed to gather 

 it in himself. 



369. Rallus maculatus Bodd. Spotted Hail. 



With the exception of the Black Kail [Rallus rhytirhynchus 

 Vieill.) my knowledge of the Rails and Crakes in our district 

 is of the most limited, description ; nor is it likely to be 

 otherwise_, in view of the topical conditions. Mr. Hudson 

 alludes to their " abundant supply, for which Nature has 

 provided the more swampy districts of the pampas'' ; but I 

 have never found them here in proportion to the vast areas of 

 swamp and grass-coverts, esparto, pampa-grass, and '"juu- 

 quille negro," which 1 have described in the preface to this 

 paper. 1 make all allowance for their semi-nocturnal and 

 rat-like habits, by which they evade the notice of the horse- 

 man, or the gunner on foot unless accompanied by a dog ; 



