40 Mr. E. Gibson on the Ornithology of [Ibis 



the interval), I write: " Flood still in evidence. Curiously 

 enough, on same raihvay journey and as nearly possible the 

 same locality, two pairs of Black Rails were flushed, as I 

 half-expected. — 31 October. None others seen during my 

 two months' visit to the Yngleses." 



Hudson finishes his descriptive account without any 

 allusion to the nesting-habits of the species, and Claude 

 Grant is equally silent on the subject. I, fortunately, am 

 able to fill up the omission, various nests having come under 

 my observation. The season would seem to be the first half 

 of November. Only one nest was situated in a Canada, 

 where it was placed in the middle of a clump of "juncos" ; 

 it consisted merely of a bed of dry rushes lined with finer 

 stems of same. The favourite locality would seem to be 

 where, on certain sandy districts of the Yngleses and Tuyu 

 estancias, there occur clumps and jungles of the "junquillo 

 negro," bordering swampy hollows and canadas of more or 

 less extent ; and in such situations I have taken as many as 

 three nests in one day. My first find (which only took place 

 after eleven years' residence at the Yngleses) is sufficiently 

 applicable to all the other cases : — " Placed in an isolated 

 and thick clump of junquillo negro about two feet from the 

 ground. Only a bed of dry grass (with a mouse's old nest 

 for foundation !). The bird (male) sat so close that I 

 endeavoured to take it with my hand ; then it reluctantly 

 slipped down through the bush, and I shot it as it emerged 

 at the base and took to flight." 



Four is the general clutch, five the exception. The eggs 

 are of a pointed oval form. The shell slightly glossy ; of a 

 whitish cream-colour with small well-defined spots of reddish 

 brown scattered sparingly over the surface, but more fre- 

 quent at the larger end. They measure from 41 to 45 mm. 

 in length, and from 32 to 32 mm. in breadtli. 



375. Porzana salinasi Philippi. Spot-winged Crake. 

 Iris bright red ; bill black ; feet grey. 

 My only record of the occurrence of this species consists 

 of twn skins collected for me on 17 September, 1899. They 



