1920.] Cape San Antonio, Buenos Ayres. 41 



were reported to be both females (which seems doubtful, if 

 they were procured on tlie same date). My informant had 

 farther noted tl)at their food consisted of insects, seeds, and 

 marsli-weeds. Tiiese specimens went to the Buenos Ayres 

 Museum^ where the late Dr. Berg told me the species was 

 "rare.'' 



377. Porphyriops melanops Vieill. Little Waterhen. 



Iris red ; bill bright pea-green ; feet olive-grey, slightly 

 inclined to green on front of tarsus. 



The Little Waterhen is a summer visitor, appearing about 

 the middle of September, and leaving towards the end of 

 March. Generally speaking, I would call it decidedly uncom- 

 mon, to judge from the paucity of entries in ray diary. Tlie 

 one exception, dated 16 September, 1913, reads as follows : 

 "A few seen, whilst on railway journey from Buenos Ayres 

 to Dolores. Great flood.-" Then, a Meek later, on repetition 

 of the same journey : "An extraordinary number of Little 

 Waterhens observed, swimming or flying away from the 

 vicinity of the line as the train crawled along the almost 

 submerged embankment. Quite the most abundant of all 

 the aquatic family." Yet I found none of these at Ajo, 

 indeed I only chronicled one individual on the Yngleses 

 during my ensuing six months' stay there. 



I have not many instances of its nesting with us (only 

 some three all told), but they will serve the purpose. The 

 nests were placed in caiiadas amidst water-grasses, not rushes, 

 and were built of dry grass, or the rootlets of water-weeds ; 

 rather small and very neat. Two were taken on the 15th 

 and 16th of November, with two and four eggs respectively. 

 A later one, on the 4th of December, contained a clutch 

 (much-incubated) of four. 



The eggs are of a blunt oval form ; the ground-colour 

 brownish-buff, marked and blotched with purple, and covered 

 with spots and specks of a rich chocolate-brown, most 

 numerous at the broader end ; some specimens show twisted 

 lines of dark brown. They measure from 38 to 43 mm. in 

 length, and from 28 to 31 mm. in breadth. 



