Glimpses of South American Ornithology. 327


west is the low-lying palm and bamboo-edged bank of the marshy

Chaco ; on the east the slightly higher shore of Paraguay proper.

Very far ahead is seen a line of birds continually passing singly, in

pairs, in sixes and in twenties, a never-ending stream flying steadily

from west to east. Not for an instant is there a break of more than

a few yards in the chain. Only when the river steamer is right

upon them, and they rise in their flight to top it, are they seen to be

the Sociable March Hawk ( Rostrhamus sociabilis), a bird of that

deep blue-black colouring, peculiar to certain genera of Hawks

(Urubitinga, Leucopternis • etc.), with a salmon-orange cere and feet

and a bright crimson iris. The steamer passes, the birds sink

again to the original level of their flight ; and as far as the eye can

watch them over the stern the stream continues.


Nor is it necessarily mere numbers or gaudy colouring, that

hold most readily the attention or are best remembered. The writer

was once in the Llanos of Venezuela in February. From all

accounts the Llanos would appear half the year to be a swamp and

the other to be parched almost to desert dryness. This was

towards the end of the desert season. The word “ bish ” accurately

conveys an impression of the vegetation of that part of the Llanos.

There are no trees larger than the English oak ; and the narrow road

is edged on each side by dense scrub, which gradually gives place to

the south to scattered clumps of trees and more open country. A

glance at the map gave one the idea of a country well-watered by

several rivers : but these appeared at that season mere sandy beds.

A few mud-holes still remained and at one of these rather more

deeply sunk in the ground, and not more than a few feet square, a

strange quartet of birds was discovered. A Wood Ibis and a

Roseate Spooonbill rose heavily from under the mule’s very nose and

perched in a tree near by ; whilst on a small bush overhanging the

water sat two large Black Buzzards ( Urubitinga urubitinga) . These

remained perched, merely curious at the sight of a human animal

persuading another animal to drink slush. The writer had been

familiar with all these three species 2,000 miles or more further south

in Argentina ; one of the forms of the Ruby Tyrant ( Pyroceplialus ),

a common Argentine bird, was abundant ; and it needed little

imagination to transfer the whole scene to that country.



