■8S3-I Barrows on Birds of the Lower Uruguay. 20I 



sometimes perfectly spherical, though oftener of a depressed 

 globular form, and with a large hole in the side, which is rarely 

 round or neatly finished. The site of the nest seems to be 

 selected with some care and doubtless with some important end 

 in view, though what it may be I cannot say, unless it have 

 reference to the visits of the enemies above alluded to. At all 

 events a very large proportion of the nests are placed on trees 

 or bushes which either extend directly out over water or else 

 overhang some bank', bluff, or abrupt depression so that it is often 

 difficult for a person to examine the nest even when it is not 

 twenty feet in a direct line from the root of the tree. Out of at 

 least twenty-five nests examined, about two thirds overhung the 

 water and were reached by standing up in a boat and drawing 

 down the branch or branches which held them. Of the remain- 

 der, only two or three were built on trees which stood on level 

 ground. 



The eggs are usually five in number, sometimes but four, and 

 often only three, in nests found in November or December. In 

 color they vary from pearly-white to bufty-white, dashed more or 

 less thickly with spots of brown or black. We did not meet 

 with this bird at Azul or further south, and I believe it is never 

 found far from water, or in regions whei^e timber is very scarce. 



68. Myiodynastes solitarius {ViezlL). — The first spec- 

 imen of this fine Flycatcher which I saw was brought to me 

 by a boy who killed it with a rubber "sling" among the Para- 

 dise trees in the Plaza at Concepcion. This was on November 

 26, and only two more specimens were secured in the next 

 month's collecting, though -several others were obsei-ved. They 

 kept mostly among the k.rge trees along the river banks where 

 they may perhaps breed, though their proper home is further 

 up the river in Paraguay and Brazil. 



69. Myiobius naevius {Bodd.).—A rather scarce spring 

 migrant occurring singly or in pairs during September and 

 October. It was usually found among thorny bushes in com- 

 paratively open and wet ground. 



70. Pyrocephalus rubineus {Bodd.). Brasa de fuego 

 (Coal of Fire) and Churrinche. (This latter name is also 

 applied to any of the other small Flycatchers, but I could not 

 find out what it signified.)— The Vermilion Flycatcher is an 

 abundant summer resident at Concepcion, arriving about the 



