'S^S-J Barrows on Birds of the Loxver Uruguay. 2O5 



79. Upucerthia dnmetoria Geoffr. et d'Orb.—K few of 

 these were met with on the crest of a little hill about three miles 

 from the desolate little Indian village of Puan. In general habits 

 they seemed to resemble Geositta more closely than any other 

 bird, Iput were more frequently on the wing, besides differing 

 totally in size and aspect from that bird. 



At Carhue a few more were seen on April 6 ; but they were 

 very shy and nothing was added to our knowledge of them there. 



80. Cinclodes iuscus ( F"/e///.).— An abundant bird at 

 Concepcion through the cold weather, frequenting sandy or 

 muddy flats and avoiding bushy or grassy ground. In general 

 appearance they remind one not a little of our smaller Thrushes 

 {T. fuscescens, pallasi, etc.), but of course the resemblance is 

 only superficial. They were often seen in scattered flocks of 

 several hundred, or, to speak more correctly, several hundred 

 were seen at the same time on a flat only eight or ten acres in 

 extent, and after one or two had been shot the rest disappeared 

 together, but not all in the same direction or in any order 

 which could be called a flock. 



They were rather abundant at Puan and Carhue from March 

 28 to Aprils, but all seemed to be migrating. I know nothing 

 of their breeding- habits. 



The next t\^ elve species, belonging to the Synallaxine group, 

 are chiefly interesting on account of the remarkable nests which 

 they build.. As a rule they are plain, inconsjDicuous, harsh-voiced 

 little birds, resembling Wrens and Nuthatches in their move- 

 ments, but with the stick-collecting propensity of the Wren de- 

 veloped to such a remarkable extent that were it not for the 

 practical uses to which it is put we should say it was simplj^ 

 absurd. 



These birds are very abundant at Concepcion, their nests being 

 one of the most noticeable features of the landscape. There are 

 places within two miles of the centre of the town where I have 

 stood and counted, from one point within a radius of twenty rods, 

 over two hundred of these curious nests, varying in size from that 

 of a small pumpkin to more than the volume of a barrel. Often 

 a single tree will contain half a dozen nests or more, and not 

 unfrequently the nests of several diflerent species are seen crowd- 



