44 BIRDS OF TIERRA DEL EUEGO 



•unicamente los campos que tienen mucho pasto alto y broza, donde 

 se oculta, y pasa su vida sin salir hasta que le pisan. Por lo 

 comun no se consigue hacerle volar sino tres veces, y despues es 

 imposible precisarle d que saiga. Es esquivo, inquieto, y por 

 las madriigadas y tardes trepa d saltillos por las varillas mas 

 delgadas de las escobas 6 plantitas, levantando la cola ; pero no 

 entra jamas en bosque, ni matorral, ni en las habitaciones." His 

 rendering of the song of this bird practically corresponds with 

 the song of C. platensis, whereas Basacaraguay if given the 

 necessary accentuation is a possible representation of the song of 

 the Cape Horn Wren (^Troglodytes hornensis). 



D'Orbigny follows Azara. 



In these circumstances, I deem it advisable to omit both these 

 authorities from my references. 



The Marsh Wren is the first bird I collected in Tierra 

 del Fuego. I should not consider it common, except localty in 

 such conditions as are necessary to its existence — namely, open 

 marsh land, in long coarse grass and reeds mostly growing in 

 water. I only remember having come across it at the head 

 of Useless Bay. There it is plentiful. It should also occur 

 in the San Sebastian marshes. In a manner peculiar to 

 itself, this Wren conceals itself in the grass, not taking wing 

 until literally trampled out at one's feet. It then flies at 

 the outside twenty or thirty yards, barely clearing the grass ; 

 alights on a grass stalk ; works its way down into the grass ; and, 

 either remains there, or runs along through and under it like a 

 mouse. In vain may one trample the exact spot where one has 

 been marked down. At times it flies readily. In fine weather 

 it perches on the grass tufts, and sings after the manner of a 

 Wren. How such a bird subsists in winter is a mystery. At 

 the time I shot my first specimen, when winter was breaking, 

 the marshes were covered with snow and ice, with here and 

 there patches of water, and all below frozen hard. Yet the 

 stomach contained insects and grass seeds. 



Darwin saj^s : — ^' In the Falkland Islands, it lives almost 



