132 BIRDS OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO 



Gloucester — one of the extreme rugged storm-beaten points of 

 land to the west of Desolation Island — is probably Attagis. 



Darwin says of this bird : — " It is not uncommon on the 

 mountains in the extreme southern parts of Tierra del Fuego. 

 It frequents either in pairs or small coveys the zone of Alpine 

 plants above the region of forest. It is not very wild, and 

 lies very close on the bare ground." 



With his concluding remark my experience is at variance, 

 but agrees with what he says of the very nearly allied A. gciyi^ 

 which, except in colouring, is practically the same bird. Of the 

 latter he says : — " Only a little below the snow-line, on the Andes, 

 behind Copiapo, which appears so entirely destitute of vegetation, 

 that anyone would have thought that no living creature could 

 have found subsistence, I saw a covey. Five birds rose together, 

 and uttered noisy cries ; they flew like Grouse, and were very 

 wild. I was told that this species never descends to the lower 

 Cordillera." 



" In their respective countries," Darwin concludes, " these 

 two species occupy the place of Ptarmigan of the northern 

 hemisphere." 



In the Falkland Islands Capt. Abbott shot one example 

 on the beach at Mare Harbour, in the beginning of October, 

 1859, and this was the only one he ever saw. 



In Tierra del Fuego Attagis frequents high black moor- 

 land, where there is no other vegetation than the heatherlike 

 crowberry, sparse tufts of wiry grass, and spongy hummocks 

 of AzoreUa^ with intervening patches of bare peat}^ earth. 

 I found the droppings of these birds on the very summit of 

 Nose Peak. Like Red Grouse in their wildest mountain haunts, 

 they are not easily found without a knowledge of their habits 

 and the sort of ground they frequent. In several houi's' riding 

 and quartering the gTound, accompanied by a mounted Ona and 

 a dog, I usually saw no more than two or three single birds, 

 and occasionally a pair together. They occur at somewhat rare 

 intervals, in commanding positions, where exceptionally large 



