38 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



In habits it differs somewhat from most of its con- 

 geners^ and it may be regarded, I think, as one of 

 those species which are dying out — ^possibly owing 

 to the altered conditions resulting from the settle- 

 ment of the country by Europeans. It was formerly 

 abundant on the southern pampas of La Plata, and 

 being partially migratory its flocks ranged in winter 

 to Buenos Ayres, and even as far north as the Parana 

 river. When, as a child, I lived near the capital city 

 (Buenos Ayres), I remember that I always looked 

 forward with the greatest delight to the appearance 

 of these noisy dark-green winter visitors. Now they 

 are rarely seen within a hundred miles of Buenos 

 Ayres; and I have been informed by old gauchos 

 that half a century before my time they invariably 

 appeared in immense flocks in winter, and have since 

 gradually diminished in numbers, until now in that 

 district the Bank-Parrot is almost a thing of the past. 

 Two or three hundreds of miles south of Buenos 

 Ayres city they arc still to be met with in rather 

 large flocks, and have a few ancient breeding-places, 

 to which they cling very tenaciously. Where there 

 are trees or bushes on their feeding-ground they 

 perch on them ; they also gather the berries of the 

 Empetrum rubrum and other fruits from the bushes ; 

 but they feed principally on the ground, and while 

 the flock feeds one bird is invariably perched on a 

 stalk or other elevation to act as sentinel. They are 

 partial to the seeds of the giant thistle {Carduus 

 mariana) and the wild pumpkin, and to get at the 

 latter they bite the hard dry shell into pieces with 



