134 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



BARRED UPLAND GOOSE 



Bemkla dispar 



White ; neck behind and body beneath banded with black ; primaries, 

 greater wing-coverts, tertiaries, and scapulars cinereous; rump and 

 tail-feathers ashy black; bill black, feet plumbeous; length a6, 

 wing i6 inches. Female, head and neck cinnamon-brown ; abdomen 

 similar, barred with black ; upper part also barred ; rump and tail- 

 feathers brownish black. 



This bird is a northern form of the well-known 

 *' Upland Goose " of the Falkland Isles and Southern 

 Patagonia, from which it differs in the male being 

 completely barred across with black on the lower 

 surface. It was first described by Philippi and Land- 

 beck from Chilian specimens, and in 1872 was 

 recognised by Dr. Burmeister as found near the 

 Sierra Tandil and on the Rio Negro. 



In April and May this Goose migrates north- 

 wards, along the eastern coast, as far as the pampas 

 of Buenos Ayres, the migration ending about one 

 hundred and fifty miles south of Buenos Ayres city. 

 Further south they are at this season of the year 

 excessively abundant in suitable localities. Their 

 great camping-grounds are the valleys of the rivers 

 Negro and G)lorado, where they are often so numer- 

 ous as to denude the low grounds of the tender 

 winter clovers and grasses, and to cause serious loss 

 to the sheep-breeders. They also visit the cultivated 

 fields to devour the young wheat, and are intelligent 

 enough to distinguish between a real human enemy 

 and the ragged men of straw, miscalled scarecrows. 



