8 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
of South America, has been developed into that 
marvellous faculty these two species possess of faith- 
fully imitating the songs of all other birds. The two 
species I have just named, while mockers of the songs of 
other birds, also retain their own original music—their 
* natural song,” as an American ornithologist calls it, 
The Calandria makes its nest in the middle of a 
large bush or low thorn-tree standing by itself; it 
is deep, like the nest of a Thrush in form, built of 
sticks, thorns, and grass, and lined with thistle-down 
or some other soft material. The eggs are four or 
five, pale blue, and thickly marked with reddish- 
brown spots. 
When the nest is approached the parent birds 
demonstrate their anxiety by uttering loud, harsh, 
angry notes, 
It is generally believed that the Calandria will not 
live in captivity. I have, however, seen a few indivi- 
duals in cages, but they never sang. 
PATAGONIAN MOCKING-BIRD 
Mimus patachonicus 
Above and beneath grey, paler on the under surface and tinged 
with rufous on the belly; throat and eye-mark white; wings black ; 
tail black, tipped with white; bill and feet black; eye olive-green ; 
length 9.2 inches. Female smaller in size and lighter in colour. 
THE Patagonian Mocking-bird, which I met with 
during my sojourn on the Rio Negro of Patagonia, 
closely resembles the species just described, but is 
