THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 



6S 



small fish which may come near the margin. These birds are 

 not unfrequently kept either in cages or in courtyards, with 

 their wings cut. They soon become tame, and are' very 

 amusing from their cunning odd manners, which were 

 described to me as being similar to those of the common 

 magpie. Their flight is undulatory, for the weight of the 

 head and bill appears too great for the body. In the 

 evening the Saurophagus takes its stand on a bush, often 

 by the roadside, and continually repeats without a change 

 a shrill and rather agreeable cry, which somewhat resem- 

 bles articulate words: the Spaniards say it is like the words 

 " Bien te veo " (I see you well), and accordingly have given 

 it this name. 



A mocking-bird (Mimus orpheus), called by the inhabi- 

 tants Calandria, is remarkable, from possessing a song far 

 superior to that of any other bird in the country : indeed, it 

 is nearly the only bird in South America which I have 

 observed to take its stand for the purpose of singing. The 

 song may be compared to that of the Sedge warbler, but 

 is more powerful; some harsh notes and some very high 

 ones, being mingled with a pleasant warbling. It is heard 

 only during the spring. At other times its cry is harsh and 

 far from harmonious. Near Maldonado these birds were 

 tame and bold ; they constantly attended the country houses 

 in numbers, to pick the meat which was hung up on the posts 

 or walls : if any other small bird joined the feast, the Calan- 

 dria soon chased it away. On the wide uninhabited plains 

 of Patagonia another closely allied species, O. Patagonica 

 of d'Orbigny, which frequents the valleys clothed with 

 spiny bushes, is a wilder bird, and has a slightly different 

 tone of voice. It appears to me a curious circumstance, as 

 showing the fine shades of difference in habits, that judging 

 from this latter respect alone, when I first saw this second 

 species, I thought it was different from the Maldonado kind. 

 Having afterwards procured a specimen, and comparing the 

 two without particular care, they appeared so very similar, 

 that I changed my opinion ; but now Mr. Gould says that they 

 are certainly distinct; a conclusion in conformity with the 

 trifling difference of habit, of which, of course, he was not 

 aware. 



Vol. 29— C 



HC 



