THINOCORIN^. 
Thinocorus  JEschsch.* 
Bill  short,  broad  at  the  base,  suddenly  compressed  at  the  tip,  with  the  culmen  slightly  curved  to  the 
tip  ; the  nostrils  basal,  lateral,  and  placed  in  an  ample  channel,  with  the  opening  semilunar,  and  covered 
by  a strong  membrane,  which  is  clothed  with  short  plumes.  Wings  long  and  pointed,  with  the  first 
quill  the  longest.  Tail  short  and  rounded.  Tarsi  short,  and  covered  with  a roAV  of  transverse  scales 
in  front,  and  the  rest  with  reticulated  scales.  Toes  moderate,  and  covered  above  with  transverse  scales ; 
the  hind  toe  short  and  elevated ; the  claws  curved  and  rather  obtuse. 
It  is  in  the  southern  parts  of  South  America  that  these  singular  birds  are  found,  spreading  over  at  least  twenty-three 
degrees  of  latitude.  They  inhabit  the  elevated  valleys  of  the  mountains  and  the  inland  plains,  preferring  the  most 
desolate  places  which  could  scarcely  be  inliabited  by  other  animals.  They  are  seen  either  in  pairs  or  in  small  coveys 
of  five  or  six,  and  sometimes  during  the  winter  in  flocks  of  many  individuals.  These  birds  are  very  local,  frequenting 
the  same  place  for  a long  time ; when  flushed,  they  take  a rapid  and  circular  flight,  often  returning  to  the  spot  whence 
they  rose,  but  if  suddenly  alarmed  they  lie  close  to  the  ground,  from  which  they  are  scarcely  to  be  distinguished. 
Their  food  consists  of  grass,  leaves,  and  seeds  of  plants,  and  occasionally  of  insects.  The  nest  is  said,  observes  Mr- 
Darwin,  to  be  placed  on  the  borders  of  lakes,  although  the  bird  itself  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  parched  desert.  The 
female  lays  from  five  to  six  eggs. 
i .  T.  rumicivorus  Eschsch.  Zool.  Atlas,  t.  2.  — Thinocorus 
Eschscholtzii  I.  Geoffr.  et  Less.  Cent.  Zool.  t.  50. ; Ocypetes  tor- 
quatus  Wagl. 
2.  T.  OrUgnyianus  I.  GeofFr.  et  Less.  Cent.  Zool.  t.  48,  49- 
3.  T.  Swainsoni  Less.  lUustr.  de  Zool.  t.  l6. 
4.  T.  IngcB  Tschudi,  Wiegm.  Arch.  1843.  p.  387. 
* This  genus  was  established  by  Eschscholtz  in  his  Zoological  Atlas,  which  was  published  in  1829.  In  the  same  year,  Wagler  proposed 
Ocypetes  for  the  same  bird,  and  in  1 830  he  changed  the  name  to  ItUys. 
May,  1845. 
Y Y 
