212 Barrows on Birds of the Lower Uruguay. L° ct °ber 
mer entering by the door, the latter pulling the bottom of the nest 
out and reaching eggs or young from below. The birds are by 
no means shy, and when a nest is conveniently situated it is quite 
easy to catch the bird in the nest after sunset. Fresh eggs may 
be found from October till January — and the birds spend more or 
less, time in building and repairing nests throughout the entire 
year. 
93. Homorus lophotus (Bon.). Copeton JBig-crest) 
and Casero (House-builder) . — The name Cachalote assigned 
by most writers to this bird I have never heard at Concepcion 
where it is well known by the name Copeton. A bird the size of 
a Blue-jay, with uniform rufous plumage, a respectable crest, an 
outrageous disposition and voice, and a nest the size of a barrel, 
is a bird that cannot be overlooked, especially if, as is his custom, 
he comes attended by a score or so of his immediate relatives and 
friends. 
Like many a more pretentious creature, however, his house is 
more interesting than himself, and we have only room for a brief 
glance. His nest is built entirely of sticks, and many of them of 
goodly size, frequently as large around as your little finger and 
two feet or more long. These are disposed in such a way as to 
form a structure three or four feet in length by about two in 
breadth at the widest part, the whole very much resembling 
a gigantic powder-flask lying on its side among the lower branches 
of a spreading tree. It is quite loosely built and the nest cavity 
is rather indefinite, being any portion of the floor of the nest 
which the bird selects for the reception of the eggs. These are 
usually three or four in number, pure white, and are laid from 
October until January. They can usually be counted through 
the loose floor of the nest, though sometimes its thickness pre- 
vents this. The birds stick closely to the thickest and thorniest 
trees, and I do not remember ever to have seen one on the ground. 
Their voices are harsh and discordant in the extreme, and except 
for their large and curious nests the birds would have little inter- 
est even for the collector. 
( To be continue d.) 
