Walter Goodfellow—Some Reminiscences of a Collector 417


We were held up for two weeks at Asuncion by a strike of the

river workers. So I took the opportunity to visit the celebrated Iguassu

falls on the Parana, going by train as far as Encarnacion. Here I came

across for the first time a bird many readers must have admired in

the bird house at the Zoo, namely, the White-capped Tanager

(Stephanophorus leucocephalus). During one day I counted nearly

twenty in parties of three or four, always in bushes, or sitting on the

topmost twigs where their beautiful blue plumage looked conspicuously

brilliant. Popas, too, were numerous, but as I did not shoot any birds

on the journey, I cannot give the species. As in all parts of South

America, at every village, or ranch, the steamer stopped at, was a

wooden cross in the centre, which may be high or low, but invariably

on the cross bar was fixed at least one, and sometimes more, of the

solid clay nests of the Oven Bird (Funarius rufa). These are never

molested as many superstitious legends are woven around these birds.

At a house I once stayed at in Brazil an Oven Bird had built its nest

on the ledge of the first floor verandah railing which people used every

day. When the birds begin to build or renovate old nests, it is known

the wet season will very soon end. I watched a pair at one place build

a perfectly-formed porch-like projection over the entrance to an old

nest they were repairing ; and at another add a second storey, a very

unusual thing, but this belonged to another species (F. cinnamomeus ).

These nests are replicas on a small scale of the ovens built outside all

country houses.


A ground bird, common around some of the ranches we called at,

was the Seed Snipe (Thinocorus rumicivorus). I had only met with

this before in Chile, where it is called chatadera, and from whence

I brought a number home alive, several of which lived for a long time

in the western aviaries of the Zoo. Some may still remember them,

for I believe none have been here since. They are fascinating little

birds, bearing little resemblance to the ordinary Snipe. It is a pity

more are not imported.


I believe all the country along the Paraguay River used to be a

great resort for Egrets, and formed a very conspicuous feature of the

landscape, especially where the banks border along the Gran Chaco.

Alas ! now they are only conspicuous by their absence. For this we


22



