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Sydney Porter—Notes from South America



I spent about a month in Brazil but saw very few birds in a wild

state ; as with most other countries, Brazil is destroying its forests,

and when the indigenous flora goes so does the avifauna, especially if

it is the forest type. Cutting down the forests and planting with crops

means despoiling the country as far as the naturalist is concerned, and

ultimately as far as the farmer is concerned. Over the miles of country

where the native vegetation is destroyed there is no cover or under¬

growth for the birds in which to hide and nest, and with the destruction

of the plants, so vanish the insects and fruits upon which the birds

feed, consequently in the cultivated districts one sees very few birds

whatever.


Had I have gone into the far interior where the tropical forests

are I should doubtless have seen a great many birds, but unfortunately

I had no time for that.


The commonest bird in South America is the familiar Southern

Turkey Vulture, which is to be seen flying in hundreds, with out¬

stretched, motionless pinions, above the smaller towns, on the lookout

for any edible garbage or carrion. When the fishermen haul in the

catches, these birds may be seen in hundreds on the beach waiting for

an odd inedible fish or the offal from the others.


As I had very little time in Montevideo I did not go to the Zoo there,

which I was given to understand was very little better than the one in

Bio. As there seem to be no laws prohibiting the catching of birds in

Uruguay, one sees many native birds kept by the inhabitants of

Montevideo, chiefly Bed-crested Cardinals, the various Spermophila

Finches, and various local Thrushes. I discovered one good bird shop

where I saw many birds of local origin.


There were several specimens of the local Mocking Bird (Mimus

modulator ), a bird very much larger than the North American species,

these were priced at about 355. a pair. I noticed several species of

waders, Stilts were 16s. a pair, there were also various Plovers and

Bedshank. There were also some very fine Marsh or Military Starlings

(Trupialis defilippii), a bird clad in the most vivid scarlet and varying

shades of brown ; some beautiful Blue and Yellow Tanagers (Tanagra

honariensi ), Ovenbirds, Grackles, many local Thrushes which are great

favourites on account of their song, and, strange to say, a Fieldfare,



