250



.'rter—Notes from South America



birds are • mens for besides feeding on insect pests they act


as v h ; dogs ' " giving the alarm on the advent of any strange person,


. i . / quite a few of these charming birds in the gardens of

• lions - , I visited. They were usually quite tame, but never

a .vthemselves to be touched. This is one of the finest of the

nily and makes a delightful liberty bird in a garden. I heard

tales concerning it and its remarkable intelligence and it is

oioubtedly a bird of great character. Years ago I had a couple but

;ey were killed by a pair of Occipital Blue Pies.


I noticed in the Gardens quite a few of those delightful birds the

Brazilian Stilts, one of the most beautiful and graceful of the waders.

Their grace is comparable with that of the smaller Egrets. I did not

bring many birds back with me as I had little room in my aviaries,

but besides the birds already mentioned I did purchase a pair of these

birds from the shop in the Sarmiento. “ Brazilian ” is rather a misnomer

as the birds are found throughout the whole of South America. They

are the most delightful creatures but very sensitive to cold and they

cannot stand the cold, wet ground outdoors in England. I lost my

pair through letting them run about in a damp spot near my duck

pond. The damp, cold clay affected their feet even though it was summer

time and they died. The central aviary in the Small Bird House at the

London Zoo is an ideal place for these birds.


I tried also to get hold of some of those strange birds, the Seed

Snipes, though quite why they are called “ Snipe ” I do not know.

However I was unable to get any as I was not in the Argentine when

they were due to arrive on migration from Patagonia.


There were numerous Rails, the most attractive of these I thought

was a tiny red bird, only about the size of a Sparrow, and which I

believe is known scientifically as Laterallus melanphius.


There were a great many Egrets, both the large, Ardea egretta, and

the small A. candidissima , or Snowy Egret. With the exception of some

of the latter birds in an aviary, all the Egrets were at liberty and full¬

winged. These birds were to be seen in small flocks and very lovely

they looked in the full finery of their nuptual plumage, sporting them¬

selves in the dark foliaged trees overhanging the water. The Great

White Egrets were particularly attractive and it was a great joy to see



