40 Mr. H. Durnford on some Birds observed 
as Brogue purpurea, both birds anxiously circling and scream¬ 
ing over my head when their nests were threatened, in ra¬ 
pidity of flight it almost rivalled that bird, and, if not quite 
so quick in turning, in a fair straight race it would certainly 
not be behind the Swallow. To the colonists it is no friend, 
as it often carries off their young chickens. 
Milvago chimango. 
Very common, nesting on the tufts of pampa- grass. I fre- 
* quently observed this species in flocks. 
POLYBORUS VULGARIS. 
Very common, nesting, like Buteo erythronotus , on the 
highest bushes, but making a much smaller nest than that 
bird. Fish-bones, cowhide, straw, and a piece of string were 
in the bottom of one nest I examined, whilst another had 
much the same miscellaneous collection. 
Sarcorhamphus gryphus. 
A pair observed on the 15th November at Ninfas Point, 
the female of which I shot: its stomach was well filled with 
Guanaco- and Seal-flesh; and the stench from the bird was 
almost intolerable. The male was considerably the larger of the 
two, and the white frill round the lower part of its neck much 
broader than in the other sex. This bird is occasionally seen 
in the upper part of the valley; and when the colonists are 
hunting in the neighbourhood of the sea-coast, it is always 
the first of the numerous bird-scavengers to make its appear¬ 
ance after game has been killed; more than one of these men 
told me it was their firm conviction that it was attracted to the 
spot by scent, and not by sight, being rarely seen when 
nothing was killed. 
Phalacrocorax brasilianfs. 
Common about the mouth of the river, and occasionally 
seen up the valley some distance from the sea. 
Nycticorax obscurus. 
Not uncommon, during the day resting on the banks of 
the river under the shelter of the overhanging willows, and 
