Argentine Ornithology Volume Ii Part 30

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

This Crake is an inhabitant of Southern Brazil and Paraguay, but also occurs in the Northern Provinces of the Argentine Republic, where it was met with by Dr. Burmeister in Tuc.u.man.

375. PORZANA SALINASI (Philippi).

(SPOT-WINGED CRAKE.)

+Rallus salinasi+, _Philippi, Wiegm. Arch._ 1857, pt. i. p. 262 (Chili); _Burm. Ibis_, 1888, p. 285. +Porzana spiloptera+, _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 194, pl. iii. (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above olive-brown with black markings; wings with white cross bands; front, sides of head, and body beneath plumbeous; flanks dark grey, with transverse bars of white; under tail-coverts barred with black and white; beak dark horn-colour; feet rather lighter: whole length 55 inches.

_Hab._ Chili and Argentina.

In 1876 Durnford obtained a specimen of this Crake from the river-scrub near Belgrano in the province of Buenos Ayres, and described and figured it in 'The Ibis' under the MS. name "_spiloptera_," which had been given by Dr. Burmeister to an example of the same bird in the Buenos Ayres Museum.

Dr. Burmeister has, however, recently ascertained that the appellation which he proposed for this species must give way to that of _salinasi_, under which t.i.tle it was described in 1857 by Dr. Philippi of Santiago.

_Porzana salinasi_, as we must therefore call it, is most nearly allied to _P. spilonota_ of the Galapagos (_cf._ Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 456), but has the wings more distinctly striped, and the back olive-brown, with black markings, and not of a uniform ferruginous.

376. PORZANA NOTATA (Gould).

(MARKED CRAKE.)

+Zap.o.r.nia notata+, _Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle_, iii. p. 132, pl.

xlviii. (La Plata). +Porzana notata+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.

140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 456; _Sclater, P. Z. S._ 1876, p.

255.

_Description._--Above dark olive-brown, with small white spots: beneath black, barred across with white: whole length 55 inches, wing 30, tail 13.

_Hab._ Argentina and Patagonia.

The type specimen of this little Crake was obtained during the voyage of the 'Beagle,' on board the ship, when in the Rio Plata. Another specimen was captured off the coast of Uruguay and brought alive to England in 1876. An example of the same species in the Paris Museum was procured by d'Orbigny in Patagonia.

377. PORPHYRIOPS MELANOPS (Vieill.).

(LITTLE WATERHEN.)

+Ortygometra melanops+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (R.

Uruguay). +Porphyriops melanops+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.

140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 461, et 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above olivaceous; head darker; wings brown; wing-coverts tinged with chestnut; outer secondaries more or less distinctly margined with white: beneath cinereous; middle of belly and crissum white; flanks olivaceous, spotted with white; bill dark olive, with the tip yellowish; feet hazel: whole length 90 inches, wing 50, tail 20. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

In the southern part of the Argentine country the Little Waterhen is a summer visitant, and very abundant in the marshes along the Plata. In language and habits it is like the Coots: it is not often seen on land, and feeds princ.i.p.ally as it swims about in a jerky manner among the floating weeds. It appears in October, migrating exclusively, I think, by night; and after the autumnal departure an individual is rarely seen.

By day they are shy and retiring, but scatter abroad in the evening, frequently uttering their hollow mysterious cry, called _the witch laugh_ by superst.i.tious people, and resembling a sudden burst of hysterical laughter, the notes beginning loud and long, becoming brief and hurried as they die away.

378. GALLINULA GALEATA (Licht.).

(AMERICAN WATERHEN.)

+Gallinula galeata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (Rio Parana); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 462; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 627 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above grey; middle of back and wings olivaceous brown: beneath grey, whitish on the middle of the belly; bend of the wing, stripes on the flanks, and sides of crissum pure white; middle of crissum and tail black; frontal shield and bill red, the latter tipped with yellow; feet olive varied with yellow; naked portion of shank scarlet: whole length 150 inches, wing 75, tail 55.

_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ North and South America.

The American representative of our familiar Waterhen extends into the western provinces of the Argentine Republic. Mr. Barrows tells us it is abundant on the Lower Uruguay, and Dr. Burmeister met with it on the Parana.

379. FULICA ARMILLATA, Vieill.

(RED-GARTERED COOT.)

+Fulica armillata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (Mendoza, Parana); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 145 (Buenos Ayres); _iid. Ex. Orn._ pl. lviii. p. 115; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 401 (Centr. Patagonia); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios); _Withington, Ibis_, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

_Description._--Dark slaty; whole head blackish; bend of wing and outer margin of external primary white; crissum white, with a black median patch; bill yellow, with red basal spots; frontal shield large, oval, yellow, margined with red; feet large, yellowish olive; front of them and naked portion of tibiae red: whole length 160 inches, wing 78, tail 20. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

This is the largest of the three Coots found within our limits, and further distinguishable by the great size of the feet and the bright red markings at the base of the yellow bill. It seems to be generally distributed over the lagoons of the Pampas. Dr. Burmeister obtained specimens at Mendoza and Parana, Durnford near Buenos Ayres and in Chupat, and Mr. Barrows in Entrerios, where he says it is not uncommon in the cold weather. In general plumage this Coot closely resembles the Yellow-billed Coot, but differs in the base of the upper mandible being of a deep orange-red, this colour extending to the middle of the frontal shield, and in the absence of white on the secondaries. The naked part of the leg above the foot is also of a bright red, hence Azara's appropriate name of "Red-gartered Coot."

Durnford received the eggs of this Coot from a correspondent living to the south of Buenos Ayres, where it was said to be "quite common." He describes the eggs as being readily distinguishable from those of the two other species by their larger size.

380. FULICA LEUCOPYGA, Hartl.

(RED-FRONTED COOT.)

+Fulica leucopyga+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 467; _iid. Ex. Orn._ p. 120; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p.

42 (Chupat), et 1878, p. 66 (Buenos Ayres) et p. 402 (Centr.

Patagonia); _Withington, Ibis_, 1888, p. 471 (Lomas de Zamora).

_Description._--Dark cinereous; head and neck black; crissum white, with a black median patch; bill and frontal shield scarlet; tip of bill yellow; feet olivaceous: whole length 150 inches, wing 68, tail 20. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Uruguay, Argentina, Chili, and Patagonia.

The want of the white margin to the outer primary and the smaller and pointed head-shield distinguish this Coot from the preceding species.

From _F. leucoptera_ it may be at once known by the absence of the white tips to the secondaries.

Durnford found the Red-fronted Coot common, and breeding in the lagoons north of Buenos Ayres. The nests of this bird and of _F. leucoptera_, he tells us, are much alike, but those of the present species are perhaps rather the smaller. "They are formed of reeds, and placed in clumps of the same, the bottom just above the water. The eggs vary in number from six to eight, and also differ a good deal in colour. Their ground-colour is dark greyish brown, finely mottled and streaked with rufous and darker brown, some of the spots being of a considerable size."