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Show 74 ZOOLOGY OF TilE VOYAGE OF TilE BEAGLE. Chiloe, where it is much less common than the Cheucau, it is called by the inhabitants Cheuqui. Kittlitz pt·ocured specimens from Concepcion. He describes the cry which it utters over and over again, _in the same high tone, as very singular, and more like that of a frog than of a bud. ScYTALOPUS MAGELLANICUS. G. R. Gray. Sylvia 1\lagellanica, Latlt. Index, ii. p. 528. ~ Forst. Dr. No. l 63. ~ Scytalopus fuscns, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part iv. 1836, p. 39. t ----- Jard. and S elb. Ill. Om. New Sor. pl. 19. t Pl11tyurus niger, Swaim., Two Cent. and a Quarter, p. 323. t This bird has a wider range than the species of the foregoing and closely allied genus. It is common near Port Famine in Tierra <lei Fuego, and on the west coast in the thickly wooded islets of the Chonos Archipelago. I was assured by an intelligent collector that this bird is met with, though rarely, in central Chile; and Mr. Gould informs me, that he has received specimens from that country. It has found its way over to the Falkland Islands, where, instead of inhabiting forests, it frequents the coarse herbage and low bushes, which in most parts conceal the peaty surface of that island. In general appearance the Scytalopus jttScus might at first be mistaken for a Troglodytes, but in habits it is closely allied to the several species of Pteroptochos. In a skulking manner, with its little tail erect, it hops about the most entangled parts of the forests of Tierra del Fuego; but when near the outskirts, it every now and then pops out, and then quickly back again. It utters many loud and strange cries: to obtain a good view of it is not always easy, and still less so to make it fly. A specimen I procured at Chiloe had its upper mandible stronger and more arched, but differed in no other respect. 1. TROGLODYTES MAGELLANICUS. Gould. T. Magcllanicus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part iv. 1836, p. 88. This bird has a considerable range. I procured specimens of it near Rio de Janeiro, on the banks of the Plata, throughout Patagonia, in Tierra del Fuego, where it is one of the commonest birds, and likewise in Central Chile : its habits resemble very closely those of the common Troglodytes of England. In the open country near Bahia Blanca it lived amongst the thickets and coarse herbage in the valleys i in Tierra del Fuego, in the outskirts of the forest. Its chirp is harsh. In Chile I saw one in October building its nest in a hole in a stone wall, in a situation such as would have been chosen by our Troglodytes. BIRDS. 75 2. TROGLODYTES PLATENSIS. Gmel. I procured specimens of this bird from Bahia Blanca, inN orthern Patagonia, and likewise from the Falkland Islands, whel'e it is not uncommon. When first killed, its legs and beak appear of larger size, compared to its body, than in other species of this genus. In the Falkland Islands it lives, almost exclusively, close to the ground, in the coarse grass which springs from the peaty soil. I do not think I ever saw a bird which, when it chose to remain concealed, was so difficult to disturb. I have frequently marked one down to within a yard on the open grassy plain, and afterwards have endeavoured, quite in vain, by walking backwards and forwards, over the same spot, to obtain another sight of it. 1. SYNALLAXIS IIUMICOLA. Kittl. S. humicoln, Kittl. Mem. de l'Acad. St. Peters. i. pl. 6.-ltl. Vog. von Chili, p. 13, pl. vi. Not uncommon in the neighbourhood of Valparaiso. Kittlitz has well described its habits. He says it lives on the ground under thickets, that it is active in running about, and that it readily flies from Lush to bush. It holds its tail upright; utters a shrill, quickly reiterated cry; feeds on insects; but Kittlitz found in the stomach chiefly grains and berries, with little stones. From these circumstances, he conceives that this bird shews some affinity with Pteroptochos, but I feel no doubt that in the form of its beak, wings, tail, manner of carrying the latter, kind of plumage, sound of voice and habits, the relationship is much closer with Eremobius, which perhaps it may be considered as representing on the Pacific side of the Cordillera. Its tongue is furnished with bristly points, but apparently is less deeply bifid than in the other species of Synallaxis or Limnornis. I obtained both sexes, but there is no difference in their plumage. For the reason just given, I have put this species at the head of its genus, and therefore nearest to Eremobius, although it is impossible to represE>nt by a linear arrangement, the multiplied relations between the following generaFurnarius, Uppucerthia, Opetiorhynchus, Eremobius, Anumbius, Synallaxis, Limnornis, Oxyurus; and again, Rhynomya, Pteroptochos, Scytalopus, and Troglodytes, which, with the exception of the last, are strictly South American forms. |
