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Show 112 llAliiA BLANCA. Aug. 1833. . f · t an.e d re1 a t 1' 0n s' althouct>r h at presen• t those whiCh, rom I s v l tematic naturalist, ultl-d. ffi ulf to t le sys offering only . 1 .c Ies li.n g t h e Q'Tan d scheme' common to mately may assist m revea h~ h organized beings have the present an d pas t a::c>r es ' on w IC been created. · fl f e t h e genu s Furnariu s. It contains I may also. bne Uy snmo aIlCl b'I r d s, 1I' V 1. ng on the ground, and several species, a . In structure they cannot b. . en dry countnes. . h inha 1tmg op ' f Ornithologists ave d European orm. be compare to any the creepers, although op-rrenerally included t~em amohngb't The best known species o h f '1 n every a I . posed to t at ami y I . L Plata the Casara or house- . h mmon oven-bird of a ' v· 11 Th IS t e co . and .Pumarius nifus of Ie . e maker of the Spamar~s, is laced in the most exposed nest, whence it takes Its namfe, ~st a bare rock, or on a si.t uati·O ns, as on the top fo a dP d' bits of straw, an d h as I · )Osed o mu an cactus. t 1S com}. h 't precisely resembles an oven, strong thick walls : m s ape 1 . is large and arched, and or depre~sed beehi;e.. T!: o!:m:here is a partition, which directly m front, Withm f th forming a passage or antereaches nearly to the roo' us chamber to the true nest. . f Furnarius something like Another and smaller species o ' b' d . many k . earance resembles the oven- lf m a l.a r m a·p p the gen' era1 rey;~ d·I S h ti'nt of its pluma. ge, a pomts, as ~n . an odd manner of runmng by Peculiar shnll reiterated cry, . d 11 I.t Casarita · ffi 't the Spamar s ca starts, &c. From Its a m y, . . dification is quite ( li.ttle housebuilder), although Its m f do. Jrr t The Casarita bm.l ds I. ts nes t a t the bot.t om o1 1 a 1ueren · . . t d honzonta y l'ndrical hole which IS said to ex en narrow cy 1 ' l f the country to nearly six feet under ground. Severa o to di eo le told me, that when boys they had atte~pted . cr t~ ~ut ~he nest, but had scarcely ever succeeded m get~n~oil the end. The bird chooses any low bank of firm ~a~!anca) b the side of a road or stream. Here (at ~alna one t~e walls are built of hardened mud ; and I nottced that t .j which enclosed a courtyard where I lodged, ":as penet~n:r by round holes in a score of places. On askmg the o Aug. 1833. ARMADILLOES. 113 the cause of this, he bitterly complained 'of the little casarita, several of which I afterwards observed at work. It is rather curious, that although they were constantly flitting over the low wall, they must be quite incapable of gaining an idea of thickness even after the sho.rtest circuitous route, for otherwise they would not have made so many vain attempts. I do not doubt that each bird, as often as it came to daylight on the opposite side, was greatly surprised at the marvellous fact. I have already mentioned nearly all the mammalia common in this country. Of armadilloes three species occur, namely, the Dasypus minutus or pici!!J, the Villosus or peludo, and the apar. The first extends as far south as lat. 50°, which is about ten degrees further than any other kind. A fourth -species, the Mulita, only extends as far south as the Sierra Tapalguen, lat. 37° 30', which is north of Bahia Blanca. The four species have nearly similar habits ; the peludo, however, is nocturnal, while the others wander by day over the open plains, feeding on beetles, larvce, roots, and even small snakes. The apar, commonly called mataco, is remarkable by having only three moveable bands ; the rest of its tesselated covering being nearly inflexible. It has the power of rolling itself into a perfect sphere, like one kind of English woodlouse. In this state it is safe from the attack of dogs; for the dog not being able to take the whole in its mouth, tries to bite one side, and the ball slips away. The smooth hard covering of the mataco offers a better defence than the sharp spines of the hedgehog. The piclty prefers a very dry soil, and the sand-dunes near the coast, where for many months it can never taste water, is its favourite resort. In the course of a day's ride, near Bahia Blanca, several were generally met with. The instant one was perceived, it was necessary in order to catch it, almost to tumble off one's horse; for if the soil was soft, the animal burrowed so quickly, that its hinder quarters had almost disappeared before one could alight. The piclty likewise often tries to escape notice, by squatting close to the ground. It appears almost VOL. III. |