Scytalopus are confined to the west coast of South America. The _P.
Tarnii_ ranges from the neighbourhood of Concepcion, lat. 37°, to south
of the Peninsula of Tres Montes, between 41° and 50°. It is not found in
Tierra del Fuego, where the climate probably is too cold for it, for in
other respects, the great forests of that country appear admirably
adapted to its habits. Its limit, northward of the province of
Concepcion, is evidently due to the change which there takes place, from
dense forests to an open and dry country. The _P. Tarnii_ is abundant in
all parts of the Island of Chiloe, where it is called by the native
Indians, _guid-guid_; but by the English sailors, the barking-bird. This
latter name is very well applied, for the noise which it utters is
precisely like the yelping of a small dog. When a person is walking
along a pathway within the forest, or on the sea beach, he will often be
surprised to hear on a sudden, close by him, the barking of the
_guid-guid_. He may often watch in vain the thicket, whence the sound
proceeds, in hopes of seeing its author, and if he endeavour, by beating
the bushes, to drive it out, his chance of success will be still
smaller. At other times, by standing quietly within the forest, the
_guid-guid_ will fearlessly hop close to him, and will stand on the
trunk of some dead tree, with its tail erect, and strange figure full in
view. It feeds exclusively on the ground, in the thickest and most
entangled parts of the forest. It rarely takes wing, and then only for
short distances. It has the power of hopping quickly and with great
vigour; when thus awkwardly proceeding, it carries its short tail in a
nearly erect position. I was informed that the _guid-guid_, builds a
nest amongst rotten sticks, close to the ground.
2. PTEROPTOCHOS MEGAPODIUS. _Kittl._
Pteroptochos megapodius. _Kittl._ 1830, Mem. de l’Acad. 1, pl. iv. et
Vogel, von Chili, p. 10, pl. iv.
Megalonyx rufus. _Less._ Cent. Zool. 1831, pl. 66.
—— _D’Orb. & Lafr._
Leptonyx macropus. _Swains._ Zool. Ill. pl. 117.
—— _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Voy. de l’Amer. Mer. Av. 197.
This bird is common in the dry country of central and northern Chile,
where it replaces the _P. Tarnii_ of the thickly wooded southern
regions. The _P. megapodius_, is called by the Chilenos, “_El Turco_;”
it lives on the ground amongst the bushes which are sparingly scattered
over the stony hills. With its tail erect, every now and then it may be
seen popping on its stilt-like legs from one bush to another with
uncommon celerity. Its appearance is very strange and almost ludicrous,
and the bird seems always anxious to hide itself. It does not run, but
hops, and can hardly be compelled to take flight. The various loud cries
which it utters, when concealed in the bushes, are as strange as its
appearance. I opened the extremely muscular gizzards of several of these
birds, and found them filled with beetles, vegetable fibres, and
pebbles. Observing the structure of the gizzard, the fleshy covering to
the nostrils, and the arched, rounded wing, and great scratching claws,
it was easy to imagine some distant kind of relationship between these
birds and those of the Gallinaceous order. I was informed that the Turco
makes its nest at the bottom of a deep burrow which it excavates in the
ground.
3. PTEROPTOCHOS ALBICOLLIS. _Kittl._
Pteroptochos albicollis. _Kittl._ Mem. de l’Acad. Petersb. 1. pl. iii.
Vogel von Chili; p. 8. pl. iii.
Megalonyx medius. _Less._ Ill. Zool. pl. lx.
Megalonyx albicollis. _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Mag. de Zool. (1636,) Aves, p.
15.
Leptonyx albicollis. _D’Orb._ Voy. de l’Amer. Mer. Av. p. 196, pl. viii.
f. 2.
This species is called by the Chilenos “Tapacolo,” or cover your
posteriors. The name is well applied, as the Tapacolo generally carries
its short tail more than erect, that is, inclined backward and toward
the head. It is extremely common in central Chile; and in the same
manner as the Turco replaces the Barking-bird of the southern forest
land, so does the Tapacolo replace a fourth species (_P. rubecula_),
which is an inhabitant of the same forests. The Tapacolo frequents
hedge-rows, and the bushes which are scattered at a considerable
elevation over the sterile hills, where scarcely another bird can exist:
hence it plays a conspicuous part in the ornithology of Chile. In its
manner of feeding, and quickly hopping out of a thicket and back again,
in its desire of concealment, unwillingness to take flight, and
nidification, it manifests a close resemblance with the _P. megapodius_;
its appearance is not, however, so strange, and (as if in consequence)
it exposes itself more readily to view. The Tapacolo is very crafty;
when frightened by any person, it will remain motionless at the bottom
of a bush, and will then, after a little while, try with much address to
crawl away on the opposite side. It is also an active bird, and
continually making a noise; these noises are various and strangely odd;
one is like the cooing of doves, another like the bubbling of water, and
many defy all similes. The country people say it changes its cry five
times in the year, which is according, I suppose, to some change of
season. I was told that the Tapacolo builds its nest at the bottom of a
deep burrow, like the Turco; whereas the _P. Tarnii_, (as well as the
_P. rubecula_, an inhabitant of the same districts,) makes its nest
amongst the sticks just above the ground. This difference in the
nidification, of the southern and northern species, is probably due to
the nature of the damp forests inhabited by the former in which a burrow
could hardly be made dry. I may here observe, that travelling northward
from Valparaiso to Coquimbo, I met near Illapel with a bird closely
allied to the Tapacolo, but which, from some slight difference in
manners, I believed was a distinct species. The range of this supposed
species, is from between Coquimbo and Valparaiso, to at least as far
north as the valley of Copiapó.
4. PTEROPTOCHOS RUBECULA. _Kittl._
Pteroptochos rubecula, _Kittl._ Vog. von Chili, p. 7. pl. ii.
Megalonyx rubecula, _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Mag. de Zool. 1837, p. 16.
Megalonyx rufogularis, _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Voy. de l’Amer. Mer. pl. 7, f.
2.
Leptonyx rubecula, _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Voy. de l’Amer. Mer. Av. p. 196.
This species appears to have nearly the same range with the _P. Tarnii_:
its southern limit certainly extends as far as 47° south, but northward,
where the forests cease, near Concepcion, I was unable to ascertain that
this bird is ever met with, and Kittlitz has made the same remark. In
Chiloe, where it is common, it is called by the Indian inhabitants the
“Cheucau.” It frequents the most gloomy and retired spots within the
damp forests. Sometimes, although the cry of the Cheucau is heard close
by, a person may watch attentively and yet in vain; at other times, if
he stands motionless, the red-breasted little bird will approach within
a few feet, in the most familiar manner. It then busily hops about the
entangled mass of rotting canes and branches, with its little tail
cocked upwards. I opened the gizzard of several specimens; it was very
muscular, and contained hard seeds, buds of plants, occasionally some
insects, and vegetable fibres mixed with small stones. The Cheucau is
held in superstitious fear by the Chilotans, on account of its strange
and varied cries. There are three very distinct kinds:—one is called
“chiduco,” and is an omen of good; another “huitreu,” which is extremely
unfavourable; and a third, which I have forgotten. These words are given
in imitation of its cries, and the natives are in some things absolutely
governed by them. I have already stated that I was informed by the
inhabitants that the Cheucau builds its nest amongst sticks close to the
ground.
5. PTEROPTOCHOS PARADOXUS. _G. R. Gray._
Troglodytes paradoxus, _Kittl._ Vog. von Chili, p. 12, pl. 5.—_Id._ Mem.
de l’Acad. St. Peters. 1833, i. pl. 5.
Malacorhynchus Chilensis, _Kittl._ Mem. de l’Acad. St. Peters. 1835, p.
527.
Leptonyx paradoxus, _D’Orb._ Voy. de l’Amer. Mer. Av. p. 197.
This species differs in a small degree from all the others of the genus:
its claws are longer, tarsi shorter, and bill flattened at the top: in
these, and some other respects, it approaches to Scytalopus. I may add,
that from a greater degree of resemblance, especially in the feet, _P.
Tarnii_ and _megapodius_ may be ranked in one section, and _P.
albicollis_ and _rubecula_ in another.
I procured specimens of the _P. paradoxus_ both from Valdivia and
Chiloe; like the _P. Tarnii_ and _P. rubecula_ it is confined to the
regions of forest. Its habits are closely similar to those of the last
species. I opened the gizzard of one at Valdivia, and found it full of
large seeds and the remnants of insects. In Chiloe, where it is much
less common than the Cheucau, it is called by the inhabitants Cheuqui.
Kittlitz procured 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 bird.
SCYTALOPUS MAGELLANICUS. _G. R. Gray._
Sylvia Magellanica, _Lath._ Index, ii. p. 528. ♀ Forst. Dr. No. 163. ♀
Scytalopus fuscus, _Gould_, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part iv. 1836, p. 39.
♂
—— _Jard. and Selb._ Ill. Orn. New Ser. pl. 19. ♂
Platyurus niger, _Swains._, Two Cent. and a Quarter, p. 323. ♂
This bird has a wider range than the species of the foregoing and
closely allied genus. It is common near Port Famine in Tierra del 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
fuscus_ 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. Magellanicus, _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; 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.
2. TROGLODYTES PLATENSIS. _Gmel._
I procured specimens of this bird from Bahia Blanca, in Northern
Patagonia, and likewise from the Falkland Islands, where 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 HUMICOLA. _Kittl._
S. humicola, _Kittl._ Mem. de l’Acad. St. Peters, i. pl. 6.—_Id._ 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 bush
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
represent by a linear arrangement, the multiplied relations between the
following genera—Furnarius, 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.
2. SYNALLAXIS MAJOR. _Gould._
PLATE XXII.
_S. olivaceo fuscus; infra fulvus albo distinctè maculatus; plumis
singulis stria obscura centrali notatis; fronte rufo, remigibus
fuscis, cinereo-fusco externè maculatis, tertiariis nigro fuscis
apice margineque latè cinereo-fuscis; gulâ albâ, plumarum
flavescentium serie fusco maculatarum circumdatâ._
Long. tot. 8 unc.; _rost._ 1; _alæ_, 3¼; _caudæ_, 4; _tarsi_, 1.
Forehead rufous; crown of the head, back of the neck and back olive
brown, with a conspicuous stripe of blackish brown down the centre
of each feather; wing-coverts and lower part of the back olive
brown, with a faint trace of the dark patch in the centre of each
feather; primaries brown, margined externally with greyish brown;
spurious wing and secondaries rufous tipped with brown; tertiaries
blackish brown broadly margined and tipped with greyish brown; two
centre tail feathers dark olive brown; the remainder blackish brown
largely tipped with white; throat white encircled with a series of
feathers of a buff colour spotted with dark brown; breast and all
the under surface tawny indistinctly blotched with white; tarsi with
a very pale blue tinge.
Habitat, Maldonado, north bank of La Plata. (_June_).
This bird is not very common. Those which I saw lived on the ground in
dry and open places, and did not frequent the neighbourhood of lakes
abounding with rushes or thickets, like the greater number of species of
Synallaxis, and the allied genus Limnornis. The flight of this bird is
peculiar, which seems chiefly due to the length of its elegantly
acuminated tail. It sometimes alights and rests on the summit of a
thistle or twig, a habit different from that of any species of the genus
which I have seen. Its manner of living and feeding on the ground might
have been suspected, from the length of the soft secondaries, like those
of a lark or of _Furnarius cunicularius_. The claws also of the front
toes are produced and perhaps they are rather straighter than in other
members of the family. The tongue is bifid and divided into bristly
points. The nest, of which I have seen two, is very peculiar. It is
cylindrical, about two feet long, and placed vertically in the middle of
a thick bush in an exposed situation. It is made externally of prickly
branches, and is very large compared with the size of the bird. The
opening is at the upper extremity, from which a passage leads to the
true nest, which is lined with feathers and hairs. There is a slight
bend in the passage both at its exit and where it enters the nest.
[Illustration:
_Birds. Pl. 22._
_Synallaxis major._
]
[Illustration:
_Birds. Pl. 23._
_Synallaxis rufogularis._
]
3. SYNALLAXIS RUFOGULARIS. _Gould._
PLATE XXIII.
_S. olivaceo fuscus plumis singulis maculâ oblongâ fusco nigrâ;
remigibus primariis secundariisque basi ferrugineo fuscis, apice
nigro fuscis, flavescenti albo marginatis; lineâ superciliari, mento
abdomineque medio flavescenti albis; gulâ ferrugineo fuscâ; pectore
fulvescenti fusco, plumis singulis striâ pallidiore centrali
ornatis._
Long. tot. 6½ unc.; _rost._ ⅞; _alæ_, 3; _caudæ_, 3¼; _tarsi_, 1.
Head and all the upper surface and two centre tail feathers, brown,
with a large oblong patch of brownish black down the centre of each
feather; primaries, except the three outer ones, bounded posteriorly
with an irregular line of black; secondaries, rusty brown at the
base, and brown for the remainder of their length, margined all
round with greyish olive; lateral tail feathers brownish black,
largely tipped with tawny white; stripe from the nostrils over each
eye, chin, and centre of the abdomen, pale buff; sides of the face
and throat grey, with a spot of dark brown down the centre of each
feather; in the centre of the throat, a patch of ferruginous brown;
chest, pale brownish buff, with a fine pale stripe down each
feather; bill and feet brown.
Habitat, Patagonia. (_April._) Valparaiso. (_September._)
These birds are not uncommon on the dry rocky mountains near Valparaiso,
and in the valleys of southern Patagonia, where a few thickets grow.
They hop actively about the withered herbage and low thickets, and often
feed on the ground. The hind claw is weaker and straighter than in most
of the other species of this genus.
4. SYNALLAXIS MALUROIDES.
S. maluroides. _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Voy de l’Amer. Mer. Ois. pl. xiv, f. 2.
Mag. de Zool. 1837, Cl. 11, pl. 22.
My specimens were shot near Maldonado. Iris yellow; tarsi very pale
coloured.
This species, as well as some others of Synallaxis, Anumbius, and
Limnornis, live amongst reeds and other aquatic plants on the borders of
lakes, and have the same general habits. I will, therefore, here
describe them. They all have the power of crawling very quickly by the
aid of their powerful claws and feet, as I soon discovered when they
were not killed at once, for then it was scarcely possible to catch
them. Their soft tail-feathers show signs of being used, but they never
apply them, as the Certhias do, as a means of supporting their bodies.
The tail-feathers were (at least during June) so loosely attached, that
I seldom procured a specimen with all of them perfect; and I saw many
(especially of _S. maluroides_), flying about with no tail. All the
species, or nearly all, utter an acute, but not loud, rapidly reiterated
cry. They are active and busily seek for small insects, chiefly
Coleoptera, in the coarse herbage. The iris in all is rusty red; the
tongue is divided and terminates in bristly points. These reed birds,
which are very numerous both in species and individuals, on the borders
of lakes in the provinces north of the Plata, appear to supply in South
America, the various Sylviæ, which frequent similar stations in Europe.
5. SYNALLAXIS FLAVOGULARIS. _Gould._
PLATE XXIV.
_S. supra fuscescenti cinereus, infra cinereo-fuscus; remigibus
obscurè fuscis, basi obscurè rufis; caudæ plumis sex mediis
nigro-fuscis, externis ferrugineis; genis gulâque flavescentibus,
plumis singulis apice obscurè fuscis._
Long. tot. 6½ unc.; _rost._ ¾;l _alæ_, 2½; _caudæ_, 3⅝; _tarsi_, ¾.
Head and all the upper surface, brown; primaries, dark brown, with the
basal portions rufous; six central tail-feathers, blackish brown;
the remainder ferruginous; sides of the face and throat yellowish,
with the tip of each feather dark brown; the remainder of the under
surface, greyish brown; bill and feet, dark brown.
Habitat, Patagonia.
My specimens were obtained at Bahia Blanca and at Santa Cruz, two
extreme parts of Patagonia. It frequents the thinly scattered thickets
on the arid plains: the hind claw of its foot is not produced as in _S.
rufogularis_, and it lives less on the ground.
6. SYNALLAXIS BRUNNEA. _Gould._
_S. pallide rubro fusca; primariis secundariisque rufis apice fuscis;
caudæ plumis quatuor mediis nigrescenti fuscis, duabus proximis
ferrugineo fuscis internè nigrescenti-marginatis, duabus extimis
ferrugineo fuscis; genis, gulâ abdomineque medio albescentibus;
hypochondriis cinereis._
Long. tot. 5⁴⁄₁₂; unc.; _rost._ ⁵⁄₁₂; _alæ_, 2³⁄₁₂; _caudæ_, ⅝;
_tarsi_, ¹⁰⁄₁₂.
Head and all the upper surface pale reddish brown; primaries and
secondaries, brown at the tip and rufous at the base; four central
tail feathers, blackish brown; the next on each side rusty brown,
margined internally with blackish brown; the two lateral feathers
wholly rusty brown; sides of the face, throat, and centre of the
abdomen, whitish; flanks cinereous; bill and feet brown.
Habitat, Port Desire, Patagonia. (_January._)
[Illustration:
_Birds. Pl. 24._
_Synallaxis flavogularis._
]
This little bird frequents the thickets in the dry valleys near Port
Desire. It often flies from bush to bush, and its habits are nearly like
those of the rest of the genus. From its tail feathers, however, being
little used, and the tarsi being slightly elongated, I suppose it lives
chiefly on the ground. I may observe, that this species comes nearest to
_S. flavogularis_, but that in the form of its tail, straightness of
bill, and kind of plumage, it departs from Synallaxis, and approaches
Eremobius.
7. SYNALLAXIS ÆGITHALOIDES. _Kittl._
S. Ægithaloides. _Kittl._ Mem. de l’Acad. 11. pl. vii.—_Vog. von Chili_,
p. 15, pl. vii.
This bird is common throughout Patagonia and Central Chile, being found
wherever thickets grow on a rocky or dry soil. It sometimes moves about
in small flocks. Its habits, as Kittlitz remarks, resemble in many
respects, those of a titmouse (_Parus_); but there is one remarkable
point of difference, namely, that this bird is able to _run_ very
quickly on the ground. It does not always do so, but often hops about
with great activity; nevertheless, I repeat, I have distinctly seen it
running very quickly amongst the thickets. When hopping from twig to
twig, it does not use its long tail, any more than the long-tailed
titmouse (_Parus caudatus_) of Europe. It utters a harsh, shrill,
quickly reiterated cry, like so many other species of this genus and the
allied ones. In Chile, I several times saw a very large cylindrical
nest, built of prickly twigs of the mimosa, and placed in the middle of
a thorn-bearing bush, with its mouth at the upper extremity; I was
assured by the country people, that although so very large, it belonged
to this little bird.[11] This kind of nidification, the habit of feeding
on the ground, and the length of acuminated tail, are points of
resemblance with _S. major._
8. SYNALLAXIS RUFICAPILLA. _Vieill._
Synallaxis ruficapilla. _Vieill._ Gal. des Ois. pl. lxxiv.
Parulus ruficeps. _Spix._ Av. Sp. Nov. tom. 1. p. 84, t. lxxxvi. f. 1,
m. f. 2. fem.
Sphenura ruficeps. _Licht._ Ver. p. 42.
My specimens were obtained at Maldonado, (June) where it was rare, and
at Buenos Ayres. Near Santa Fè, in Entre Rios, 3° northward, it was
common: Spix found it near the Rio San Francisco in Brazil. Iris
yellowish red; legs with faint tinge of blue; tongue terminated in
bristly points, not deeply bifid. This Synallaxis approaches in
character _Anumbius ruber_. Habits similar to those of _S. maluroides_.
ANUMBIUS RUBER. _D’Orb. & Lafr._
Anumbius ruber. _D’Orb. & Lafr._ Mag. de Zool. 1838, p. 18.
Furnarius ruber. _Vieill._ Ency. Meth. 514.
Anumbi rouge. _Azara_, No. 220.
Frequents reeds on the borders of lakes near Maldonado. Habits very
similar to those of _Synallaxis maluroides_, and likewise of the two
species of Limnornis; to one of which _L. curvirostris_, it is most
closely allied in structure. Iris bright yellowish orange; tarsi, with
faint tinge of blue; tongue divided on each side a little below the
extreme point.
GENUS.—LIMNORNIS. _Gould._