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th r e e h n n c lre d o f th em in th e c o u r s e o f a lo n g w a lk a l i t t l e to th e n o r th o f B u e n o s
A ire s . I t w a s q u i t e w a rm a n d v e r y fin e , n o t a t a l l lik e w in te r . T h is is th e m o s t
c om m o n Sw a llow w e h a v e , a n d th e r e is s c a rc e ly a r a n c h e in t h e c o u n try t h a t h a s n o t i ts
o no o r tw o p a i r s b r e e d in g u n d e r th e e a v e s o r in th e c r a c k s o f th e w a lls . I t a lso re s o rts
to h o le s i n t re e s fo r n e s tin g -p u rp o s c s . T h o u g h d u r in g c o ld a n d d u ll w e a th e r in th e
w in te r n o n e a r e v is ib le som e tim e s fo r w e e k s to g e th e r , a w a rm b r ig h t d a y n e v e r fa ils to
a t t r a c t som e fr om t h e i r tem p o r a ry s h e lte r , w h e re v e r t h a t m a y be. P r e t t y c om m o n a t
B a r a d e ro in A p r il .”
T h e fo llow in g a c c o u n t is from th e p e n o f t h a t e x c e lle n t o b s e rv e r M r . AY. I I .
H u d s o n ;—
“ T h e J l i n m d o leu c o rrh o a is th e m o s t c om m o n o f o u r Sw a llow s n e a r B u e n o s A ire s ,
a n d in i ts g lo s sy c o a t o f d e e p b lu e a n d g re e n , w i th r um p a n d u n d e r -p lum a g e sn owy
w h ite , is a n e le g a n t a u d b e a u t if u l l)ird. T h e y a r e th e l a s t o f a l l th e m ig r a to r y spec ie s
to le a v e u s in a u tum n , a n d in v a r ia b ly r e a p p e a r in sm a ll n um b e r s o u e v e ry w a rm d ay
in w in t e r , so t h a t som e p e o p le do n o t b e lie v e t h a t th e y le a v e u s a t a ll, b u t o n ly r e ti r e to
th e m o re s h e lte r e d p la c e s w h e n th e w 'c a tlie r is se v e re . I n th e w in te r o f 18G9 I saw
t l ir e e o f th em s k im m in g o v e r t h e p la in o n o n e o f th e c o ld e st d a y s I h a v e e v e r ex -
]) c rie n c e d ; th e th e rm om e te r h a v in g s to o d a t 29° F a h r . o n th e pi*eceding e v e n in g . B u t
th o s e t h a t r em a in th r o u g h th e w in t e r w i th u s a r e a p p a r e n t ly o n ly a few in d iv id u a ls , w h ile
iu th e a u tu m n m y ria d s a r e se e n p a s s in g n o r th in t h e i r m ig r a tio n , a n d som e y e a rs c o n tin u e
p a s s in g f o r u pw a rd s o f a m o n th . I n A p r il 18G9, se v e ra l d a y s a f te r a ll th e Swallows of
o u r five sp e c ie s h a d to t a l ly d is a p p e a re d , flig h ts o f th e k in d I am d e s c rib in g b e g a n a g a in
to a p p e a r p a s s in g n o r t h ; a n d fo r te n d a y s a f te rw a rd s th e y c o n tin u e d to p a s s . T h e y
w o u ld d e s c e n d to s ip w a te r fr om a p o o l w h e re I w a tc h e d th em , a l ig h t in g a f te rw a rd s
o n th e re e d s a n d b u s h e s to r e s t. A la n y o f th em a p p e a r e d q u i t e tir e d w i th th e i r
jo u rn e y , r i s in g r e lu c t a n t ly w h e n a p p ro a c h e d , a n d som e a llow in g m e to s ta n d w ith in
tw o y a rd s o f th em w i th o u t fly in g . I h a d n e v e r b e fo re o b se rv e d a n y s u p p le m
e n t a r y o r l a t e r m ig r a tio n lik e t h i s ; a n d l a s t a u tu m n (1 8 7 0 ) c e r ta in ly n o th in g o f
tlie k in d to o k p la c e . P ro b a b ly tb e m ig r a tio n o f th i s sp e c ie s e x te n d s v e ry f a r s o u th ;
a t p r e s e n t th e y a r c p a s s in g in g r e a t n um b e rs , a n d h a v e b e e n so p a s s in g fo r th e la s t
fifte e n d a y s .
“ T h e y som e tim e s b u ild in a tre e , in th e la rg e n e s t, jn-eviously a b a n d o n e d , o f th e
S e ñ a te ro {A n um b iu s a c u iic a tu la tu s ). I h a v e h a d o c c a s io n b e fo re , a n d s h a ll h a v e i t
a g a in in d e s c rip tio n s o f o th e r sp ec ie s, to m e n t io n t h a t in t e r e s tin g b ird a n d its g re a t
n e s t.
“ I t is, h ow e v e r, u n d e r th e e a v e s o f h o u s e s t h a t th e s e Sw a llow s p rin c ip a lly b re e d ;
a n d th e r e is n o t a h o u s e o n th e p am p a s , h ow e v e r h um b le i t b e, b u t som e o f th e s e b ird s
a r e a b o u t i t , sp o rtiv e ly s k im m in g o v e r a n d a b o u t th e ro o f o r c u r io u s ly p ee v in g u n d e r
th e c a v e s a n d in c e s s a n tly u t t e r in g t h e i r g u r g l in g , h a p p y n o te s . In d e e d t h e i r fo n d n e s s
fo r b e in g close to a h om e is so r em a r k a b ly s t r o n g t h a t in t h e i r lo n g e s t e x c u rs io n s th e y
a r e s e ld om m o re t h a n five m in u te s a b s e n t from it.
“ F o r a m o n th o r s ix w e e k s b e fo re th e y b e g in to b u ild , th e y se em to b e iio ld iiig a n
in c e s s a n t d i s p u t e ; a n d h ow e v e r m a n y e lig ib le c h in k s a n d h o le s th e r e m a y b e, tb e
c o n te n tio n is a lw a y s j u s t a s g r e a t am o n g th em , a n d is d o u b tle s s r e f e r a b le to o p p o s in g
c la im s to th e b e s t p la c e s . T lie e x c ite d tw i t te r in g , th e c o n s ta n t s tr iv in g o f tw o b ird s to
a l ig h t o n th e s am e s q u a r e in c h o f w a ll, a n d th e c h a se s th e y lo ad e a c h o th e r r o u n d a n d
r o u n d th e h o u s e , t h a t a lw a y s e n d e x a c tly w h e re th e y b e g a n , t e l l o f d a s h i n g in te r e s ts a u d
g r e a t u n re a s o n a b le n e s s o n th o p a r t o f som e am o n g th em . By -an c l-b y th e q u a r r e l ta k e s a
m o re s e r io u s a s p e c t ; a p p a r e n t ly e v e ry a r g u m e n t o f w h ic h a Sw a llow is c a p a b le h a s been
e x h a u s te d , a n d a c om p rom is e m o re im p o s s ib le th a n ev e r, a n d so f ig h tin g b e g in s .
Alo st v in d ic tiv e ly do th e l i t t l e th in g s c lu t c h e a c h o tlie r, a n d tum b le to th o e a r th tw e n ty
tim e s a u h o u r , o fte n s t r u g g l in g o n tlie g ro u n d fo r a co n s id e ra b le tim e , a n d h e e d le s s o*f
th e sc re am s o f a l a rm t h e i r fe llow s s e t u p a b o v e th e m ; fo r o fte n w h ile th e y lie
s t r u g g l in g do th e y f a ll a n e a sy p re y to som e w ily jiu ssy , w h o th riv e s o n th e i r cUsjmtes.
AYhen tlie s e tro u b le s a n d fe u d s a r e fin a lly e n d e d , th e y a d d r e s s tliem se lv e s d ilig e n tly to
tb e g r e a t w o rk , a n d b u ild a r a th e r la rg o n e s t. T h e y a ro u o t n e a t o r s k ilf u l w o rk e rs ,
b u t m e re ly s tu f f a g r e a t q u a n t i ty o f s tr aw a n d o th e r lig h t m a te r ia l in to th e h o le th e y
b u ild in , a n d lin e i t th ic k ly w i th fe a th e r s a n d h o rs e h a ir. T h e e g g s a ro w h ite a n d
p o in te d , from fiv e to s e v e n in n um b e r.
“ A l l th o s e sp e c ie s t h a t a r e lia b le a t a n y tim e to b e c om e t l ic v ic tim s o f r a p to r ia l
b ird s a r e m u c h b e h o ld e n to th i s Sw a llow , a s h e is th e m o s t v ig i la n t s e n tin e l th e y
possess : o fte n w h e n t h e H a w k is s t il l f a r o if a n d th e o th e r b ird s u n s u s p ic io u s o f h is
a p p ro a c h , th e Sw a llow s s u d d e n ly r u s h u p tow a rd s tlie sk y w ith a w ild ra p id flig h t,
a n n o u n c in g th e e v il tid in g s w ith d is tr a c te d sc re am s . T h e s e a r e w e ll u n d e r s to o d ; a n d
th e a la rm sp re a d s lik e l ig h tn in g th r o u g h tlie fe a th e r e d trib e s , w h ic h a r e a l l in te rr ifie d
c om m o tio n , c r o u c h in g in th e g ra s s a n d p lu n g in g in to th ic k e ts , o r m o u n t in g u pw a rd s to
e s c a p e b y flig h t. I lia v e o fte n w o n d e re d a t th i s ; fo r su re ly th i s sw ift-w in g e d l i t t l e b ird
is th e le a s t lik e ly to fa ll a p re y h im se lf.
“ T h e y h a v e a n o th e r h a b i t w h ic h c a n n o t h u t b e g r a te fu l to th e m iu d o f e v e ry lo v e r
o f n a tu r e w h o is a n e a rly ris e r . A n h o u r b e fo re s u n ris e , a n d e re a n y w ild b ird h a s
b ro k e n t h e p ro fo u n d s ile n c e o f n ig h t , m u l ti tu d e s o f th e s e Sw a llow s , a s a t th e s ig n a l o f a
le a d e r, b e g in t l ie i r so n g , a t th e s am e tim e m o u n t in g u pw a rd in to th e s t il l d u s k y sky.
T lie ir n o te s a t tb i s tim e a r e diiTereiit fr om th e h u r r ie d tw i t te r in g s th e y u t t e r th ro u g h
th e d a y ; th e y a r c im p re s s iv e , a n d , th o u g li so ft, m a y he h e a rd a t a lo n g d i s t a n c e ;
so u n d in g f a r a n d n e a r, u p in th e sk y , from so m a n y th ro a ts , th e y h a v e a m o s t c lia rm in g
effec t t h a t se em s in p e c u lia r h a rm o n y w ith th e sh a d ow y m o rn in g tw i l ig h t .”
I n a n o th e r l e t t e r Air. H u d s o n w r i t e s :— “ I c o n tin u e to m e e t so fr e q u e n tly w ith
s in g le b ird s a n d sm a ll p a r tie s o f th e I lir u n d o leu c o rrh o a , e v e n o u th e c o ld e st d a v s of
w in te r, t h a t I am q u i t e p o s itiv e th e b ird s o f tb i s sp e e ie s b re e d in g a s f a r n o r th a s B u en o s
A ire s c ity m ig r a t e in a n e x c e e d in g ly i r r e g u l a r m a im e r, m a n y r em a in in g w ith u s a l l th e
y e a r, a n d t h a t t h e f u r th e r s o u th w c go w c fin d th e i r m ig ra tio n s be c om e m o re s t r i c t a n d
d e f in ite ; fo r in P a t a g o n i a from A la rc h to A u g u s t I s aw n o t o n e o f th em . T h e sam e
m a y b e sa id o f som e o th e r m ig r a to ry spec ie s iu th is re g io n .”
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