Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 65
6\ Abdomen black; breast more or less rufescent; greater wing coverts
grayish white ; culmen longer, 128 mm. or more in length__ melanopis.
6*. Upper portion of abdomen white; breast white with very faint rufescent
tinge; greater wing coverts gray; culmen shorter, less than 125 mm.
in length branickii.
PLEGADIS GUARAUNA (Linnaeus)
Scolopax guarauna Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 242.
(Brazil.)
The white-faced glossy ibis was irregularly distributed throughout
regions of open marshes. Near Berazatequi, Buenos Aires, June
29, 1920, of two flocks seen, one contained about 40 birds. An immature
individual that had been killed by a hunter was examined.
One was seen near Las Palmas, Chaco, on July 31, and at Formosa,
Formosa, on August 23, a flock of 40 passed south above the Rio
Paraguay. Near Lavalle, Buenos Aires, on October 22, six were
noted in a pasture among sheep. A female taken November 2,
though in immature plumage, showed some development of the ova-
ries. At Santo Domingo, Buenos Aires, November 16, nearly 1,000
were scattered through flooded fields. One was observed near Car
hue in western Buenos Aires on December 21. At the Laguna Castillos
below San Vicente, Uruguay, the birds were fairly common
on January 31, but were not observed elsewhere in that country.
On March 2, I noted many from the train between the stations of
Canuelas and 25 de Mayo, Province of Buenos Aires, and on March
4 saw 50 near Guamini. x\. small flock fed in a marshy meadow near
Tunuyan, Mendoza, on March 27.
Scanty material available seems to indicate that birds from south-
ern South America may average smaller than those from western
United States. The female secured near Lavalle, Buenos Aires,
measures as follows: Wing, 235; tail, 83; culmen 105.5; tarsus, 79
mm. It would seem that guarauna is entitled to specific rank as
distinguished from the true glossy ibis. In a fair series from the
western United States and southward all adults possess a distinct
white line on the forehead and at times on the sides of the head
behind the bill, a mark that is definitely lacking in the other species,
both from the New World and from the Eastern Hemisphere.
Family PLATALEIDAE
AJAIA AJAJA (Linnaeus)
Platalea ajaja Linnaeus, Syst. Nat, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 140. (Brazil.)
A roseate spoonbill was seen at intervals about a lagoon at the Kilometer
80 ranch west of Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, during September,
1920, but was so shy that it flew away to other lakes whenever men