File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18156912662).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo17amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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163 THE AJfEIUCAN MUSEUM JOURNAL purple mist. To the west rises the stern Andean chain, barren and precip- itous, its top hidden in banks of grayish clouds. We made a first camp in the forest below Villa Nougues, at an altitude of
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In spite of the hundreds of thousands of rheas killed for their feath- ers, which are used in making dusters, these great birds are still fairly abundant in Argentina. Their eggs sell in the local markets for about twenty cents apiece, not an exorbitant price for an egg which equals a dozen hen's eggs in size and probably in food value four thousand feet. From the very first day we heard a shrill little call which we thought belonged to Scytalo- pus; but the elusive bird always re- mained in concealment among the ferns and mosses, and not once did we get a glimpse of it. Then we moved to the other side of the mountain where, we had been told, hunt- ing was not so diffi- cult. Birds Avere not abundant, the fall mi- grations having left the forest almost de- serted. The few spe- cies which remained, liowever, such as wood hewers, thrushes, tan- age rs and jays, were plentiful, and several species of humming birds lent color and life to the somber green of the vegeta- tion. After many days, we succeeded in tracing the mysterious chirp to its source, and found, not the bird we were seeking, but a dainty little wood wren of the shy- est possible nature. The minute, secretive creature seemed to spend its entire time among the buttressed roots and moss-draped undergrowth, where no ray of sunlight ever penetrated to dis- pel the chill and semi- darkness, or give a touch of cheer to the

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