_Description._--Wings with a large yellow spine. Above grey; broad front and thin vertical crest black; a patch on the scapulars bronzy purplish; upper tail-coverts white; primaries purplish black; greater coverts pure white, passing into greyish on the secondaries; lesser wing-coverts bronzy green; tail--basal half white, apical half purplish black tipped with white: beneath, chin, line down the middle of the throat and breast shining black; sides of neck grey, passing into white on the face; abdomen and under wing-coverts pure white; bill red, with black tip; feet flesh-colour: whole length 13·0 inches, wing 8·2, tail 4·2, tarsus 3·1. _Female_ similar. [Illustration: CAYENNE LAPWING. (Seebohm's 'Plovers,' p. 216.)] _Hab._ Eastern South America. The Lapwing of La Plata is considerably larger than the well-known Lapwing of the Old World, but closely resembles that bird in the general colour of the plumage, in the long, slender, black crest, and in general appearance. Throughout the Argentine country it is called _Téru-téru_, from its ever-repeated dissyllabic cry; west of the Andes the vernacular name is _Queltregue_, also in imitation of its notes. It has red legs, crimson irides, a rosy beak tipped with black, and coral-red wing-spurs; and these spots of bright colour add to its bold striking appearance. In size, beauty, and spirit it is a king among the Plovers, while its jealous aggressive disposition gives it the character of a tyrant amongst birds in general. On the pastoral pampas (the district from which the giant grasses have disappeared) it is excessively abundant; and it is there resident, although, as with most strong-winged resident species, some individuals do certainly migrate, small parties being occasionally seen in spring and autumn flying steadily at a great height, apparently performing a long journey. As a rule the birds pair for life, and remain always on the spot where they breed. They may be persecuted with guns, their eggs taken year after year, even the ground turned up with the plough, but they still refuse to be driven out. In regions having a broken surface--hills, woods, and sheltered hollows--birds naturally get attached to one spot, for each locality possesses its own features, and individuals frequenting it acquire a knowledge of its advantages. The vast pampas have a uniform level surface, and produce the same kinds of food in the same quantities. They are parched with droughts and flooded by rains alternately, and swept by dust-storms in summer and cold gales in winter--violent enough, one would imagine, to drive every winged creature away and obliterate all marks of home. Again, the powerful flight of this species would enable it to take long journeys, and, if unaffected by atmospheric changes, scarcity of food and water might be a temptation to seek new regions. But through all vicissitudes the Téru-téru clings to its chosen spot of ground.