Part 7

_Description._--Above olive-green, darker on the head; wings and tail blackish brown, edged with olive; a broad superciliary stripe commencing on the front on each side, and another commencing at the gape, bright yellow, leaving in the middle a broad patch of dark olive; beneath yellow, breast and flanks olivaceous; throat yellow, bordered on each side by a dark olive mystacal stripe; bill black; feet brown: whole length 6·5 inches, wing 2·8, tail 2.

_Hab._ Tucuman.

This is a rather aberrant species of _Buarremon_, as yet only known from Tucuman, where it was discovered by Schulz.

43. ARREMON ORBIGNII, Sclater.

(D'ORBIGNY'S TANAGER.)

+Arremon orbignii+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 25; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 597 (Catamarca); _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 274.

_Description._--Above olive-green; wings and tail blackish, edged with olive; head black, superciliaries white, vertical stripe and nape cinereous; beneath white, with a narrow but distinct pectoral band; sides cinereous; bend of wing yellow; bill yellow, with the upper half of the upper mandible black; feet brown: total length 5·7 inches, wing 2·8, tail 2·6.

_Hab._ Bolivia and Northern Argentina.

Specimens of this Tanager were obtained by White on the Sierras of Totoral, near Catamarca, in July 1880. The iris is marked as "blue."

44. SALTATOR SIMILIS, d'Orb. et Lafr.

(ALLIED SALTATOR.)

+Saltator similis+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 290, t. xxviii. fig. 2 (Corrientes); _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 287. +Saltator superciliaris+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 597 (Corrientes)?

_Description._--Above cinereous; interscapulium and greater wing-coverts and secondaries suffused with olive-green; superciliaries white; below pale fulvous; throat white, bordered on each side by a black line; flanks passing into cinereous; under wing-coverts pale fulvous; bill plumbeous; feet brown: whole length 8·5 inches, wing 4·0, tail 4·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil and Eastern Argentina.

This Saltator was first described from specimens obtained at Rincon de Luna in Corrientes by d'Orbigny, but no recent collectors appear to have met with it in the Argentine Republic.

45. SALTATOR CÆRULESCENS, Vieill.

(GREYISH SALTATOR.)

+Saltator cærulescens+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 480 (Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 26; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 59 (Buenos Ayres); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 353 (Salta); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 597 (Salta); _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 290.

_Description._--Above cinereous, wings and tail rather darker; short superciliaries white; beneath pale cinereous; throat white, with a blackish rictal stripe on each side; fore neck slightly tinged with fulvous; middle of belly whitish; lower belly and crissum strongly suffused with fulvous; under wing-coverts pale fulvous; bill black; feet brown: total length 8·5 inches, wing 4·3, tail 4·1. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Mr. Durnford found this Saltator "pretty common" near Baradero, on low scrubby ground near water, and afterwards obtained it near Salta. White records it as "very abundant" near Oran.

46. SALTATOR AURANTIIROSTRIS, Vieill.

(YELLOW-BILLED SALTATOR.)

+Saltator aurantiirostris+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 288 (Corrientes); _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 481 (Mendoza, Cordova, Tucuman, Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 26; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 508 (Catamarca); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 91 (Concepcion); _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 292.

_Description._--Above cinereous, with a slight olivaceous suffusion; head rather darker; sides of head and throat black; superciliary stripe, commencing above the eye, white; beneath pale cinereous mixed with fulvous, a well-marked guttural collar joining the sides of the throat black; ends of the outer rectrices more or less varied with white; bill clear orange; feet greyish brown: whole length 7·5 inches, wing 3·6, tail 3·5. _Female_ similar, less brightly coloured, and with the guttural collar almost or altogether absent.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Uruguay, and Northern Argentina.

In Corrientes d'Orbigny found this Saltator breeding in the month of November. It frequents the shrubs and bushes in the neighbourhood of the houses, and makes an open nest of roots, not of very neat construction. The eggs are two or three, greenish blue, slightly spotted at the larger end with blackish and reddish zigzag markings. The egg is figured in d'Orbigny's 'Voyage' (pl. xxviii. fig. 3).

White tells us that this species is not uncommon in Catamarca, and Barrows met with it at Concepcion in Entrerios.

Fam. X. FRINGILLIDÆ, or FINCHES.

The extensive family of Finches, which has numerous representatives in every part of the world, is well represented in the Argentine Republic. Within the limits assigned to the present work forty-six species of his group are already known to occur, and it is probable that this number will be somewhat increased when the Argentine avifauna is thoroughly worked out.

Most of the genera to which the Argentine Finches belong are forms peculiar to the Neotropical Region, or at all events to the New World. The genus _Chrysomitris_, which contains our Siskin and other Old-World species, is the only one which has a wider distribution.

One of the most characteristic forms of Argentine Fringillidæ is _Poospiza_, of which seven species are met with within the limits of the Republic, while _Lophospingus_, _Donacospiza_, _Gubernatrix_, and _Saltatricula_ are Fringilline types peculiar to Argentina.

47. PHEUCTICUS AUREIVENTRIS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(BLACK-AND-YELLOW THICK-BILL.)

+Pheucticus aureiventris+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 27; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 598 (Salta); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 55.

_Description._--Above, also head, throat, and chest, black; lesser wing-coverts yellow; two spots on the greater coverts and the base of the primaries white; tail black, the three outer feathers on each side tipped with white; belly and under wing-coverts bright yellow; sides sparsely spotted with black; bill and feet black: total length 8·7 inches, wing 4·5, tail 3·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Bolivia and Northern Argentina.

Examples of this fine species, originally discovered by d'Orbigny in Bolivia, were obtained by White in the forests of Salta.

48. GUIRACA CYANEA (Linn.).

(INDIGO FINCH.)

+Guiraca cyanea+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 27; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 598 (Catamarca). +Guiraca cyanea argentina+, _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 73.

_Description._--Indigo-blue; lesser wing-coverts azure-blue; wing- and tail-feathers black; forehead azure-blue, and head washed with the same colour; bill and feet black: total length 6·8 inches, wing 3·6, tail 2·9. _Female_ brown; beneath brighter and rufescent.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

White found this bird "not uncommon around Andalgala in Catamarca, in hedges and thickets." Mr. Sharpe separates the Argentine bird as a subspecies, from its larger size.

49. GUIRACA GLAUCOCÆRULEA (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(GLAUCOUS FINCH.)

+Guiraca glaucocærulea+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 139 (Buenos Ayres), _iid. Nomencl._ p. 27; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 170 (Buenos Ayres); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 353 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 92 (Concepcion); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 75. +Coccoborus glaucocæruleus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 488 (Paraná).

_Description._--Uniform glaucous blue; wings and tail blackish, the feathers edged with light blue: total length 5·7 inches, wing 2·9, tail 2·3.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

This is a rare Finch, and its massive beak and rich blue plumage give to it a highly interesting appearance; but about its habits I have little to tell, for it is essentially a bird of the wild forest, seldom coming near the abodes of man, and being, moreover, shy in disposition, it is difficult to observe it even in its haunts. It is migratory, and is usually seen singly or in pairs, or in small companies of four or five individuals. The male sings, but his performance is merely a confused medley of chattering notes, uttered in so low a tone that they can scarcely be heard at a distance of twelve yards.

50. ORYZOBORUS MAXIMILIANI, Cab.

(PRINCE MAX.'S FINCH.)

+Oryzoborus maximiliani+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 488 (Tucuman); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 78.

_Description._--Black; large alar speculum, axillaries, and under wing-coverts white; bill pale yellow; feet brown: total length 5·8 inches, wing 2·9, tail 2·5. _Female_ brown; beneath brownish ochraceous.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

This Finch is stated by Burmeister to occur near Tucuman.

51. SPERMOPHILA PALUSTRIS, Barrows.

(MARSH FINCH.)

+Spermophila palustris+, _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 82 (Concepcion); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 112.

_Description._--Above, from bill to rump, clear bluish ash; below, from bill to middle of breast, including lower eyelid, ear-coverts, and sides of neck, pure white; rest of underparts, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright chestnut-red; wings and tail blackish brown, edged with whitish; inner secondaries black, their tips and outer edges broadly white; a white patch across the base of all the primaries except the first two; bill and feet black, iris dark: total length 4·50 inches, wing 2·18, tail 1·70. _Female_ above uniform greenish olive, obscurely streaked with dusky; below light yellowish buff; wings and tail nearly as in male, but duller.

This small and beautiful Finch was discovered by Mr. Barrows in February 1880, on the Lower Uruguay. It inhabits the marshes, where the males are frequently seen pursuing each other in the pairing-season, occasionally pausing on the top of some tall grass to pour out their delightful song. In character this resembles that of the Black-headed Goldfinch; but has, Mr. Barrows says, a variety and sweetness far beyond the powers of that bird.

It is just possible that Mr. Barrows's Finch may be Azara's unidentified _Chipiu pardo y canela_ (Apuntamientos, vol. i. no. 143), which has the same habits, living in the dense reed-beds of the Paraguayan marshes, and is also a delightful singer,--superior to the Goldfinch or Canary, Azara says.

52. SPERMOPHILA MELANOCEPHALA (Vieill.).

(BLACK-HEADED FINCH.)

+Spermophila melanocephala+, _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 118.

_Description._--Above black; rump and lesser wing-coverts bright rufous; large loral spot on each side white; wings and tail black; alar speculum white; beneath, throat white, band across the breast black; belly pale rufous; flanks and crissum dark rufous; under wing-coverts white; bill and feet black: whole length 5·0 inches, wing 2·4, tail 2·2.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentina.

A specimen of this species, now in the British Museum, was obtained by Durnford at Punta Lara in October 1875.

53. SPERMOPHILA CÆRULESCENS (Vieill.).

(SCREAMING FINCH.)

+Spermophila cærulescens+, _Scl. Ibis_, 1871, p. 12; _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 28; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 508 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 92 (Concepcion); _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 126. +Sporophila ornata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 488 (Mendoza, Paraná). +Spermophila ornata+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 632; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 170 (Buenos Ayres); _Salv. Ibis_, 1880, p. 353 (Salta).

_Description._--Above pale smoky brown; front and lores black; beneath, chin and upper part of throat black, with a distinct white mystacal stripe on each side; fore neck white; broad band across the chest black; abdomen white, slightly varied with grey and black on the flanks; under wing-coverts white; bill pale horn-colour; feet brown: whole length 4·8 inches, wing 2·3, tail 1·9. _Female_ pale olive-brown; wings and tail darker; beneath lighter, tinged with ochraceous; middle of the belly almost white.

_Hab._ Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.

This species is a summer visitor in Buenos Ayres, and is one of the last to arrive and first to depart of our migrants. These birds are always most abundant in plantations, preferring peach-trees, but do not associate in flocks: they are exceedingly swift and active, overflowing with life and energy, their impetuous notes and motions giving one the idea that they are always in a state of violent excitement. The male has a loud, startled chirp, also a song composed of eight or ten notes, delivered with such vehemence and rapidity, that they run into each other and sound more like a scream than a song. There is not a more clever architect than this species; and while many _Synallaxes_ are laboriously endeavouring to show how stately a mansion of sticks a little bird can erect for itself, the Screaming Finch has successfully solved the problem of how to construct the most perfect nest for lightness, strength, and symmetry with the fewest materials. It is a small, cup-shaped structure, suspended hammock-wise between two slender upright branches, and to which it is securely attached by fine hairs and webs. It is made of thin, pale-coloured, fibrous roots, ingeniously woven together--reddish or light-coloured horse-hair being sometimes substituted; and so little material is used that, standing under the tree, a person can easily count the eggs through the bottom of the nest. Its apparent frailness is, however, its best protection from the prying eyes of birds and mammals that prey on the eggs and young of small birds; for it is difficult to detect this slight structure, through which the sunshine and rain pass so freely. So light is the little basket-nest that it may be placed on the open hand and blown away with the breath like a straw; yet so strong that a man can suspend his weight from it without pulling it to pieces. The eggs are three in number, white and spotted with black, sometimes bluish-brown spots are mingled with the black.

54. PAROARIA CUCULLATA (Lath.).

(CARDINAL FINCH.)

+Paroaria cucullata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 482 (Paraná, Tucuman); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 171 (Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 19 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 598 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 129 (Concepcion).

_Description._--Above grey; wing- and tail-feathers blackish grey; head all round, crest, and throat brilliant scarlet, the scarlet extending downwards to the chest; below white, the white colour extending up the sides of the neck; nape spotted with white: total length 8·0 inches, wing 4·0, tail 3·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

This well-known species is perhaps the finest Finch the Argentines have. The entire upper plumage is clear grey, the under surface pure white; but its chief glory is its crest, which, with the anterior part of the head and the throat, is of the most vivid scarlet. The song has little variety, but is remarkably loud, and has that cheerful ring which most people admire in their caged pets, possibly because it produces the idea in the listener's mind that the songster is glad to be a prisoner. As a cage-bird this Finch enjoys an extraordinary popularity; and a stranger in Buenos Ayres, seeing the numbers that are exposed for sale by the bird-dealers in the markets of that city, might fancy that a Cardinal in a cage is considered a necessary part of the _ménage_ of every house in the country. This large supply of caged birds comes from South Brazil, Paraguay, and the north-eastern part of the Argentine country, where the Cardinals are most abundant and unite in large flocks. Probably they are not snared, but taken when young from the nest, as most of the birds exposed for sale are in immature plumage.

The Cardinal in a wild state is found as far south as the province of Buenos Ayres, but it is there a scarce bird. It breeds, Mr. Gibson writes, at the end of October, and makes a shallow nest of twigs, vine-tendrils, and horse-hair. The eggs are four; ground-colour white or tinged with faint brown or greenish, and spotted with brown, more densely at the large end.

55. PAROARIA CAPITATA (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(LESSER CARDINAL FINCH.)

+Paroaria capitata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 482; _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 598.

_Description._--Above black; head bright scarlet, the black and red divided by white, crescent-shaped marks on the neck, narrowing to a point on the nape; throat black, the black extending downward to the chest; below white; bill and feet yellowish horn-colour: total length 6·6 inches, wing 3·0, tail 2·6.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Bolivia.

Dr. Burmeister tells us this species is not uncommon near Paraná, where it occurs in small flocks on the river-bank, and is often seen on the stones at the river's edge.

56. CORYPHOSPINGUS CRISTATUS (Gm.).

(RED-CRESTED FINCH.)

+Coryphospingus cristatus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 354 (Salta); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 598 (Salta).

_Description._--Above black, washed with red; rump crimson; wing- and tail-feathers black; forehead black; crest vivid scarlet; whole under surface fine crimson: total length 5·5 inches, wing 2·6, tail 2·3. _Female_ above brown, with scarlet tinge on the rump; beneath salmon-colour, whitish on the throat.

_Hab._ Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina.

Both Durnford and White obtained specimens of this bird in the province of Salta; White's examples were met with in open country, dotted with thickets of low brushwood, to which the bird resorts.

57. LOPHOSPINGUS PUSILLUS (Burm.).

(DARK-CRESTED FINCH.)

+Lophospiza pusilla+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 483. +Lophospingus pusillus+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1878, p. 195 (Cordova). +Coryphospingus pusillus+, _Salv. Ibis_, 1880, p. 354, pl. ix. fig. 1 (Tucuman).

_Description._--Above grey; sides of head and crest blackish; broad superciliaries white; wings blackish, edged with whitish grey; tail blackish, lateral rectrices with broad white tips; beneath greyish white, clearer on the throat and middle of the belly; bill dark horn-colour; lower mandible whitish; feet pale brown: whole length 5·0 inches, wing 2·5, tail 2·4.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

58. DONACOSPIZA ALBIFRONS (Vieill.).

(LONG-TAILED REED-FINCH.)

+Donacospiza albifrons+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 632 (Buenos Ayres), _iid. Nomencl._ p. 30; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 171 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 38 (Cordova); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 38 (Pampas). +Poospiza albifrons+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 484 (Paraná).

_Description._--Above yellowish grey, the back striped with blackish; lesser wing-coverts clear grey; greater coverts and wing-feathers black, edged with brown; head nearly the same as the back, somewhat grey on the cheek, the crown and nape washed with olive-brown; superciliary stripe and under surface buff; bill and feet horn-colour: total length 6·0 inches, wing 2·5, tail 3·0.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Uruguay, and La Plata.

The slender body, great length of tail, and the hue of the plumage, assimilating to that of sere decaying vegetation, might easily lead one into mistaking this Finch for a _Synallaxis_ where these birds are abundant.

I have met with it in the marshy woods and reed-beds along the shores of the Plata, but it is a shy, rare bird in Buenos Ayres. I have followed it about, hoping to hear it utter a song or melodious note, but it had only a little chirp. I would not, however, on this account pronounce it to be the one silent member of a voiceful family, as my acquaintance with it is so very slight.

59. POOSPIZA NIGRORUFA (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza nigrorufa+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 484 (Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 171 (Buenos Ayres); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 38 (Rio Sauce); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 129 (Concepcion).

_Description._--Entire upper parts black, faintly washed with olive; superciliary stripe pale straw-colour; two outer tail-feathers on each side tipped with white; throat and under surface bright chestnut; centre of abdomen white; under tail-coverts pale buff: total length 5·8 inches, wing 2·5, tail 2·2. _Female_: upper parts not so dark as in male; underparts light buff, mottled and striped with blackish.

_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

This sweet-voiced little songster appears in Buenos Ayres at the end of September; it is a common bird in grounds abounding in bushes and scattered trees, and, in its bright ruddy breast and dark upper plumage, has some resemblance to the English Robin; only it has a very conspicuous straw-coloured line above the eye. Its voice also, in purity and sweetness of tone, is not unlike that of the Robin; but the song, composed of six unvarying notes, is uttered in a deliberate, business-like manner at regular intervals, and is monotonous. Never more than two birds are seen together; they feed on the ground in humid situations, the male frequently seeking a perch to sing. The nest is made on the round, or in a close bush near the surface; the eggs have a pale bluish ground-colour, irregularly marked with black and very dark brown spots, and in some instances clouded with faint grey.

60. POOSPIZA WHITII, Scl.

(WHITE'S WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza whitii+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 43, pl. ix.

_Description._--Above clear grey, very faintly washed with olive; tail black, the outer feathers on each side tipped with white, as in _P. erythrophrys_; patch between bill and eye, the anterior half of superciliary stripe, and chin white; hinder part of superciliary stripe and under surface chestnut; middle of belly white; under tail-coverts buff: total length 5·5 inches, wing 2·4, tail 2·6. _Female_ similar, but breast pale rufous; abdomen white; sides grey and buff.

_Hab._ Province of Cordova, Rep. Arg.

This species has only been obtained by the late Mr. E. W. White. He met with specimens of it at Cosquin, Cordova, in June, July, and August, 1882. It has been dedicated to its discoverer, who has so largely augmented our knowledge of the Argentine avifauna, and whose premature death was a veritable loss for science.

61. POOSPIZA ERYTHROPHRYS, Scl.

(RED-BROWED WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza erythrophrys+, _Scl. Ibis_, 1881, p. 599, pl. xvii. fig. 1; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above grey, faintly washed with olive; greater wing-coverts tipped with white; wing-feathers blackish, edged with grey; tail blackish grey, the two outer feathers on each side tipped with white, and on the outer feather the white extending down the outer web to the base of the tail; superciliary stripe and whole under surface light chestnut, paler on the abdomen; under tail-coverts buff: total length 5·5 inches, wing 2·5, tail 2·3.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

This pretty species is another of White's discoveries. He first met with it in the Sierra of Totoral, Catamarca, and subsequently about 20 miles north of Buenos Ayres.

62. POOSPIZA ASSIMILIS, Cab.

(RED-FLANKED WARBLING FINCH.)